Aviation Capital Solutions, based in the UK, acquired five BAe 146-300s from BAE Systems for delivery through June. Aircraft will be used in the European air charter market and Africa with existing clients and initially will be based in Europe on ACMI contracts.
CFM International said development on its next-generation LEAP-X1C engine, selected late last year to power Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China's 150-seat C919 slated to enter service in 2016, is progressing well with second-phase core testing underway and scheduled to conclude by mid-May.
El Al said yesterday that it is cancelling an order for four 777-200s placed two years ago. "Since the agreement with Boeing was signed in 2008 and the global crisis occurred in world markets, there have been substantial changes in the aviation sector," El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedi said, according to Reuters.
this week took delivery of its first A330-200, the first of 10 slated to join its fleet to replace 767s on flights between Hawaiiand the continental US. The aircraft is leased to the carrier through CITAerospace. HA will take delivery of two more leased A330-200s this year and begin taking delivery next year of seven of the type it has on firm order. The aircraft will seat 294 passengers in a two-class configuration.
TIMCO Aerosystems was selected by Japan Airlines to provide its FeatherWeight galleys for installation on new 767s. The galleys will be delivered to the production line starting in 2011. Delta TechOpssigned a long-term strategic contract with Global Avia Logistics to support the overhaul and repair services of Nordwind Airlines' 757 fleet's PW2000s and GTCP 331-200 APUs.
will provide Chinese airline Jade Cargo International with its Lido RouteManual solution until this summer. The electronic version, Lido eRouteManual, will be introduced at a later time, it said.
Emirates Chairman Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said the airline may announce more aircraft orders later this year, Reuters reported. "I'm sure you'll be hearing more announcements during this year on maybe more aircraft to come to Emirates, or signing new aircraft to be bought by Emirates," he was reported as saying. He also said the carrier is ready to launch an initial public offering whenever the Dubai government gives it the green light.
Honeywelll aunched an upgraded version of its Web portal for ordering spares, rentals or exchanges of mechanical products, wheels and brakes and avionics aftermarket parts, MyAerospace. New features allow customers to view their specific pricing information and receive real-time parts availability. Syrian Arab Airlinesrecently took delivery of two ATR72-500s.
Honeywell inked a contract valued at $40 million over the life of the program to supply Varig with its full suite of safety avionics including its IntuVue weather radar, traffic alert and collision avoidance system, quantum line communications and navigation system, solid state flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and emergency locator transmitter. Equipment will be included on 65 737-800s expected to begin delivering in 2013.
Air Berlin and MC Aviation Partners signed a purchase and leaseback agreement for three 737-800s. The first delivery took place in January with the remaining aircraft scheduled for delivery in May and August. All three are powered by CFM56-7B24s.
Boeing yesterday reported "solid" first-quarter net income of $519 million, down 15% from a $610 million profit in the year-ago quarter, and touted "clear progress" on the 787 and 747-8F flight test programs including securing expanded Type Inspection Authorization late Tuesday on the Dreamliner from FAA.
Ship it AOG, the Addison, Tex.-based aircraft parts distributor, was named factory-authorized south-central US distributor of Lektro electric towbarless aircraft tugs. Under the terms, Ship it AOG assumes responsibility for sales of Lektro tugs and parts in Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
AerCap Holdings subsidiary AeroTurbine reached a 10-year deal with Chromalloy Gas Turbine to provide supply chain management services for Chromalloy-owned surplus engine/APU material. Initial inventory selected includes more than 50,000 line items of CFM56, CF6, PW4000, PW2000, V2500, JT8D, various whole APUs/APU piece parts and ground power engine piece parts.
Boeing flew its second 747-8F test aircraft to Palmdale, heralding the transition of testing to Southern California. The 747-8F will be stationed in Palmdale for the majority of its scheduled flight test program. Flight crews will conduct several test flights with fuel mileage and engine performance as key focus areas. In coming weeks two additional 747-8s will arrive in Palmdale.
Cebu Pacific Air ordered seven more A320s, bringing its outstanding orders for the type to 22, which will be delivered beginning in October and continue through late 2014. "This will enable us to have the largest fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft in the Philippines and the second-largest in Southeast Asia, allowing us to offer our trademark low fares to even more Filipinos," President and CEO Lance Gokongwei said. The additional aircraft will bring the carrier's A320 fleet to 43 by 2014.
Aviation Capital Group reported first-quarter activity comprising leases of one new A320-200 by Avianova, a new PW4060 by Delta Air Lines and a new A320-200 by Batavia Air and extension of leases on two 737-800s by Sun Express, two A320-200s by Dragonair, four 737-300s by US Airways, one A321-200 by Spanair and one 737-300 by Southwest Airlines. ACG also acted as an agent, selling one MD-83 to Air Austral. It reported two new order deliveries: One 737-800 by Ukraine International Airlines and one 737-800 by Copa Airlines.
Airbus said it was taking advantage of "scheduled development test flights to assess the impact on the aircraft and its flight systems" of potential volcanic ash encounters. An A380 flew in French airspace and an A340-600 flew in French and German airspace yesterday. The manufacturer said it will "share the findings from these flights with the relevant airworthiness authorities and engine manufacturers as soon as possible."
Recaro Aircraft Seating opened a new service center in Stockholm with the aim of offering closer proximity for services for customers in the Scandinavian region. It said the facility will enable it to offer services on short notice in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in cooperation with partner company Sollentuna Cabin Interiors.
Aerolia announced it has produced the first pipe for the A350 XWB galley cooling system and the first composite ply for the upper shelf panel. It won the contract from Airbus last year ( ATWOnline, May 1, 2009).
Precision Conversions will provide Aerolease International with three 15-pallet 757-200PCFs. The first is scheduled for induction this month with the following two scheduled for delivery in May and July. All three will be modified by Flightstar Aircraft Services.
COMAC signed an LOI with Moog to co-develop the high-lift system including flap/slat actuation, pilot interfaces, electronic controls, power drive units, wingtip brakes, gearboxes and miscellaneous components for the C919. It also selected Parker Aerospace, in a joint venture with AVIC Systems, to supply the fuel, inerting and hydraulic systems. Honeywell was selected to supply 131-9(C9C) APUs and associated equipment.
