ON THE BOEING FRONT

Two Boeing Airplanes that Keep Creating History

Boeing has more than 12,000 commercial planes in service carrying passengers and cargo. Its strong portfolio includes the 737 family, 747 family, 767 models, 777, and the 787 Dreamliner.

The following are Boeing’s top two aircraft that played and continue to play a huge role in making the Boeing Company what it is today.

*The Narrow-Body 737

The fact that the 737 family is Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ highest-selling plane should come as no surprise.

But not so many know that the 737 is the first commercial jetliner to exceed the 10,000-order mark achievement in 2012.

The first 737-100 was delivered to Lufthansa in 1967, and it entered full service in 1968.

Boeing is currently working on the 737MAX, the reengineered version of the 737, which has firm orders for more than 2,294 as of September 20th, (not counting the commitments). The MAX is due to enter service in 2017. Last year 69% of total Boeing orders and deliveries where 737s.

Boeing’s backlog on the 737 ending June 30th stood at 5,237 aircraft according to Boeing’s website.

*The Wide-Body 777

The 777, Boeing’s second highest selling airliner in the past 12 years, is extremely popular among airlines all around the world.

The 777 program’s roots go back to 1990, the year of its launch. The jet entered service in 1995,with United Airlines, the launch customer for the 777.

At present Boeing is developing the 777’s successor, dubbed the 777X, which would consume 12% less fuel compared with competing planes, with first delivery slated for 2020.

In terms of deliveries 2013 was the best in terms of volume, with 89 deliveries. As of June 30 Boeing has a firm backlog of 339 777s. The company’s website shows that Boeing received net orders for 219 777s in 2014 through July 22, which includes Emirates order for 150 777-9Xs.

Source : Various Sources / Ed’s Research

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT 

A320neo Makes Maiden Flight

On Sept. 25, 2014 the Airbus A320neo made its maiden flight, taking off from Toulouse at just past noon central European time.

Pratt&Whitney PW 1100G-JM powered MSN6101 carried a crew of five. The type also to be available with CFM International’s new Leap engine, promises to cut fuel burn by 20% compared to standard A320s, owing to the new generation engines and aerodynamic improvements including Airbus’s sharklet wingtip extensions according to Airbus.

Airbus aims to complete the flight-test program in about 2,800 flight hours, says A320neo program senior vice  president Klaus Roewe. Around 1,600 are flown with A320neos, split evenly between PW1100G and Leap powered aircraft with the remainder being accounted for by the A319neo and A321neo derivatives.

“During the flight, which took the aircraft around southern France, the crew explored the aircraft’s flight envelope and systems operation, while the progress was monitored by experts on the ground in real time via a direct telemetry link,” adds the air framer.

The sortie kick-started a 3,000hr flight-test campaign which will involve eight aircraft variously powered by the PW1100G & CFM International Leap-1A turbofans.

Source : Airbus/Airbus Photos

BUSINESS/REGIONAL NEWS

Dassault Falcon7X Set to Operate from World’s Highest Commercial Airport

Dassault Falcon 7X is poised to become the first traditional business jet to be granted approval to operate from the world’s highest commercial airport, following completion early in September of a two week flight test campaign at China’s Daocheng Yading airport in Sichuan province.

The airframer is hoping to receive Chinese civil aviation authority (CAAC) approval next year to operate from the airport in western China, which is located at an altitude of 14,500ft.

Daocheng opened one year ago and could become a popular destination, Dassault believes, for its critical customer base.

“In recent years China has emerged as one of the biggest aviation markets, and the Falcon line, led by the 7X, has seized a commanding share of this market,” the airframer says, ”Nearly 30 Falcon 7Xs are flying in the country, making China the second-largest market for the long range trijet after the USA.”

The approval will also pave the way for the 7X to take-off and land at elevations up to 15,000ft.

Source: Flightglobal/Dassault

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

Etihad Unveils First 787-9 With New Livery

On September 28th Etihad Airways unveiled its first Boeing 787-9 in its new livery, and will deploy the aircraft on revenue service from December 1.

The aircraft, registered A6-BLA,will be formally delivered to Etihad in December. The airline had earlier the same week showed off the new livery on its first Airbus A380 in Hamburg, but Etihad says the 787-9 will be the first to operate with the new livery on revenue flights.

Dusseldorf and Doha will be the first Etihad destinations to be served with the 787-9 from Abu Dhabi followed by Washington Dulles and Mumbai in the first quarter 2015. From June,   , Etihad will operate the 787-9 to Brisbane and Moscow.

“With the economics of the aircraft, the 787-9 will be one that will be very, central to our flying and future expansion,” says Etihad chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner at the 787-9 livery unveiling at Boeing’s facilities in Everett, Washington.

Source: Flightglobal

TUI,TUI Travel Agree to Merge

Europe’s biggest tour operator, TUI Travel, and majority owner TUI have agreed to the terms of a merger, creating the world’s largest leisure and tourism group with a combined value of 6.5 billion Euros (USD $8.42 billion).

The deal is in line with details announced in June with TUI Travel shareholders receiving 0.399 new TUI shares for each TUI Travel share.

Investors have long expected a tie-up between the two since TUI Travel was created in 2007 from the merger of Britain’s First Choice and TUI’s travel business, which now owns around 55 percent of the London-listed firm.

The two confirmed that the deal would result in potential cost savings as they cut overlapping functions and delist shares from Germany, plus a tax benefit.

Source : Reuters/Photo Boeing

Structure Assembly of First C919 Aircraft Started 

Airframe butt joint of the first C919 aircraft was officially started at the newly established Manufacturing and Final Assembly Center of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC) on September 19th, and butt joint of forward fuselage and mid fuselage was started in accordance with defined assembly process and flow. This indicates a milestone in the research and development of the C919 program.

It is reported that the airframe structure of the C919 aircraft mainly includes the sections and associated components of nose, forward fuselage, mid fuselage-center wing, outer wing, aileron, mid-aft fuselage, aft fuselage, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer and movable surfaces, which are designed by the Research And Development Center of COMAC, manufactured respectively by AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co.,Ltd (CAC),AVIC Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry (Group) Co.,Ltd.(HIG), Aerospace Research Institute of Special Materials and Processing Technology, and Zhejiang Xizi Aviation Industry Co., Ltd , and assembled by COMAC Manufacturing and Final Assembly Center.

As of this writing, the forward fuselage, mid fuselage-center wing, mid-aft fuselage and aileron of the C919 aircraft have already passed the airworthiness inspection of the Civil Aviation Administration Of China(CAAC)

Source : COMAC

KLM Celebrates 95th Anniversary in Amsterdam Style

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated its 95th anniversary on October 7th with the unveiling of a special “KLM 95 Years” logo on one of its MD-11 aircraft (pictured) and laying of the first stone for a new KLM lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The “95” logo will also, for the duration of KLM’s anniversary, appear on one aircraft of each type in the carrier’s intercontinental fleet, where passengers flying business class during the anniversary year will receive an exclusive on-board gift of a new KLM Delftware miniature house created for the occasion.

Chief executive Camiel Eurlings, who was joined by his Schiphol group counterpart Jos Nijhuis for the ceremonies, said: “Thanks to the efforts, expertise, and energy of our 33,000 employees, KLM is now the world’s oldest still operation under its original name, and it is important that we celebrate this landmark.

Source : Flightglobal/Picture KLM

CFM Starts Flight Tests of LEAP Engine

CFM International’s LEAP engine took to the skies for the first time on October 6 on a modified 747 flying test-bed at GE Aviation Flight Test Operations in Victorville, California, launching the next phase of testing for the advanced engine program.

The engine behaved well and completed multiple aeromechnical test points at various altitudes during the nearly three-hour first flight. Over the next several weeks, the engine will complete a comprehensive test schedule that will gauge engine operability, stall margin, performance, and acoustics. The LEAP 1A/-!C variants are on track for engine certification in 2015.

CFM is currently executing the most extensive ground and flight test certification program in its history. The total program, which encompasses all three LEAP engine variants, includes 28 ground and CFM flight test engines, along with a total of 32 flight test engines for Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC.

Source : Reuters/Picture GE Aviation

 

LATEST NEWS IN BRIEF  

•   Eastern Air Lines has firmed up an order for 20 Mitsubishi Regional Jets(MRJ), following its

signing of a memorandum of understanding at July’s Farnborough air show.

 

• Vietnam Airlines’  first A350-900 aircraft enters final assembly.  It is slated for delivery in 2015.

•   EasyJet UK budget carrier exercises purchase rights on 27 more A320ceos.

• Bombardier is confident the CSeries is back on track for service entry next year, following its

return to the air earlier in September.

• Thomson Airways TUI Travel intends to boost to 10 the number of Boeing 787s it has

allocated to UK arm Thomson Airways, having raised its overall Dreamliner order by two to 15         

• Macquarie the leasing arm of Macquarie AirFinance has signed a firm order for 40 Bombardier

CS300 aircraft for delivery between 2017 and 2019.

• Okay Airways has taken delivery of its 12th and final Xian Aircraft MA60 under a lease

agreement with AVIC International Leasing and the airframer.

• Spring Airlines has become the first Chinese carrier to commit to retrofitting sharklet wingtips

on its fleet of Airbus A320s.

• Garuda Indonesia announced an order for 50 737MAX 8s, valued at $4.9 billion at current list

prices.The order was previously accounted for on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries Web site,

attributed to an unidentified customer.

• Embraer has just completed delivery of the first Legacy 500 business jet to an undisclosed

Brazilian launch customer.  It concludes a six year-long process to introduce the first fly-by-wire

aircraft in the midsize category.

• Chinese State Holding Firm signs for 70 Airbus A320s.  The agreement coincides with a visit

to Berlin by Chinese premier Li Keqiang.

 

Air Cargo

Cargolux Completes Heavy Haul

Cargolux Airlines International recently arranged the transportation of its heaviest piece ever out of Switzerland: a 48-ton-rotor intended to equip a generator in South Korea.  The massive shipment took 12 aircraft positions and required the dedicated attention of a full team of outsize specialists, including the airline’s dedicated Ground Engineering department as well as loadmasters, crane operators, truck drivers, handling agent LuxairCARGO in Luxenbourg and handling agent Asiana at the destination in Seoul.

“Carrying heavy, dense cargo is closed packages such as containers or crates requires extraordinary efforts to ensure safe on-aircraft tie-down: in forward, aft, left, right and up direction.  We can only secure the outer package and have no influnence on what happens to content when exposed to dynamic accelerations,” said Okan Akpinar, Cargolux’ countery manager, Switzerland.

“While it would have been easier for us to lash the rotor directly, we were happy to accommodate the customer’s preference for flying this huge shipment as one single piece, including the lid of the rotor.  Together with the customer, we were able to assess an adequate form-fit and force-fit inside the container; with the lashing applied to specifically designed tie-down lugs dedicated, reinforced outside locations.”

Cargolux uses a self-developed IT application to plan and calculate the correct loading and tie-down of heavy shipments, Akpinar said.

Source: Air Cargo World/Picture Cargolux

 

Researched and Compiled by:

Ed Kaplanian  Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact Ed at ed@kaplanianreport.com