Boeing delivered 462 commercial aircraft in 2010 led by a record 376 737s, in line with guidance of approximately 460 full-year deliveries but down 4% from 481 aircraft delivered in 2009.
Xiamen Airlines is negotiating with Boeing on an order for six 787 aircraft as part of its international expansion plan, according to Xiamen GM Che Shanglun.
Asiana Airlines placed a firm order for six Airbus A380s to be delivered from 2014-2017, saying the aircraft will complement the 30 A350s it already has on order for delivery beginning in 2016.
Asiana Airlines placed a firm order for six Airbus A380s to be delivered from 2014-2017, saying the aircraft will complement the 30 A350s it already has on order for delivery beginning in 2016.
TAAG Angola Airlines grounded its fleet of three Boeing 777-200ERs Dec. 24 following two engine incidents within 17 days. “DT decided to suspend all flights for its 777-200ER fleet for the sake of caution and international security," a DT spokesman said. The carrier confirmed it canceled its Luanda-Dubai-Beijing service.
Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee has determined that the explosion that caused a fire aboard a Kogalymavia Airlines Tu-154B-2 as it taxied for takeoff Jan. 1 at Surgut did not occur in any of the aircraft's three Kuznetsov NK-8-2U engines, Associated Press reported, citing Russian media.
Bombardier Aerospace announced that Utah-based SkyWest Airlines ordered four CRJ700 NextGens. The aircraft will be flown by SkyWest under the Delta Connection banner in a dual-class configuration with 65 seats. Based on the list price of the type, the contract is valued at approximately $148 million.
Airbus and Boeing rang in the New Year with aircraft orders from easyJet and CIT Aerospace, respectively. EasyJet confirmed it reached an agreement with Airbus to exercise options covering 15 A320 aircraft valued at $1.1 billion at list prices for delivery between 2012 and 2014 and to convert an existing order for 20 A319s into the larger A320 model.
(Corrected Version) Transaero Airlines is planning to purchase four more Boeing 777s that are operated by Singapore Airlines and come off lease in 2011 and is increasing its commitment from nine to 12 747-400s, a spokesperson confirmed to ATW.
Bombardier Aerospace confirmed Wednesday that US FAA awarded aircraft type certification approval to the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen on Dec. 17. US approval follows type certification by Transport Canada and EASA ( ATW Daily News, Nov. 11). The first two CRJ1000NGs have been delivered to launch customers Air Nostrum and Brit Air, Bombardier said. Air Nostrum has firm orders for 35 while Brit Air has firm orders for 14.
Air New Zealand is examining “a host” of fleet options, including the Boeing 777-200LR, to mitigate the expected further delay in the 787 program owing to the inflight fire sparked by a power board short circuit during a test flight last month.
Air New Zealand received and unveiled its first Boeing 777-300ER on Wednesday in Seattle, claiming it has redefined air travel by including "beds" for economy passengers among a string of industry firsts on the aircraft.
Air Austral took delivery of one new 737-800NG from Boeing, the first of two it ordered to replace one 737-300 and one 737-500 in its fleet. Veling purchased four 777-200ERs from Emirates for leaseback. The Mauritius-based aircraft leasing company purchased two 777s from Emirates in February. Alitalia announced ittook delivery of three new A320s, bringing its total operating fleet to 150 aircraft.
Airbus said Tuesday that LAN Airlines finalized a previously-announced order for 50 new A320 family aircraft. The order was initially announced as an MOU at the Farnborough International Airshow in July ( ATW Daily News, July 21). It represents the largest single airline order for Airbus in Latin America and brings LAN's total Airbus orders to 152 aircraft.
Boeing said Monday it will boost the 777 production rate to 8.3 per month in the first quarter of 2013, the second 777 production increase the manufacturer has announced this year.
Delta Air Lines announced it will expand the first-class cabin on approximately 350 aircraft, adding 1,200 Weber Aircraft first-class seats to domestic MD-88, MD-90, Boeing 757-200 and 767-300 aircraft by summer 2013, in response to business customers' requests for more premium cabin seating.
GECAS delivered one new Airbus A320 to Indian carrier IndiGo Airlines. IndiGo currently operates a fleet of 31 A320s. Norwegian Air Shuttle took delivery of its first 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior. TUIfly took delivery of its first 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior.
Spirit AeroSystems said it shipped the first production leading edge spar component–an outer spar–for the Airbus A350 XWB program out of its Kinston, N.C., facility. The remaining five spar sections will be shipped in the coming months, it announced. Each set of spars will be shipped to Spirit's European plant in Prestwick, Scotland, where it will be integrated into the fixed leading edge. From there, it will be delivered to the Airbus plant in Broughton, Wales, for integration into the wing box.
US Aerospace Industries Assn. expects US aerospace sales to rise 1.3% next year to $219.2 billion, surpassing the record $216.5 billion estimate for this year. Civil aircraft sales fell nearly 6% in 2010, however, to $48.2 billion but are expected to rebound to $50.2 billion in 2011, although that is still below the 2009 level of $51.1 billion and the 2007 level of $52.6 billion.
Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly told the Wings Club in New York City that SWA has notified Boeing that it will “substitute 20 of its 737-700 orders for -800s,” with the first delivery scheduled for March 2012. The airline had made known its desire to add the larger type into its fleet of 737-700s, -300s and -500s but needed to get approval from its pilot and cabin crew unions first.
Pratt & Whitney Canada said it will invest more than $1 billion in R&D over the next five years "to develop the next generation of high-performance aircraft engines." Investment includes a $300 million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative. "This major investment will enable us to sustain our engineering centers of excellence in Ontario and Quebec and reinforce our position as a leader in the global aerospace industry," said P&WC President John Saabas.
AerCap Holdings board of directors approved a share repurchase program. The Amsterdam-based aircraft lessor said the program "is limited by restrictive covenants in a debt facility expiring in 2015 to $25 million share repurchases annually and $50 million in aggregate." GECAS delivered one new Airbus A320 to Philippine Airlines, to be operated by AirPhil Express. It also delivered three new Boeing 737-800s to Garuda Airlines in Indonesia.
ACSS said that its T3CAS Traffic Management Computer was certified by Airbus for the A320 family. The unit includes TCAS incorporating Change 7.1 software, TAWS and ADS-B capability.The first installations of T3CAS start this month on A320 family aircraft to operators in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. ACSS is owned by L-3 Communications and Thales.
Boeing on Wednesday delivered its 200th direct-delivery jetliner to Air France. The aircraft also launches AF’s new business-class seat; it is outfitted with 42 of the 78.74 in. (2 m.) -long lie-flat seat beds that include 15-in. (38cm.) IFE screens. The 383-seat GE90-115B-powered 777-300ER will operate its first commercial flight Dec. 20 and will be used on the carrier's Paris-Montreal service, as well as on Paris-Ho Chi Minh City beginning in January.
