ON THE BOEING FRONT

                 All Nippon Airways Launches Boeing’s New Insight Accelerator

Boeing announced All Nippon Airways(ANA) will be the launch customer for Insight Accelerator(IA), a new cloud-based digital solution employing artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency and avoid high impact service disruptions.

While the latest generation of commercial airplanes like the 787 generate a large amount of flight data, many operators lack the infrastructure to manage and leverage the information.  By using augmented analytics to discover and deploy predictive algorithms for anomaly detection, our Insight Accelerator solution enables airlines to take proactive maintenance and repair action and prevent unscheduled delays.

“There are many products on the market for flight data analytics but Insight Accelerator is the most effective tool for our aircraft operation,” commented Manubu Tono, All Nippon Airways manager of planning& Administration, Engineering.  “ It’s very innovative and meets our primary goal of leveraging features in flight data that indicate a system failure before it happens.”

Boeing developed the IA platform based on decades of experience supporting the global fleet and developing rigorous methods while assisting Airplane-on-ground situations.

“IA’s built-in artificial intelligence, guided exploration and powerful visualizations allow airlines to investigate flight and maintenance data, identify trends and discover insights-all without specialized coding or programming skills,” said Duane Wehking, vice president of digital Aviation Solutions at Boeing Global Services.  ”This is an easy-to-use solution that will provide value to airlines from day one”.

Source: Boeing, Picture Boeing

                              Boeing Orders & Deliveries for September

Boeing, in September, ramped up its aircraft deliveries and logged a solid month of orders, handing over 51 jets, including seven 787s, to customers during the month.

The 787 deliveries are the most in one month that Boeing has moved in two years coming after the company started re-delivering the type in August following a pause due to manufacturing quality issues.

The company in September landed orders for 96 jets, including 51 737 Max and 45 widebody aircraft, Boeing says on October 11.

Source: Boeing                    

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

               Airbus Invites Public to Submit Artistic Ideas for A350F Promotional Livery

Airbus is opening a public competition to design a livery for its new A350 freighter, which is expected to conduct its first flight in 2024.

The competition was formally launched on October 5th and will run for around eight weeks with submissions due by November 28th.  Airbus says the successful entry will be unveiled on March 15 of next year.  “We are inviting professional designers, amateur artists or students, creative talents from around the world to design the livery of our new A350F,” it adds.

It has various criteria with which the design must comply.  The Airbus and A350F logos must be ”clearly visible” and remain unmodified.  Certain areas of the aircraft cannot be used for artwork , while others such as the cockpit, area, tail cone, nacelles and wing fairings, can only support specific limited designs.

Entries should consider how the new aircraft “can benefit air freight operators and airlines from around the globe”.  Airbus design specialists will work with the artist behind the successful entry, and the airframer says the livery will “showcase” the A350F to operators.

Source : Airbus, rendering Airbus

Airbus Orders & Deliveries for September

Two Airbus A330neo twinsets have been ordered by an unidentified customer, both the -900 variant, and logged another 13 jets to Airbus’s gross order during September.

Another undisclosed operator ordered four A321neos, while China’s Sichuan airlines is taking three A321neos and three A320neos.

For the month of September Airbus delivered 55 aircraft.

Source: Airbus          

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                              Eviation Flew its Medium-Range Electric Airplane, Alice

St Eviation flew its medium-range electric airplane, Alice, for the first time the first time on Tuesday, September 27th, zipping over Grant County International Airport in rural eastern Washington.  The airport is a retired military facility with very long runway, making it uniquely suited for testing aircraft of all sizes.  That has special value in the Pacific Northwest, which is a major hub for aircraft design.

Alice is designed for flights of up to 250 miles.The electric plane has a “maximum useful load” of up to 2,600 pounds, which Eviation says is enough to carry up to nine passengers at a time over these shorter distances.  The zero-emission plane traveled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for its eight-minute inaugural flight.

Eviation was founded in 2015 by Aviv Tzidon in 2015 in Israel, and the company is now based in Washington State.

Source:  Eviation, picture Eviation

  Air Tahiti Firms ATR 42-600s Commitment &  Adds Further 72-600

Air Tahiti has signed for an additional ATR 72-600 and firmed its previous commitment to take two of the manufacturers new short take-off and landing version of the ATR 42-600 turboprop.

The Polynesian carrier emerged as a prospective launch customer for the ATR 42-600S when the program was unveiled at the Paris air show in 2019.  The program was formally launched later that year.

ATR revised initial entry into service date for the type from 2022 due to the pandemic.  Test flights of the STOL versions began earlier this year and ATR says first deliveries are expected for the end of 2024.

No delivery date was disclosed for the additional ATR 72-600 Air Tahiti has signed for.  The airline already operates seven ATR 72-600s and a pair of ATR 42-600s.

Source: ATR, Picture ATR                                                           

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

           Beyond C919 Certification Euphoria Comac Must Confront Realities

The certification of Comac’s C919 jet announced in time for China’s National Day Celebrations has been hailed by commentators in the country as a major milestone and a national pride for the domestic aerospace industry.

Yet, it is only the start of the long journey for the Shanghai-based airframer, one that is overshadowed by a slowing economy and more crucially, rising geopolitical tensions

While the actual certification ceremony took place on September 29, it was only a day later the Chinese officials publicly disclosed the news.

Between when images of the ceremony first showed up on Chinese social media, to when the official statement of President Xi congratulating Comac was released, there was a period of unusual silence from stat media and the airframer.

For now, as Comac and to an extent, China revels in hitting a milestone for a program hopes will rival Boeing’s 737 Max and Airbus’s A320neo family, it must confront a number of realities.

For one the airframer has to look towards building its C919 order book or risk the program. So far, China Eastern remains the Launch and only customer, though Comac is always quick to point out it holds hundreds of commitments.  The first C919 is expected to be delivered by this year’s statement from the airframer and with China Eastern only holding five firm orders, deliveries could end by next year.

As AeroDynamic Advisory managing director Richard Aboulafia puts it: “Comac needs to learn how to build it in a consistent way.”

“They need to establish a product support network, with 24-hour AOG support and it needs to be everywhere the C919 flies.  That’s a massive investment,” Aboulafia said.  In addition, the program is all but entirely reliant on Western technology, from engines to avionics and cockpit systems.

Sources: AeroDynamic Advisory,FlightGlobal,Ed’s research

                    Rolls-Royce Delivers 1,000th BR725 Engine to Gulfstream

Rolls-Royce has delivered the 1,00th BR725 engine to its customer Gulfstream Aerospace.  The engine was developed and assembled at the company’s business aviation headquarters in Dahlewitz, Germany, and shipped to Gulfstream in Savannah, Georgia.

The BR725 engine exclusively powers Gulfstream’s highly successful ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 and Gulfstream G650ER business aircraft.  Since its entry into service in 2012, the G650 aircraft family has established a reputation for excellent reliability, efficiency and speed, all combined with outstanding environmental performance.

The BR725-powered G650 aircraft family holds 120-plus world speed records, including the one for the farthest, fastest flight in business aviation history.  With more than 500 aircraft in service, the G650ER and its sister aircraft, the G650, prove they are among the most trusted business jets in the world.

Dr. Dirk Geisinger, director Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce, said “Having delivered 1,000 BR725 engines to gulf stream is another testament of our leading position in the business aviation market.  Our partnership with Gulfstream, that started some 60 years ago, is a real success story and it will continue into the future with the  Pearl 700, which powers the Gulfstream G800.”

Source: Rolls-Royce,Image Rolls-Royce

                 LOT Set to Double 737 Max 8 Fleet as it weighs Renewal Options

Polish flag-carrier LOT is to introduce another six Boeing 737 Max 8s, more than doubling its fleet of the re-engined type.  All six aircraft are being sourced on long-term lease from US company Air Lease.

The carrier is undertaking a fleet modernization program but, while it evaluates options for regional and single-aisle replacement, it is sourcing aircraft as a “bridging solution”, says LOT chief operating officer Maciej Wilk.

LOT will bring in the first of additional from Air Lease- as well as a Boeing 787 and expansion will take Lot’s Max fleet to 11.

Source: LOT,Picture LOT 

                      Icelandair Seeks Proposals for Fleet Replacement Beyond 2024

Icelandair Group is fleet-planning for modernization beyond 2024, with requests for proposals to Boeing and Airbus, as well as engine manufacturers.

The Company says it is aiming to secure ”efficiently” a delivery stream of aircraft throughout the current decade, and support replacement of Boeing 757 fleet along with expansion.

Icelandair Group is undergoing modernization with Boeing 737 Max jets, one of which was delivered in the third quarter.

It is also scheduled to introduce another three over the period to the first quarter of next year-end lease two more in the fourth quarter of 2023 by which point it will have 20 Max jets.

Icelandair is expanding is cargo network with delivery of a 767-300Er freighter during the third quarter.  Icelandair will broaden the cargo network from January next year, a result of the increased capacity, with flights to Liege, New York JFK, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Source: Source Icelandair     

LATEST NEWS

• Aerolineas Argentinas hopes to add 10 more Boeing 737 Max jets over the next three years under a fleet growth plan.

• Omani Carrier SalamAir has placed a firm order for six Embraer E195-E2s with six options, as it plans to expand its currently all-Airbus fleet.

• Ethiopian & Boeing celebrated the 10th anniversary of the first 787 Dreamliner delivery to the African carrier.

•   Finnair on October 18th Finnair resumed flights to Eilat in Israel, after an absence of over two years.  The Finnish flag carrier is one of the first European airlines to fly to Eilat this year, relaunching weekly flights from its hub in Helsinki.

• Jet2 UK leisure carrier has firmed orders for another 35 Airbus A320neo-family jets with the potential to take up to 71.

• Titan Aircraft investments, have announced the placement of a Boeing 737-800SF converted freighter on long-term lease with ASL Aviation Holdings.

• Boeing celebrated the opening of new 3D printing facility in South King County and employs nearly 100 people running 3D printers making parts and components for aircraft.  The center has printers of all sizes, including one of the largest in the world.

• Royal Jordanian Airlines and Embraer have signed a memorandum of understanding for the carrier to introduce 10 E2 family jets to its fleet .

• Evia Aero has committed to ordering 25 all-electric Alice commuter airplanes from electric aircraft developer Eviation, the companies announced at NBAA-BACE 2022.

Sources : FlightGlobal, Boeing, Royal Jordanian, Finnair, Titan Aircraft, Jet2, SalamAir.

AIR CARGO

                                   Cargolux Firms Order for 10 777-8 Freighters

Luxembourg freighter specialist Cargolux Airlines has ordered 10 Boeing 777-8 freighters, finalizing an agreement disclosed by the companies at July’s Farnborough air show.

As part of the deal, the cargo carrier also secured options for a further six of the type, which it intends to use to replace its aging 747-400Fs.

“The agreement signed on October 12, will consolidate Cargolux’s position as a global leader of air freight services,” says Cargolux chief executive Richard Forson.

Boeing says the jets will help Cargolux improve operational efficiency, noting the type will be 30% more fuel efficient and cost 25% less to operate per ton of cargo, than the 747-400F.  Cargolux’s current fleet includes a mix of 27 747-400Fs, and newer 787-8F.

Powered by GE Aviation GEX power plants, the 777-8F will have range of 4,410nm (8,167km), carry a 112,300kg (247,580 lb) and boast a 365,160kg maximum take-off weight, according to Boeing’s preliminary specification.

The aircraft will have composite wings spanning 71.8 m (235.6ft) and capacity to carry 31 cargo pallets on its main deck and 13 inits lower hold.

Sources: Boeing, Cargolux, Picture Boeing

                              Lufthansa Cargo Celebrates its 150th SAF Flight

On October 14 Lufthansa Cargo celebrated its 150th SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) with its partner DB Schenker.  Since the start of the partnership, LH Cargo has been able to mitigate 39,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Source: Lufthansa Cargo,Picture Lufthansa Cargo

                         

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@yahoo.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian