ON THE BOEING FRONT

      Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN Powers Boeing 787 for the First Time 

The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN has powered a Boeing Dreamliner flight for the first time.  The flight, which took off and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle, marks the latest phase in the engine’s development program.

The Trent 1000 TEN has also been selected to power the first test flight of the Boeing 787-10 version of the Dreamliner, slated for the end of March, 2017.  This means the Trent 1000 will have powered the first flight of every version of the 787.

Tent 1000 Program Director Gary Moore said: “ Our first Trent 1000 TEN flight on the Dreamliner is another great milestone for our program.  I want to thank everyone at Boeing and Rolls-Royce who have worked hard to make this flight happen.  In addition, our selection to power the first flight of the 787-10 is a great honor, and reflects our commitment to supporting this aircraft as it continues to evolve.”

The Trent 1000 TEN has already powered tests earlier this year on the Rolls-Royce Flying Test Bed aircraft, a Boeing 747, at Tucson, Arizona.

The Trent 1000 TEN (Thrust,Efficiency and New Technology) will power all variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family.  The engine draws on technologies from Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine and advance engine program, delivering thrust and efficiency improvements.

Source : Rolls-Royce/Rolls-Royce Picture

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

A350 1000 Wraps Up High- Elevation Tests 

Airbus has wrapped up high-elevation airport testing of the A350-1000 following a 10-day campaign in South America.   Aircraft MSN71 undertook initial tests in Bolivia, operating to Cochabamba and La Paz.

MSN71 carried out several departures and landings at each airport for data-collection, says the airframe, operating at elevations of 7,546 ft – 13,123 ft.

The twin jet also carried out tests at the sea-level Colombian airport of Barranquilla.

“Early test results confirm the good performance and behavior of both the aircraft and its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines,” adds Airbus.

“This is a major successful milestone in the aircraft certification flight-test campaign.”

The airframe typically carries out hot-weather tests in the Middle East, using Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

Airbus is aiming to deliver the A350-1000 for airline service later this year.  Three of the variant are involved in the certification effort.

Source : Flightglobal/Airbus

             

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

               CSeries Completes London City Airport Validation Flights 

On March 23rd Bombardier completed CSeries validation tests at London City airport and expects to receive certification to operate commercial flights to the facility in as little as six to eight weeks.

“The aircraft flew flawlessly.  There were no issues,” Bombardier’s vice president of the CSeries program, Robert Dewar, told FlightGlobal.

Aircraft operating to London City require special certification largely due to the airport’s steep approach requirement.

Bombardier began London City certification tests for the CSeries months ago at other airports, performing approaches as steep as 7.5 degrees, says Dewar.  That’s steeper than London City’s %.5 degrees approach, he adds.

Following those trials, the Canadian airframe flew its second flight-test vehicle (C-GWYD), a CS100 variant to London Stansted airport on March 21st.

The aircraft landed for the first time at London City on March 22nd, completing four validation and demonstration tests that day and four on March 23rd, the company says.

Next, Authorities will review Bombardier’s test data, Dewar says.  The Company needs approvals from Transport Canada, The European Aviation Safety Agency and Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation, according to Dewar.  Pilots must also complete London City specific training.

Bombardier designed the CSeries specifically for operation at London City, Dewar says.  For instance, engineers tailored the aircraft’s wing and flight control laws with London City’s operating requirements in mind, he adds

Source : Flightglobal/Bombardier

                                                                       

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

            “More comfortable” Economy Middle Seats To be Unveiled

Molon Labe has teamed up with BMW’s Designworks and Panasonic Avionics to create an economy-cabin design that would make the middle seat wider and more attractive.

A concept model of the novel design was unveiled at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, April 4-6.

The Stagger Seat, or S2, is a variation of Molon Labe Seating’s Side-Slip Seat, which is aimed at faster boarding and quicker turnarounds for time-sensitive short-haul flights.

The Colorado company is launching this new variation on the concept with quite a different goal – to improve economy class passenger comfort on long-haul flights.

The Stagger Seat takes the ergonomic features of the Side-Slip Seat and translates them into a reclining economy seat”like no other,” the company claims.  In the Side-Slip seat, the middle seat is offset, or staggered, downward and backward relative to the seats either side.  This allows the aisle seat to be slid over the middle seat during boarding, to increase aisle width and allow passengers to get past.

Faster turnarounds are not the main aim for long-haul airline, Molon Labe CEO Hank Scott said, so the stagger Seat does not slide, but it will recline.The offset is used primarily to increase space for the middle-seat passenger-and potentially generate more revenue for the airline.

By staggering the middle seat vertically and fore/aft, the arms, thighs and elbows of passengers are no longer adjacent.”The Stagger Seat offers more living space for all occupants,” Scott said. ”The middle seat is also 3inches wider, while the other seats maintain their standard width.”

Source : ATW/ Molon Labe

 

               Avolon Becomes World’s Third Largest Aircraft Lessor 

Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, announced the completion of the acquisition of the aircraft leasing business of CIT Group.

Avolon is now the world’s third largest aircraft leasing company, with a combined fleet as of December 31,2016, of 808 aircraft valued at over US$43 billion.

Transaction doubles Avolon’s size and creates the world’s third largest aircraft leasing platform; serves 149 customers in 62 countries with approximately one third of in-service aircraft leased into each of the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions, providing balanced geographic exposure.

The combined business had an owned fleet of 551 aircraft with an average age of 4.7 years: the youngest owned, in service fleet among the world’s top three aircraft leasing companies.

Total orders and commitments for 301 aircraft include new technology aircraft comprising of 196 Airbus Aircraft (A320neo family,A330neo and A350); 61Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 25 Boeing 787 aircraft.

Source : China Aviation Daily/Picture Airbus

     

LATEST NEWS

• Iran Air has taken delivery of a second Airbus 330-200, two weeks after its first of the type arrived in Tehran.

• China Aircraft Leasing Group has completed the deliveries of one Airbus A320 each to Air Asia Berhad and Thai Air Asia.

• Porter Airlines Toronto City-based airport took delivery of its 29th Bombardier  Q400.

• Airbus the first Airbus A319neo performed its maiden flight on March 31, powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines.

• MIAT Mongolian Airlines plans to lease two Boeing 737 MAXs from Irish lessor Avolon as it looks to bolster its single-aisle fleet.

• Boeing Commercial Airplanes after a one-year pricing freeze, Boeing Commercial has raised list prices by a range between 2.16-2.23% across the product portfolio.

• The Government of Poland announced an order for three Next-Generation 737s.  The order includes two new BBJ2 airplanes and one 737-800, which will be operated by the Government of Poland as head-of-state aircraft for the  president and top government officials.

• Air Bridge Cargo(ABC) Airlines has taken delivery of the first two Boeing 747-8Fs under a long-term lease agreement with US-based lessor Intrepid Aviation.

• All Nippon Airways (ANA) will lease four Boeing 737-800 aircraft while it awaited delayed deliveries of the country’s first commercial aircraft in 50 years, the 90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ)

• Aseman Airlines of Iran signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for 30 737 MAX aircraft, with a list price value of $3 billion.  The deal includes rights  purchase rights for 30 additional MAXs.

 

AIR CARGO

       Qatar Airways Cargo Takes Delivery of Its Twelfth B777 Freighter

Qatar Airways Cargo received its latest Boeing 777 Freighter in Doha recently, taking its total freighter fleet count to 21.   The addition marks the cargo carrier’s commitment to building its young and modern air cargo fleet to strengthen its growth trajectory.

Ulrich Ogiermann Qatar Airways’ Chief Officer Cargo said, ”The arrival of our newest Boeing 777 freighter comes at a time when we are consciously strategizing our freighter network expansion this year; above and beyond the unprecedented demand and growth in our charter services.”

The Boeing 777 freighter has the longest range of any twin-engined freighter and is based around the 777-200 LR aircraft operating on the ultra long haul routes.  It has a payload capacity of 102 metric tons.

The airplane’s range capability translates into significant savings for cargo operators: fewer stops and associated landing fees, less congestion at transfer hubs, lower cargo handling costs and shorter delivery times. The capacity of the Boeing freighters is unrivaled and the plane’s economics make it an attractive addition to the fleet.

Qatar Airways Cargo operates the Boeing 777 freighters on long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, the Far East, Asia and some destinations in Africa.

The airline will receive another Boeing 777 freighter later this year, increasing its freighter fleet to a total of 22 aircraft by the end of 2017.

Source : Qatar Airways Cargo Press Release

Polar Express Delivery 

 

An Antonov Airlines An-124 and Air Charter Service delivered a GE90 jet engine for Swiss International Air Lines 777-300 that was forced to make an emergency landing on February 1 in the Canadian Arctic town of Iqaluit  after one of its engines shut down in mid-flight.

The GE90 arrived less than 48 hours later after the Swiss jet landed in Canada; the An-124 remained in Iqaluit for a toTal of five days, while the new engine was installed on the 777 and the unserviceable engine could be retrieved.

Fortunately,the 216 passengers on the Zurich-to-Los Angeles flight only had to wait half a day as the plane sat on the tundra until a replacement jet resumed the journey to Los Angeles.

Source : Air Cargo World

 

 MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, OVERHAUL

           Asia’s MRO Surge Could Outstrip Demand

The rapid growth of aircraft maintenance sector in the Asia-Pacific region is creating a significant risk of aver supply, according to some industry executives,  said speakers at Aviation Week’s MRO East Asia conference.

The MRO market is “reshaping itself” and has been “shifting to Asia”, saId Vehbi Ozer, Turkish Technic’s strategy planning and projects manager.  He predicts that in the near future, the Asia-Pacific region will represent the biggest MRO market.

This region now accounts for 28% of the global MRO market value of $64 billion, said Francois Dubrulle, president of asset management company The

Green Airliner Singapore, Asia has essentially caught up to Europe and North America in terms of market share.  The global total is projected to rise to $96 billion by 2025, with Asia-Pacific growth likely to exceed that of the more developed regions.

Rapid expansion is both a challenge and a danger for the MRO industry, said Daniel Stromski, Haeco’s GM for inventory technical management.  He likens the current situation to a “gold rush,” with a wide range of companies looking to set up new operations or joint ventures in Southest Asia and China.

Stromski said this is causing worries about the supply and demand balance.  While Asia represents a great opportunity for MRO providers, the “industry should be careful where it invests,” so it does not “create oversupply of MRO capabilities.”

Source : MRO Network

Latest MRO News

• ASCO has a Boeing contract to supply had metal/aluminum structural components through 2024.
• Fokker Services(GKN Aerospace) was named authorized service provider by Bombardier to provide Q400 component repair management under its Smart Parts program.
• Astronics acquired operating assets of Pacific Northwest-based Custom Controls Concepts,which supplies cabin management and IFE systems for Airbus/Boeing VIP aircraft.
• Pemco has an Air Incheon contract to convert one Boeing 747-400 to freighter.
•  Aeromet  has a Boeing contract to supply 777X parts using its A20X aluminum alloy.

 

 

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ed@kaplanianreport.com