ALL THINGS BOEING

                                   US Airlines to Advise on X-66A Project

Several US airlines have agreed to provide technical advice in support of Boeing’s project to develop the A-66A truss-braced-wing demonstrator aircraft.  Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have joined the program as advisers, Boeing says on July 25.

On the same day, NASA also released an image showing the paint scheme with which it intends to adorn the demonstrator.

The Airlines “will provide input on operational efficiencies, maintenance, handling characteristics and airport compatibility,” Boeing Says.

Boeing is developing the X-66 as part of NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project.The US agency has said the aircraft will enable it and partners to test various fuel-efficiency improving technologies, including Boeing’s “Transonic Truss-Braced  Wing” design.

The demonstrator’s wings will be mounted above its fuselage and supported by trusses.  Those trusses will enable to give X-66A longer wings, which translates into improved efficiency.  Other technologies to be tested using the demonstrator include more-efficient turbofans and open-rotor engines.

Boeing is developing the aircraft at its site in Palmdale, California, using a significantly modified MD-90 fuselage as its structure.  NASA aims for the demonstrator to fly in 2028.

“Hearing directly from the operators during all phases of Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project will help us understand exact requirements and trade-offs,” says Boeing chief technology officer Todd Citron.  The airlines’ feedback will significantly contribute to the X-66A project learning.

Source: Boeing, Picture NASA

Boeing July Orders & Deliveries

Boeing delivered fewer airplanes in July as it continued to work through logistics and supply chain disruptions affecting its bestselling 737 narrowbody jet.

Boeing delivers 43 aircraft in July, down from 60 planes it delivered in June.

The 737 MAX deliveries fell from 48 in June to 32 in July, marking the lowest level since April, when the company discovered that brackets had been incorrectly installed on the vertical tail of around 75% of the 737s in its inventory.

In addition to the MAXs, Boeing delivered four 787 Dreamliners, three 767s, three 777 freighters and one Next-Generation 737 to be converted into a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the U.S.Navy.

The company booked 52 gross orders over the month, including a previously announced sale of 39 Dreamliners to Saudia, with no cancellations.

Source: Boeing

             

ALL THINGS AIRBUS

Airbus Formally Inaugurated A New A320neo Assembly Line in Toulouse

Airbus has formally inaugurated a new A320neo-family final assembly line in its Toulouse manufacturing facility, which will support the airframer’s single-aisle ramp-up strategy.

The assembly line will be capable of producing variants including the A321neo, which has recently become the most-ordered aircraft variant in Airbus’s range.  It has already commenced work on constructing the first aircraft which will be an A321neo, following fuselage section delivery last year.  Airbus expects to roll out this initial twinjet by the end of this year.

Airbus is aiming to reach A320neo-family output of 75 aircraft per month in 2026.  The A321neo accounts for around 60% of the backlog across the family.  Chief executive Guillaume Faury says inauguration of the line is “another milestone” in the company’s industrial system modernisation.

Airbus is expanding to 10 assembly lines for A320neo-family jets, which will be A321neo-capable. Alongside the two Toulouse and four in Hamburg, it will have two US lines in Mobile and two Chinese lines at Tianjin.

Source: Airbus, Picture Airbus

Airbus July Orders & Deliveries

Airbus took orders for 10 A30-900s, four were ordered on July 11 and another six on July 31.

Airbus single-aisle activity for July remained strong with 36 aircraft booked for Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines and the Icelandair ordered 13 A321neos.

It delivered 65 jets in July, taking total deliveries for 2023 to 381. It is still expecting to hand over 720 this year.

Source: Airbus

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

       Bombardier Delivered 6th Global 6000 For Saab GlobalEye

Canadian airframer Bombardier has delivered a sixth Global 6000 jet to Saab, under Swedish aircraft manufacturer’s GlobalEye program.  Saab describes GlobalEye as a multi-domain airborne early warning and control

(AEW&C) solution that boasts a mix of modern active and passive sensors and the ability to provide long-range detection and identification of airborne objects over land and sea.

The UAE’s fourth example of the Global 6000-based GlobalEye surveillance aircraft was airborne from Saab’s Linkoping site on April 3.

Bombardier on July 19 revealed that the latest Global 6000 earmarked for the GlobalEye program is destined for service with the Swedish air force.

Source: Bombardier, picture Saab 

              Cessna SkyCourier Wins Brazilian Type Certification

Cessna’s SkyCourier utility turboprop twin has won type certification from the National Civil Aviation Authority of Brazil (ANAC); parent company Textron Aviation said at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and exhibition LABACE 2023.

The approval allows for its delivery and operation in the expansive Brazilian market for regional, utility and special-mission aircraft.

“The Cessna Sky Courier’s high payload capacity, short takeoff and landing capability, and cost-efficiency make it a great choice for operators in Brazil,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation’s senior v-p for global sales and flight operations.

Powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whiney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprop engines the SkyCourier flies to maximum cruise speed of more than 200ktas and a 900-nm maximum range. It features a large cargo door, a flat floor cabin, and Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.  The freighter variant can hold up to three LD3 shipping containers with 6,000 pounds of payload capacity.

Source: Textron Aviation, Picture Textron Aviation                                                                

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

 No End in Sight for P-8, E-7 Output

Boeing has no date in mind for ending production of its 737NG for conversion into military derivative models, as the P-8 Poseidon and E-7A Wedgetail variants continue to attract customers.

“The P-8 is operating very well, the E-7 is coming on line in quantity,” says Dan Gillian, Boeing Defense, Space & Security vice-president and general manager of mobility, surveillance, and bombers.  “We have plans to build P-8 and E-7 well into the next decade and beyond as long as the market demands those platforms.”

Noting that Canada is the latest nation to have announced plans to acquire its maritime patrol aircraft with interest in 16 examples, he says:

“We will continue to see countries come forward and want to buy the P-8”.   “I think we’ll also see demand from existing customers for additional aircraft, because it performs well and because the mission it does is really important for the threat of today and tomorrow.

Source: Boeing, Picture Boeing

            Dubai Lessor Takes Over 64 737 Max from China’s CALC

Middle Eastern lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is to acquire a batch of 64 Boeing 737 Max jets including MAX 10s, from the Chinese leasing company CALC.  The aircraft have a delivery schedule which runs from this year to 2026.  DAE states that the portfolio includes the Max 8 and Max 9 variants, as well as the larger Max 10 which is yet to enter service.

The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but DAE says the “definitive agreement” covers the rights, interests and obligations of the jets held within a wholly owned CALC subsidiary.

About 20% of the portfolio is on lease to customers who are also current DAE clients, says chief executive Firoz Tarapore.  “The remainder of the acquired portfolio of assets will be placed directly by DAE in the coming quarters,” he adds.

DAE says the agreement bring its overall portfolio up to 550 aircraft with a collective value of $20 billion.  All 737 Max jets are powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines.

Source: Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, picture DAE

            Royal Air Maroc to Take More 737 Max Jets Under Lease

Royal Air Maroc is to introduce another batch of Boeing 737 Max jets, as part of a package of aircraft acquired through US-based Air Lease.  The Moroccan flag-carrier is to take four 737 Max 8s and a single 737-800 under the long-term lease agreement.

Air Lease says the twinsets will be delivered to Royal Air Maroc in 2024 and will be taken from the backlog of aircraft already on order from the lessor.  “Royal Air Maroc will receive additional aircraft that will strengthen and modernize our operational fleet,” says the carrier’s executive, Abdehamid Addou.

Air Lease, which already has aircraft placed with the airline, values the agreement for additional five jets at $300 million.  All 737 Max jets are powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines, while the 737-800 is fitted with CFM56.

Royal Air Maroc recently disclosed a strategic plan to expand its fleet to some 200 aircraft over the next 15 years.

Sources: Air Lease, Royal Air Maroc, picture Boeing      

LATEST NEWS

• FAA U.S. regulators are requiring immediate inspections and possible repairs to Pratt & Whitney engines on some Airbus passengers jets because of manufacturing problem that cause parts to wear out sooner than expected.

• Wizz Air shareholders have approved the firming of 75 Airbus A321neo purchase rights’ plan originally disclosed by the carrier nearly 11 months ago.

• Everett’s Paine Field is renamed Seattle Paine Field International Airport.

• Israel’s El Al has finally taken delivery of the last Boeing 787 from its original order, bringing its fleet of the twinsets to 16.

• Turkish Budget Carrier Pegasus Airline has disclosed an agreement to take another 36 firm Airbus A321neo twinjets.

• Akasa Air has become the first Asia-Pacific operator to take delivery of the higher-density Boeing Max 8-200.

• British Airways has firmed an order for six Boeing 787-10 wide bodies, while adding six more options for the variant.  The aircraft will join British Airways’ fleet in the 2025-2026 timeframe.

• MIAT Mongolian Airlines starts flights with its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner after taken delivery of its first Boeing 787.   The Mongolian flag carrier received the first of two 787-9s it has on order from leasing company AerCap.

Sources: Wizz Air, FAA, Israel’s El Al, Akasa Air, British Airways, Pegasus Airline, Mongolian Airlines.

Air Cargo

                        Maersk Opens Atlanta Airfreight Station

A.P Moller-Maersk has opened a 123,000-square-foot air freight station near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to support quicker international shipping for customers in the Southeast, the ocean shipping giant announced on July 19, 2023.

The warehouse, which will also serve as a forward staging point for Maersk’s dedicated freighter hub at Greenville-Sparten International Airport in South Carolina.  It is the latest step in Maersk’s one-year buildout of a U.S. air network, part of a larger transformation into a global logistics integrator.

Last year, Maersk consolidated airfreight forwarding and existing private airline under the Maersk Air Cargo brand to give businesses more seamless logistics options using Boeing 767-300 Freighters.

Source: Maersk Air Cargo

             Atlas Air Takes 2nd Of Four Expected 777-200F Deliveries

US cargo and Charter airline Atlas Air Worldwide has taken delivery of the second of four new Boeing 777-200 Freighters it plans to operate on behalf of shipping giant MSC mediterranean.

Atlas said on July 20 that it expects Boeing to deliver the remaining widebody freighters in the fourth quarter of this year.

The new freighter rolled off the production line at Boeing’s Paine Field in Everett, Washington and completed its first light on July 5th.  It carries the serial number 67993.  The Jet was delivered as part of a long-term aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance agreement between the Purchase, New York-based Atlas and MSC, which is headquartered in Geneva,Switzerland.

MSC Air Cargo Solution began operating the first of the 777s in November 2022, marking the global company’s entry into the air cargo business.  The second 777-200 F will complement the shipping specialists’ weekly flights to airports in Mexico City, Indianapolis, Liege, Seoul and Xiamen.

“ Building on the successful launch of MSC’s Air Cargo Solution, we are very pleased to welcome this second 777 delivery as part of our long-term strategic partnership,” says Michael Steen, chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings.

Source: Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Picture Atlas Air

                         

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@yahoo.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian