ON THE BOEING FRONT

Boeing Just Patented a “Cuddle Chair” that Could Revolutionize How People Sleep on Airplanes

You know that moment when you are deep into a long distance journey and you just cannot get comfortable enough to sleep? And you’d do just about, or pay just anything for some sort of bed, or sleep support for even a few hours.

Getting quality sleep on a plane can be a great challenge especially when you are stuck in the cramped quarters of economy class. But now upright sleeping seat patented by Boeing may just change things.

Though officially known as the “transport vehicle seat back with integrated upright sleep seat the “cuddle Chair”. The chair features a cushion, headrest, and strap system that could be a crucial development for forward-leaning sleepers, who would no longer have to suffer the indignity of snoozing on their tray table.

As  airlines seek to fit as many people as possible into planes, manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus have had to explore some truly unorthodox seating mechanisms.

Source : Business Insider

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT 

Airbus Upbeat on Jet Market, Still Studying A380 Upgrade

Airbus sees continued strength in the aircraft market and may increase production of its most  popular jets above planned rates if the trend continues, the head of the European plane maker said On Friday April 17th.

Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of Airbus Group’s passenger jet division, predicated that Airbus would recapture the global crown from Boeing as deliveries of its new A350 model pick up while adding that market share was secondary to profitable growth.

Airbus expects to deliver 15 of the A350 planes this year told a group of journalists in Paris.

He reiterated that Airbus would not abandon the A380 after a period of weak orders, but would take careful look at the business case for the A380neo upgrade requested by the model’s biggest airline customer Emirates.

Airbus continues to expect more orders than deliveries in 2015, he also told members of the French AJPAE aerospace press association.

Source : Airbus/Yahoo Finance

BUSINESS/REGIONAL NEWS

MRJ First Flight Delayed Again

Mitsubishi Aircraft says the latest slip in the first flight schedule of its MRJ regional jet does not represent “major trouble” in the program.

In response to queries from Flightglobal, the Japanese manufacturer explains that in ground tests conducted thus far, ”a bug” has occurred in a portion of its software. Design changes also had to be made to some system parts.

As a result Mitsubishi has pushed back the first flight of its regional jet to September or October of 2015, from the second quarter.

In January, Mitsubishi started full-scale tests and also performed a first engine run on MSN 10001. It has since performed various ground tests including functional and performance tests for devices of its avionics, hydraulics, air conditioning, lighting and landing gear systems. It has also conducted vibration tests, electromagnetic tests, safety tests and taxi tests.

Source: Flightglobal/ Mistubishi Aircraft

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) to Buy More than 100 Aircraft

 

The board of the Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has decided to increase the operations of the company under its five year plan from 2015-2020 by purchasing more than 100 new aircraft.

The airline is Saudi’s national flag carrier and director general Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said the plan is meant to strengthen operational efficiency as part of the continuous modernization of the fleet.

The airline previously ordered 90 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus and all but 12 have not been delivered according to a senior official under the condition of anonymity.

Jasser said the arrival of the aircraft within its growing domestic passenger requirements and expand the airline’s international operations.

The five-year plan includes the empowerment of the airline staffs and modernization of the airline infrastructures and strategic units.

The board noted that one of the challenges facing the company is the disruptions of its operations by sandstorms. Airlines have been obliged to delay or postpone their scheduled flights when airports are hit by it due to passenger and aircraft safety.

Many airports are affected by it in Saudi Arabia. Measures to reduce the effects of weather changes were discussed by the board.

Source: Middle East Confidential

 

Spain’s Air Europa Details Boeing 787 Plans

Spanish carrier Air Europa has launched scheduled flights between Madrid and Miami with its first Boeing 787 as it prepares to take 22 of the new twin jets.

Privately owned Air Europa is bringing in 22 787-8s and 787-9s to completely replace its Airbus A330 long-haul fleet. The airline has acquired the aircraft through two commitments, one for eight aircraft and a follow-on order for further 14, which was announced in January of this year.

Juan Jose Hidalgo, president of Air Europa parent company Globalia corp., previously said

the aircraft will grow the business by around 50%.

Air Europa’s first four 787s will arrive by the end of 2016, doubling to eight aircraft by 2018. ”The airline will have a total of 22 Dreamliners all operational by 2022, completely replacing its long-haul fleet of A330s,” Air Europa said in a statement.

It has been configured with 252 seats, including 18 in business and 21 in Air Europa’s newly introduced premium economy cabin. Air Europia, which has a hub at Madrid Barajas, serves 36 destinations in Europe and the Americas.

Source : ATW/picture Boeing

GTF Leads Pratt to Shift Business Model to Aftermarket Focus

With 80% of the more than 6300 geared turbofan (GTF) engines sold by Pratt and Whitney covered by a long-term maintenance service contract with the engine manufacturer, Pratt is shifting its commercial business model.

The PW1100G powering the Airbus A320neo will launch the GTF family of engines into the market when the re-engined narrow body enters service later this year.

But the transition to the GTF is about much more for East Hartford, Connecticut-based Pratt than the engine’s geared architecture that promises to provide a significant fuel burn improvement. ”We’re transitioning from a purely transitional market to a service market”. Pratt

president-aftermarket Mathew Bromberg told reporters during a briefing in East Hartford.

The sale of the engine is merely the starting point. Pratt now has long-term service agreements on about half of its in-service commercial aircraft engines, but in the future the vast majority of its engines-particularly in the GTF family- will be under such contracts. Pratt will collect “a staggering amount of data” from in-service GTF engines and use this information to manage engine performance for its airline customers, Bromberg said.

Source : ATW/Pratt&Whitney

ANA Reveals Star Wars Livery on Boeing 787-9

All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has unveiled a new “ Star Wars” livery on its latest Boeing 787-9 that marks the start of a five-year tie up with The Walt Disney Company (Japan).

Painted with the iconic R2-D2 character, the plane’s design was unveiled to fans of the popular science fiction franchise in the United States on April 16th.

ANA says the “Star Wars” painted aircraft will take to the skies in the third quarter of 2015, but the routes it will operate on have not yet been determined.

“We’re proud of the innovative R2-D2 design, and we look forward to witnessing the first-ever flight of a passenger aircraft featuring “Star Wars” character. We’re confident that “Star Wars” fans around the world will absolutely love the design,” says Kayleen Walters, vice president of marketing at Lucasfilm Ltd.

The launch of “Star Wars” livery also follows ANA’s earlier announcement that it will launch a Tokyo Narita-Houston service from june 12th, making the carrier’s tenth North American destination.

Source : Flightglobal/ANA Photo.

 

LATEST NEWS IN BRIEF  

• United Airlines has converted 10 firm orders for the Boeing 787 to the 777-300ER. The 777-300ER order is valued at $3.3 billion at list prices.
•      

• LAN CHILE has inaugurated its Boeing 787 service from Chilean capital Santiago to Auckland  in New Zealand.

 

 

• Boeing Business Jets announced that the company is studying offer ability of a BBJ Combi, allowing  customers to have a split configuration of both passengers and cargo at the same time.

• Azul Brazilian Airlines has renewed a maintenance agreement under which ATR will provide full aftermarket support to Axul’s fleet of nearly 60 ATR aircraft.

• QantusLink will create a Boeing 717 heavy maintenance base in Canberra, creating up to 40 engineering jobs in the Australian capital.
• Airbus has selected Korean Air Aerospace Division to supply the new Sharklet wingtip for the A330neo.

• EasyJet took delivery of its 250th Airbus A320 family aircraft.

• Airbus announced that it has surpassed 1,500 A330 orders with recent orders from Turkish Airlines for four A330-200Fs and ALC for 25 A330-900neos.

• KLM has taken delivery of its 24th Boeing 777-300ER at Amsterdam Airport from Everett, Washington.

• UTC Aerospace Systems was selected by Qatar Airways to supply wheels and Duracarb carbon brakes for 43 Airbus A350-900s.

• Emirates Airlines announced a $9.2 billion order for Rolls- Royce engines as power plant to equip 50 Airbus A380s.

• Air Tahiti Nui (ATN), the major carrier of French Polynesia, has confined its order for two 787-9s.

• Air Lease Corp. announced a long-term agreement with Aeromexico for one new Boeing 787-9.This aircraft is from ALC’s order book with Boeing is scheduled for delivery in the fall of 2016.

• GE Aviation announced the GE90 engine, which was the first jet engine to utilize composite fiber polymeric material on the front fan blades 20 years ago.

 

AIR CARGO

Cathay Pacific Issues Latest Ban on Lithium Batteries 

Cathay Pacific joined Qantas, Delta, United and Virgin Australia in banning the shipment of lithium-ion batteries on either freighters or in the bellies of passenger aircraft. The rule only applies to batteries being shipped in bulk, not those that are being used in laptop computers, mobile phones or similar devices.

Cathay’s cargo director, James Woodrow, made the announcement to his staff in the carrier’s monthly newsletter. Woodrow is also the chair of IATA’s cargo committee, where lithium batteries, and their safe transport, were discussed in March at the World Cargo Symposium in Shanghai, and viewed as an industry challenge. The international Coordination Council of Aerospace industry Associations, which represents Boeing and Airbus, called for stronger packaging and handling regulations for batteries being shipped on freighters.

Tests performed by the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) concluded that lithium batteries consistently discharge explosive gases when they overheat or short-circuit. The build-up of gases, mostly hydrogen, can lead to explosions or fire. It’s common for tens of thousands of batteries to be packaged into one shipping container.

Source: Air Cargo World/Cathay Pacific

                         Atlas Air’s First Quarter Figures Soar From Extra Charters

That which did not sail by sea was sent by air in the first quarter of 2015, and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings was there to reap the benefits. The Purchase, New York based charter airline and aircraft lessor reported net income of US$29 million in the first quarter of 2015, compared to $7.9 million during the same period in 2014. This is almost quadruple year-over-year results.

While commercial cargo demand was clearly boosted by the long-running port congestion problems on the West Coast of the United States in January and February, which led to spike on charter activity. Atlas also said it benefited from a major automobile recall and “better-than expected military cargo and passenger demand.”

The company reported free cash flow of $80.2 million in the first quarter, compared with $36.9 million in 2014.Operating income for the quarter also more than doubled to $57 million, year-on-year. ”We are off to a very good start in 2015 and look forward to a strong year,” said William J.Flynn, president and CEO.”As a result, we now expect our full-year results to increase significantly compared with 2014.”

Atlas said it expected airfreight demand to continue at between 4 and 5 percent, per year, through 2016,and commented that its customers are also performing at above market levels.

Source:   Air Cargo World/Atlas Air/Atlas Air Picture

 

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ed@kaplanianreport.com