Boeing

by

The Kaplanian Report – September 2020

ON THE BOEING FRONT

 Customers Harness Boeing’s Services Solutions to Support Operations and Growth

Boeing announced a number of services orders and agreements to support international customers, streamline their operations and enhance their future growth.

These supply chain solutions will simplify customers’ asset and maintenance management, inventory and operating costs, while improving parts availability.

The agreements for Boeing’s digital solutions will provide cost savings fleet-wide, enhance airline crew situational awareness and increase operational efficiency.

“As airlines and operators continue to respond to the current challenges facing the global air travel industry, our partners are moving forward, integrating creative solutions to continue connecting people around the world,” said Ted Colbert, president and CEO,Boeing Global Services.”  Boeing is working closely with our customers around the world, delivering the customized solutions they need to improve operational efficiency, support their fleets, and reduce their costs.”

Supply Chain agreements include:

-Alaska Airlines signed its largest consumable and expendable services agreement, with a multi-year agreement for solutions which include Tailored Parts Package and Quick Engine Change kits.  The agreement supports Alaska’s fleet of 737 airplanes and provides price and availability benefits that allow the airline to streamline its maintenance operations.  The Tailored Parts Package consists of 2,900 part numbers.  Throughout the term of this three-year agreement, Boeing anticipates the shipment of nearly 800,000 parts and four Quick Engine Chain kits, which will be used to configure spare engines to allow for quick return of an airplane to service when an engine needs to be repaired or replaced.

-ALL Nippon Airways, the largest airline in Japan, announced a partnership with Boeing Global Services to install a 787-9 galley facility in its new training center to enhance crew training opportunities. And also signed an agreement for ten Quick Engine Change Kits. 

Source: Boeing global Services

                    

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

    Airbus Completed Its Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off & Landing Project

Airbus completed its Autonomous taxi, take-off, and landing project that saw one of its A350-1000 XWBs perform normally pilot-flown maneuvers entirely on its own.

The project’s successful completion opens the door for fully autonomous flights as autopilot already handles most of the functions while airborne.

The common belief with airplanes is that they fly themselves after take-off thanks to autopilot, and pilots can sit back and relax for most of the flight.  But Airbus just took that idea to the next level after proving a passenger jet can perform complex maneuvers without any pilot input.

The European manufacturer just completed flight testing for its Autonomous Taxi, Take-off, and landing project after its flagship aircraft successfully navigated each phase of flight on its own as pilots simply watched.

Over 500 flights were conducted with the new Airbus A350-1000 XWB that utilized         “ image recognition technology” to essentially give the plane a pair of eyes.  The technology, integrated with the A350’s exterior cameras, allowed it to perform the phases of flight on its own, Airbus announced.

With Airbus proving that its jet can also land and taxi on its own, the door is now open to fully autonomous flights.

Source: Airbus/Picture Airbus           

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

            Textron Aviation Introduces the Beechcraft King Air 360 

Textron Aviation has ushered in the next generation of its King Air turboprop family with the Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER.

The updated turboprop offers the latest technological advancements in the cockpit, a redesigned cabin, and enhancements to passenger comfort.  The aircraft is currently in production with customer deliveries expected to begin in the Fall of 2020. 

The Cockpit is the new digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort.  The Pressurization gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

With seating for up to nine passengers, the latest King Air offers an even greater passenger experience than its predecessor. The aircraft features a cabin altitude of when compared to the King Air 350i.  The improved cabin altitude levels provide greater comfort to passengers, especially during longer flights.

The new turboprop twin models are priced at $7.9 million and $8.795 million, respectively.

Source: Textron Aviation/Picture Textron Aviation

              Gulfstream Opens New Farnborough Service Center 

Gulfstream Aerospace’s new service center at Farnborough Airport is now open and took in its first aircraft, a Middle East-based Gulfstream, for service.  The 225,000 sq m to 20,903 sq m facility can simultaneously accommodate up to 13 ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 or G700s.

The Farnborough center is able to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, as well as interior refurbishments and aftermarket modifications.  To complement the site, Gulfstream’s Field and Airborne Support Teams(FAST) continues to maintain a presence at London Luton Airport.

“Gulfstream Farnborough is already seeing great demand,” said Gulfstream Customer Support president Derek Zimmerman.  ”This opening marks the completion of another goal in our overarching strategy to enhance convenience and increase options for our customers.  The new facilities we are building can better accommodate more of the large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft our customers are flying.”

Source: Gulfstream Aerospace

                                                                   

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

Israel Government Authority to Recommend El Al Control Permit for Rosenberg

Israel’s Government Companies Authority said it would recommend allowing Eli Rosenberg to buy control of cash-strapped El Al Israel Airlines.

Rosenberg in July offered to funnel $75 million into the airline in return for a 45% stake. He is the son of American businessman Kenny Rosenberg, who is CEO of New York-based nursing home chain Centers Health Care. 

The authority said it would allow control of Israel’s flag carrier with a stake of over $40% conditioned upon proof Rosenberg’s Israeli citizenship or regency.Israel would retain a golden share.

Israel’s finance and transport ministers also need to approve Rosenberg becoming the controlling shareholder.

El Al’s board had agreed to a bailout that could put the carrier back under state ownership after the coronavirus pushed it to the verge of bankruptcy.

The government has offered to back $250 million in bank loans while El Al must issue $150 million in shares, which the state will buy if no one else does.

The carrier’s unions have already agreed to a significant cost-cutting measures.

El Al, which has reported losses for two years running and racked up debt to renew its fleet, suspended flights when Israel closed its borders and furloughed most of its employees.

Source: Reuters/picture El Al

                Emirates Covers Customers from COVID-19 Expenses

Emirates will cover medical expenses of up to EUR 150,000 ($176,000) and quarantine costs of EUR 100 per day ($118.00 prepay for 14 days) should they be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel, while they are away from home.

This cover is provided by the airline, free of costs to its customers.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group chairman and chief executive said: “Under the directive of his Highness Sheik Mohammed,UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Emirates is proud to lead the way in boosting confidence for international travel.  We know people are yearning to fly as borders around the world gradually re-open, but they are seeking flexibility and assurances should something unforeseen happen during their travel.”

He added : “Emirates has worked hard to put in place measures at every step of the customer journey to mitigate risk of infection, and we have also revamped our booking policies to offer flexibility.   We are now taking it to the next level, by being the first in the industry to offer our customers free global cover for Covid-19 medical expenses and quarantine costs should they incur these costs during their travel.  It is an investment on our part, but we are putting our customers firsthand we believe they will welcome this initiative.”

Emirates is the first airline in the world to offer free, global cover for Covid-19 related costs.

Source: Emirates/Picture Emirates

      Taiwan Parliament Passes Proposal To Rebrand China Airlines

Taiwan’s parliament passed a proposal on July 22nd to rebrand the island’s largest airline to avoid confusion with carriers on the Chinese mainland.

China Airlines (CAL) is frequently mistaken for Air China… the mainland’s national carrier…and there have long been calls to rename it or make it more clearly Taiwanese.

But the movement received fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic, which Taiwan has successfully tackled.

The self-ruled island has sent medical aid overseas as a diplomatic gesture of goodwill, often on China Airlines aircraft, sparking some public confusion abroad over where the shipments had come from.

The motion did not set a timeline for when the airline should be eventually renamed, saying it would require further discussion.

The name China Airlines is a throwback to the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War, when the defeated Kuomintang nationalists fled to Taiwan.

The Republic of China …Taiwan’s official name…set itself up as a rival to the People’s Republic of China.

Taiwan has since morphed into one of Asia’s most progressive democracies and a distant Taiwanese identity has emerged.

Source: AFP

                                Deferral to Cost Twice as Much

Fiji Airways will have to pay double the amount it owes over a longer period of time if it gets a deferral on a loan, says managing director and CEO Andre Viljoen.

He made the comment while addressing public assumptions on the airline’s cost-cutting efforts.  Mr Vijoen said requesting for a decal from their financier would put the airline in more trouble.

“The second myth that some people are saying is you solve the problem with a deferral,” said Mr. Viljoen.

“ The Banks come to us and say ‘ sure, you can have three months or six months but that’s it ‘, and when the six months is over you repay it together with the normal payments so you got double the payments to make.”  So the noose was loosened slightly for a few months and re-tightened again but now it’s tighter.”

He said the only way a deferral of payment work was if the airline was committed to a longer plan.

According to Mr. Viljoen, Fiji Airways cannot simply hand back leased aircraft.  He said binding agreements signed between the national carrier, leasing companies and financial institutions were a “noose” the airline could not “wiggle out of”.

Fiji Airways has recurring costs of $38 million a month, which includes lease and loan repayments.  Mr. Viljoen said if the airline defaulted on the repayment for one aircraft, it could go belly up.

Source: The Fiji Times

          

      LATEST NEWS

  • Cathay Pacific Airways will transfer a third of passenger aircraft from Hong Kong. The first batch of 12 aircraft will will go to Alice Springs in Australia for storage.

  • Kawasaki, Korean Air renew 787 aft wheel bulkhead contract with Boeing tier one supplier Kawasaki Heavy Industries 
  • Boeing has secured an A$287 million($205 million) sustainment contract for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) fleet of 12 P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.
  • Vistara, a joint venture between TATA group and Singapore Airlines, took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in New Delhi on July 24th.

  • KLM will retire its last three Boeing 747-400s in October.  In March KLM announced it would retire the seven total passenger airplanes that were in its fleet, a move prompted by the coronavirus crisis.

  • Boeing’s third 777X airframe has launched on its maiden flightless than a week after the airframer said its first delivery of the type would be pushed back to 2022.
  • Icelandair Group is cutting four Boeing 737 Max jets from its order commitment and revising deliveries of the remaining six as part of a final settlement with Boeing.
  • Cessna SkyCourier the second SkyCourier 408 completed its second flight which lasted one hour and 35 minutes, and reached a maximum altitude of 14,200 feet, and a maximum speed of 210kt (378km/h).

  • Boeing’s 737 Max backlog declined nearly 20% in the first seven months of 2020,   with the company stripping more than 850 jets from its books due to order cancellations and accounting adjustments.
  • Cathay Pacific appears to have converted a pair of Airbus A350-1000s to the Smaller-900 variant, the Hong Kong-based carrier’s half-year accounts indicate.

Sources: Boeing, Icelandair, Cessna, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Vistara.

AIR CARGO

         GECAS Cargo Tops Up Orderbook with More 737-800BCFs

GECAS(GE Capital Aviation Services) signed an agreement with Boeing converting 11 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter(BCF) options to firm orders and adding nine additional options to the GECAS Cargo order book.

This agreement marks a repeat order by the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of General Electric for the 737-800BCF, bringing their total order book for the type to 74(60 firm and 14 options) since the narrowbody conversion program was announced in 2015.  The 20 in this agreement are scheduled to complete conversions between 2022 and 2024.  To date, Boeing has delivered 23 of the converted 737-800BCFs to GECAS for its leasing customers.

“It is an honor to extend our strong partnership with GECAS as they place their third repeat order for the 737-800BCF.  GECAS is renowned for providing great freighter solutions and this order is another testament to the 737-800BCF’s ability to extend the life of an airplane and help cargo carriers reduce operating costs,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing, The Boeing Company.

Source: GECAS

             S7 Plans to Receive Two Boeing Boeing 737-800BCFs

S7 has signed a contract with GECAS to supply two Boeing 737-800BCF air freighters, the Russian air carrier said on Thursday August 13th.  These are the first airplanes fully focused on freight transportation only in the airline fleet.

S7 Airlines ”plans to receive two Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft in November 2020 and in January 2021.”  S7 Cargo, the master agent for sales of freight transportation by S7 Group of companies, will implement commercial management of cargo traffic, the company said .

“ The extra capabilities will be engaged in destinations with high demand and limited capabilities of freight compartments of passenger aircraft.  The wide geography of S7 Airlines’ flights, cooperation with leading logistical companies and branched network of agents enable us to carry various categories of goods and mail within short terms and support efficient loading of aircraft.  According to our estimate, new airplanes will enable increasing the volume of transported cargo and mail by 30%,” S7 cargo CEO IIya Yaroslavtsev said in a comment.

Source: Russian Aviation/ Picture S7

                OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

       Boeing Recognized for Sustainability Leadership

On August 13, 2020, Boeing received a 2020 Sustainability Leadership Award from the National Association of Manufactures.

The award recognizes the company’s innovative efforts to recycle aerospace carbon fiber, diverting waste away from landfills across the globe.

Since 2018, Boeing has partnered with UK based ELG Carbon Fiber to recycle excess aerospace carbon fiber.  Boeing collects the scrap material, which ELG then treats in a furnace to remove binding agents. The result of the process is clean material that can be sold to third parties to make products such as electronic accessories and automotive equipment.

“Boeing is demonstrating that you can be environmentally sustainable in a cost effective way,” said Bryan Scott, vice president of Environment, Health & Safety at Boeing.  ”We are the largest consumer of aerospace-grade composite and the only company able to recycle 100% of it.”

The carbon fiber recycling process has now been implemented at 11 of Boeing’s global airplane manufacturing sites.  Most excess carbon fiber comes from sites in Australia, the Puget Sound region of Washington state, and Salt lake City,Utah.

Boeing will train companies on the recycling process ,beginning with its supply chain.  “Creating commercially viable solutions for recycling carbon fiber composites is good for the industry and good for the environment”, said Tia Benson, director of advanced Materials and Product Development at Boeing.

Source: Boeing

 

                         

 

Researched and Compiled by : 

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor  

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian  

by

The Kaplanian Report August 2020

ON THE BOEING FRONT

                    ‘smart pipe’  Technology for New Boeing 777X

Inmarsat and Boeing are delivering digital aircraft transformation through innovative new ‘smart pipe’ technology on board the new Boeing 777X aircraft.

The new advance in communications technology provides fast and secure inflight broadband connectivity, from the cockpit to the cabin, allowing airlines to use multiple third-party applications at the same time.

The brand new infrastructure has been designed to independently allocate connectivity bandwidth to multiple applications. This enables airlines to unlock important operational benefits such as predictive maintenance, route optimization, modernised air traffic management and real time crew communications, while also offering enhanced passenger entertainment, including high-speed internet and live television.

This ‘smart pipe’ functionality means that applications delivered on two of Inmarsat’s award-winning satcom solutions-GX Aviation and SwiftBroadband-safety (SB_S)-are each able to have a unique service level agreement and guaranteed performance levels, independent of other applications that are also operating through the same terminal.

Phillip Balaam, President of Inmarsat Aviation, said: “Inmarsat’s GX Aviation and SB_S are already established as the aviation industry’s most advanced global connectivity solutions.”

“The results from initial tests for our ‘smart pipe’ are promising and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Boeing in preparation for the forthcoming entry into service of its new 777X aircraft.”

Source: Arabien Aerospace/Picture Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

       Airbus Concludes ATTOL with Fully Autonomous Flight Tests

In completing this project, Airbus has achieved autonomous taxiing, take-off and landing (ATTOL) of a commercial aircraft through fully automatic vision-based flight tests using on- board image recognition technology-a world- first in aviation.

In total, over 500 test flights were conducted.  Approximately 450 of those flights were dedicated to gathering raw video data, to support and fine tune algorithms; while a series of six test flights, each one including five take-offs and landings per run, were used to test autonomous flight capabilities. 

The ATTOL project was initiated by Airbus to explore how autonomous technologies, including the use of machine learning algorithms and automated tools for data labelling, processing and model generation, could help pilots focus less on aircraft operations and more on strategic decision-making and mission management.  Airbus is now able to analyze the potential of these technologies for enhancing future aircraft operations, all the while improving aircraft safety, ensuring today’s unprecedented levels are maintained.

Airbus will continue research into the application of autonomous technologies along  other innovations in areas such as materials, alternative propulsion systems and connectivity.  By leveraging these opportunities, Airbus is opening up possibilities for creating new business models that will transform how aircraft are developed, manufactured, flown, powered and serviced.

Source: Airbus/Picture Airbus            

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                         Bombardier Delivers 350th Challenger 350

Bombardier celebrated the 350th delivery of its super-midsize Challenger 350, a milestone reached some six years after the 3,200-nm-range twinjet entered service it announced July 9th.  The Canadian business aircraft manufacturer launched the model in 2013 as an upgraded version of the Challenger 300, with a new wing, more powerful Honeywell HTF7350 engines, larger cabin windows, and redesigned interior.

“The 350th delivery of a Challenger 350 aircraft, reached after only six years in service, speaks volumes,” said Bombardier Business Aircraft senior v-p of worldwide sales and marketing Peter Likoray.  ”This achievement shows the great confidence customers place in this aircraft and demonstrates Bombardier’s production proficiency and strong supplier base.”

As of May 31, the worldwide fleet of challenger 350s has logged more than 648,000 flight hours and more than 383,000 landings.

Source: Bombardier/Picture Bombardier

                 Air China Completes Its Maiden ARJ21 Service 

Air China has completed its maiden flight of a Comic ARJ21 on the domestic routing from Beijing to Xilinhot.

The Star Alliance carrier took delivery of its first of the regional jet on June 28 alongside China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.

Last August, the three carriers announced on the same day deals to each purchase 35 ARJ21-700 regional jets from COMAC, with deliveries from 2020 through 2024.

The ARJ21 entered commercial operations four years ago after a lengthy development period and is China’s first domestically manufactured airliner.

Source: Comac/Picture Air China        

                                                             

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

                          VIP RAF Voyager Ready for Global Role 

The Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager “Vespina” has completed its refurbishment to provide a secure, cost-effective and suitably profiled transport for Government Ministers and the Royal Family. The aircraft now proudly displays the Union Flag alongside RAF markings and is ready to represent the UK across the globe.

The smart new paint scheme will promote the UK around the world while transporting Ministers, senior members of the Royal Family and their delegations on trade, diplomatic and other missions.

After weeks of work, the Voyager returned to RAF Brize Norton where it will operate alongside the rest of the RAF Voyager fleet. Alongside its VIP Role, the aircraft remains certified for its original use, including Air-to Air Refueling and personnel transport. It can fly from almost any airport across the world that can take an Airbus A330, and its range allows it to reach much of the world without costly and time-consuming refueling.

The aircraft, known as Vespina is also referred as’ZZ336’ which is its military registration number, was previously visually indistinguishable from the rest of the Operational Voyager Fleet. This external Paint Scheme will better reflect its VIP mission and Contribution to ‘Global Britain’.

Source: RAF News/Picture RAF

           British Airways Took Delivery of Its First Boeing 787-10 

On Sunday June 28, 2020, British Airways took delivery of the first of twelve Boeing 787-10 aircraft.

Aircraft G-ZBLA  landed at London Heathrow after being dispatched from Charleston, South Carolina .

The arrival of the Boeing 787-10 aircraft is some six months later than intended.

BA originally planned to take delivery of six Boeing 787-10s this year, with the first originally due in January and all twelve aircraft delivered by 2023.  The first route was due to be Atlanta, but this may change.

IAG has confirmed that, since Covid-19, it plans to defer the delivery of eleven new long-haul aircraft between now and 2022—some of these include planned deliveries to Iberia.

The Boeing 787-10 will take BA’s fleet of 787 family aircraft to 42. Compared to other Boeing 787 aircraft, the 787-10 is a larger aircraft, with length of 68 m(223 ft) compared to 57m(187ft) for the 787-8 and 63m(206ft) for the 787-9, but with the same height and wingspan.

Other airlines operating the 787-10 include Etihad, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.

For BA, the Boeing 787-10 is configured in four classes with 8 seats in first Class, 48 in Club World (featuring Ba’s new Club Suite), 35 seats in World Traveller Plus and 156 seats in World Traveller.

Source: london travel.com/British Airways/Picture British Airways  

      LATEST NEWS

  • Sino-Russian CR929 Russia has disclosed that the Sino-Russian CR929 wide body program will make its first delivery in 2028-2029, with what appears to be another round of delays in the program’s production time line.
  • American Airlines’ pilot union is now reviewing Boeing’s latest 737 Max pilot training draft—a document the union describes as vastly more thorough than previous drafts.
  • Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Operators of Rolls-Royce powered Boeing 787s are set to be instructed to conduct inspections of Certain Trent 1000 low-pressure turbine discs, over a possible braking risk.
  • De Havilland Canada delivered the first of six Dash 8-400 aircraft to TAAG Angola Airlines, as it builds out its networks to the country’s smaller communities.
  • BOC Aviation has cancelled an order for 30 Boeing 737 Max jets, and intends to defer delivery of others.
  • Airbus delivered 196 aircraft over the first six months of the year, half the figure of 389 it had achieved at the same point in 2019.

  • FAA(the Federal Aviation Administration)  has completed three days of flight tests on the Boeing 737 Max ahead of possible recertification in the coming months.
  • China Southern Airlines launches ARJ21-700 service with an inaugural flight between Gangzhou and Jieyang, a city in eastern Guangdong province. 

  • Helvetic Airways has signed a commitment with Embraer to convert four of their remains firm orders to the larger E195-E2 aircraft.

  • Garuda Indonesia is in talks with Airbus to delay deliveries of four aircraft this year.The Indonesian flag carrier has nine A330neos on order that have yet to be delivered, according to the Airbus order book.

Sources: Airbus, Garuda, BOC Aviation, Embraer, De Havilland Canada, Rolls -Royce, Flightglobal.

AIR CARGO

        Sky Gates Airlines Grows Fleet by Adding a B747-400 Freighter

After launching services between Russia, Europe and the Far East at the end of last year; Sky Gates Cargo airlines is going to increase their freighter fleet with another Boeing 747-400 freighter.

The Boeing 747-400F is an ex-Cathay Pacific aircraft which is currently operated by Silk Way West Airlines who is the partner airline of Sky Gates.

Sky Gates is a Russian all-cargo airline with its European Hub in Maastricht serving Moscow and Novosibirsk on scheduled bases to and from the Fair East.

Senior vice president, Nidjat Babayev explains: “As a startup carrier we are happy to pursue our strategy in increasing our fleet step-by-step.  After having received the 2nd aircraft, the planning of a 3rd 747-400F will start.

“We are motivated by the support of our customers and we are convinced of the huge potential the Russian air cargo market will offer Sky Gates. Not only we do see high numbers of flown hours on our first aircraft, we already do have commitments on the 2nd aircraft.”

Source: Air Cargo Week

 OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

                          British Airways Retires Its Boeing 747s

On July 17th, British Airways said it has retired “with immediate effect” its 31 Boeing 747s, adding that the airplanes have “likely” flown their last commercial service.  The airline attributed the abrupt decision to accelerate the retirements to Covid-19 affects.

For over 50 years, Boeing’s “Queen of the Skies” has been the world’s most easily recognized jetliner with its humped fuselage and four engines.  But its days were already numbered before the pandemic struck earlier this year.

The move by BA comes after Australia’s Qantas Airways said in June it would retire its remaining 747 felt immediately, six months ahead of schedule.

BA’s predecessor airline BOAC first introduced the 747 on London-NewYork route in 1971 after one year delay caused with dispute with pilots over terms for flying the new jet.

Hugh Dibley, a former BOAC captain and racing driver who joined the airline in 1958, said the 747’s introduction marked a new era, but was beset with teething problems with its engines.

Landing and taxiing also took some getting used to, from the cockpit positioned almost 30 feet above the ground-or more when angling the nose higher just before touching the runway.

“It was a delight to fly as it was so stable.  The initial issue was its height from the ground.  It was like landing a block of flats from the 2nd floor,” Dibley told Reuters.

BA’s Jumbos are the 747-400 model, the most-sold version of the jet which was introduced in 1989.  After BA, only a handful of airlines including Rossiya Airlines and Air China continue to operate them, according to Cirium data.

Source: Reuters/Picture British Airways

 

 

                         

Researched and Compiled by : 

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor  

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian  

 

 

 

by

Kaplanian Report – June 2020

ON THE BOEING FRONT

    Boeing to Model Potential Spread of Pathogens Inside Aircraft Cabin

Boeing appointed an executive on Thursday, May 14, to lead the company’s Confident Travel Initiative, the plan that intended to help people get back on planes.

Boeing named Mike Delany, currently vice president of digital transformation at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, to the role, which aims to “minimize air travel health risks” in a Covid-19 world.

“As air travel slowly begins to resume and restrictions ease around the globe, health and safety remain our top priorities,” said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun in the company’s news release.  ”Mike’s deep technical expertise, leadership skills, industry knowledge and great passion for our customers make him uniquely qualified to lead this effort.”

Delany will work with Boeing customers to design and implement policies regarding facial coverings, plane cleaning, and temperature checks.  The checks will have to be completed before boarding, adding another level of complexity for travelers and airlines.

Boeing also referenced its commitment to air quality when announcing the new role.  All Boeing planes are equipped with high-efficiency particulate air, also known as HEPA, filters, ”similar to those used in hospitals and industrial clean room.”  The company says HEPA filters are better than 99.9% effective at removing particulates including viruses.

Air filtration helps, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk of disease transmission. Bacteria and viruses are viable on surfaces—such as seat-back pockets—for some time after being deposited by a cough or sneeze.

Boeing hopes modeling will predict how the virus might spread through aircraft with differing seating configurations.The company hopes to determine how variables such as coughing (with or without masks) and use of hand sanitizer might affect potential contagion.

“We are using science as opposed to anecdote…and emotionally-driven responses,” says Delany, who is also Boeing’s vice-president of digital transformation.

Source: Boeing/Barron’s/Picture Shtterstock

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                   Airbus Opens A220 Hanger in Mobile, Alabama

Airbus celebrated a pair of milestones at its commercial aircraft production in Mobile, Alabama; announcing the official inauguration of production activities in its newly built final assembly line hanger and the start of the first U.S.-built A220 for JetBlue.

The new 270,000-sq-ft hanger, capable of accommodating assembly of both A220-100 and A220-300 aircraft, has officially opened for business after an 18-month construction project.   It houses five primary assembly stations where workers attach major airframe component assemblies for a completed aircraft in a flow line process. Airbus began producing A220 aircraft in Mobile in August 2019, using space in an existing A320 final assembly line hanger, and newly built support hangers.  With the completion of the new hanger, the Airbus production site in Alabama has doubled in size.

Airbus recently welcomed the first component assemblies destined to become an A220 for JetBlue into the new hanger.  JetBlue will become the second customer that takes an A220 from Mobile, following Delta Air Lines.  JetBlue expects to take delivery of the first U.S.-made A220 during this year’s fourth quarter.

“The team is excited to start working in their new facility and welcome a new customer,” said Airbus president of A220 USA Paul Gaskell. “It’s a strong endorsement from JetBlue in this challenging time,” said Paul Gaskell, president of A220 USA and head of A220 Program in Mobile.

Source: Airbus/Airbus Photo

         

        REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                           Cessna SkyCourier Completes First Flight

The Cessna SkyCourier twin-turboprop prototype lifted off on its first flight Sunday morning May 17 from Beech Field at Textron Aviation’s east campus in Wichita. Piloted by senior test pilot Corey Eckhart and chief test pilot Aaron Tobias, the utility twin flew for two hours and 15 minutes.

“We were very pleased with how the Cessna SkyCourier performed throughout its first flight,” Eckhart said.”It was particularly impressive to see how stable the aircraft handled on takeoff and landing. The Cessna SkyCourier already displays a high level of maturity in its flight characteristics, especially for a first flight.”

“We were able to accomplish everything we wanted on this flight, and that’s an excellent start to the flight test program.”

With an initial order from FedEx for 50 copies of the high-wing airplane and options for 50 more, the SkyCourier is capable of flying 200 ktas powered by two 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines driving 110-inch McCauley propellers.  It also features a Garmin G1000 NXi flight deck.

Configurable for both cage and commuter operations, the high-wing turboprop is designed to carry a payload of up to 6,000 pounds.  It is equipped with an 87-inch cargo door, a flat floor, and a nearly 70-inch tall and wide cabin to accept three standard LD3 air cargo containers.  In passenger configuration, it will have seating for up to 19 passengers, with a netted cabin area for luggage and equipment.  It also will be available in a mixed passenger/cargo combination.

Source: Textron Aviation

         Boeing Business Jets New Aircraft Development Continues 

As the 737 Max crisis rumbles on, Boeing says it is “staying close to VIP customers” on the re-engines narrow body.

Two examples of the BBJ Max 8 have been delivered green to date, and while Boeing is continuing to work on the -9 and -7 variants, it will not give a delivery timeframe for either model.

The pair were originally scheduled for certification and customer handover in 2020 and 2022 respectively.  Boeing records 14 orders for the CFM international Leap-1B-powered BBJ Max, most of them -8s- though Boeing Business Jet expects the shorter Max 7 to be the eventual favorite, owing to its 7,000nm(13000km)-range:360nm longer than the -8 and 675nm longer than the -9.

Boeing has also expanded its VIP wide body offering with the introduction in late 2018 of the BBJ777X.  The twin-aisle airliner is the updated version of the BBJ 777, of which Boeing has sold 13 examples to date.

Boeing describes the 777X as a “far superior offering”, with GE Aviation GE9X engines and a new, more advanced composite wing.

As of this month two Boeing BBJ Max 8s have been delivered.

Source: Boeing Business Jets/Picture Boeing

                                                                      

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

Air France Terminates A380 Fleet with Immediate Effect

Air France has accelerated plans to phase out its Airbus A380 fleet and will retire the aircraft immediately rather than in 2022 as previously scheduled.

Air France grounded its A380s on March 16 as the coronavirus pandemic began to take a toll on operations, before ultimately suspending the majority of its scheduled passenger flights. Air France-KLM announced on May 20 the “definitive end” of the French carrier’s Airbus A380 operations.

“Initially scheduled by the end of 2022, the phase-out of Airbus A380 fleet fits in the Air France-KLM Group fleet simplification strategy of making the fleet more competitive, by continuing its transformation with more modern, high-performance aircraft with significantly reduced environmental footprint,” the group says.

Five of the Airbus A380 aircraft in the current fleet are owned by Air France or on finance lease.  A further four are on operating lease.  Air France-KLM says the impact of the A380 phase-out write down is estimated at $547 million dollars and will be booked in the second quarter of 2020 as a non-current cost/expenses.  The fleet is powered by Engine Alliance GP7200s.

In December Air France-KLM Group said it was ordering another 10 Airbus A350-900s, which would be used to replace the company’s A380s.

Source: Air France/Picture Air France

                                Delta to Retire Its 777 Fleet

Delta Air Lines will retire its Boeing 777 fleet by the end of 2020 as the coronavirus crisis continues to disrupt global travel, creating openings for airlines to permanently streamline fleets and save money by shifting to more-efficient aircraft.  The move will leave Delta with a single type of ultra-long aircraft: Airbus A350s.

The Atlanta-based airline has 18 777s, including 10 of the long-range 777-200LR variant, according to Cirium fleets data.  Nine of these are currently operating and nine are in storage.

Delta’s first 777s joined the fleet 21 years ago, and the airline says it will replace them with its next-generation A350-900s;  which burn 21% less fuel than the Boeing jets. Delta has nine  A350s in service, four in storage and 12 on order, according to Cirium.

In past weeks the airline used 777s for cargo and repatriation flights between North American and cities in Asia,Europe and Australia.

Source: Delta Air Lines/Picture Delta Air Lines 777-200LR

           Airbus and Rolls-Royce Have Axed the E-Fan X Project

Airbus and Rolls-Royce axed the e-FanX demonstrator programs year before the experimental hybrid-electric engine airliner was supposed to fly.  The E-Fan X program was launched to explore electric aviation and involved equipping a BAE Systems Avro RJ100 with a hybrid powertrain.  But Airbus chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini says the airframer is having to “ navigate the realities” of a world impacted by the corona virus crisis, and concentrate on priorities.

She says Airbus and Rolls-Royce have as a result “jointly decided” to “bring the E-Fan X demonstrator to an end”.  “As with all ground-breaking research projects, it’s our duty to constantly evaluate and reprioritize them to ensure alignment with our ambitions,” she adds.

“These decisions are not always easy.  But they are undoubtedly necessary to stay the course.”  Vittadini points out that the effort to decarbonize the aviation industry is “no small feat”, adding: “to achieve this, we need to re-focus all our efforts on technology bricks that will take us there.”  The E-Fan X, launched in 2017, was due to carry out its maiden flight in 2021.

Source: Flightglobal

   Mitsubishi Aircraft to Close all Non-Japan Locations, Shelves M100 

Mitsubishi Aircraft is closing all non-Japan locations and moving all Spacejet activities back to its headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, above coming in response to cost pressure amid the coronavirus aerospace downturn.

As part of the consolidation to Japan, the company will halt flight testing of its 90-seat SpaceJet M100 regional jet and suspend development of its 76-seat M100, Mitsubishi Aircraft says.

Most effected outside Japan is its operations in the US Northwest.  The Mitsubishi Aircraft U.S. headquarters in Renton will close, and flight test operations in Moses Lake will cease operations.

Mitsubishi Aircraft has not announced any change to a plan under which its parent Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will acquire Bombardiers’s CRJ program for $550 million.

Source: Mitsubishi Aircraft/Picture Mitsubishi Aircraft        

      

LATEST NEWS

  • BOC Aviation has signed a purchase-and-leaseback agreement with Southwest Airlines for 10 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
  • Emirates largest operator of the Airbus A380 axes the aircraft and seen cutting deliveries.
  • Boeing the U.S. Navy received its 100th P-8A aircraft from Boeing on May 14 as the global fleet, which also includes the Indian navy and the Australian and the U.K. airfares approaches 300,000 flight hours.

  • Lauda subsidiary of Ryanair plans to cancel all Airbus deliveries and replace them with ones from Boeing.

  • American Airlines is parking its fleet of Airbus A330-200s in storage until at least 2022, part of the airline’s broader effort to downsize in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
  • Air Lease Corp said it would reduce capital expenditure on new jets in a move likely to restrict its-near-term growth; but still support liquidity’s it faces demands from airlines for rental relief seen as crucial to their survival.
  • United Aircraft of Russia is set to begin mating the tail and engine pylons for the first llyushin ll-96-400M, which is undergoing assembly at the Voronezh-based VSO plant.

  • Saab Aircraft has secured an SKr1.6 billion ($ 165 million) order for an undisclosed number of its Saab 2000 Erieye airborne early warning control (AEW&C) system aircraft.

Source:  Air Lease, Emirates,Saab Aircraft,American Airlines, Ryanair, United Aircraft,Boeing

 

AIR CARGO

     Alaska Airlines Transports  First Copper River Salmon to Seattle

Alaska Airlines teamed with partners to fly the first catch of salmon from Copper River to Seattle on May 15th.  The first to enjoy the fish will be over 200 healthcare workers from the Swedish Medical Center-Ballard.

The first catch of fresh, sustainable Copper River salmon arrived in Seattle on an Alaska Airlines plane.  This is not new for the airline.  Some Alaskan communities rely on Salmon exports for economic success.  In Cordova, Alaska, over 50% of local residents work in the fishing industry.  Thanks to air travel, the fish can end up in markets less than 24 hours after being pulled from the water.

Managing director of cargo for the airline, Torque Zubeck, said the following:  “ Alaska Air Cargo has been a partner of the Alaska seafood industry.  Now more than ever we provide a critical service that directly impacts the economic vitality of the region.  In Cordova alone, more than half of residents are directly involved in the fishing industry or related business.”

Chef Douglas will feature the salmon donated by seafood processors and Copper River Marketing Association to create over 200 meals for Seattle-area medical professionals.  Alaska Airlines will send pilots, flight attendants, and management employees to be part of the efforts after carrying the fish on its planes.

Source: Alaska Airlines/Picture Alaska Airlines

                      OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

            The Planes in Spain Parked Neatly on the Plain

Dozens of passenger aircraft belonging to European carriers stand idled in neat lines in what has become a giant airplane parking lot amid the flat farmlands of eastern Spain.

Teruel Airport specializes in the storage and maintenance of aircraft, and business has boomed since coronaviris lockdowns globally forced airlines across Europe to ground fleets for several weeks.  There is no end in sight for many.

Planes showing the markings of commercial airlines including: British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France stand parked, buffeted by spring wind blowing across the plain.

“Teruel’s climate is dry-semi-desert with more than 250 days of sun per year,” said airport manager Alejandro Ibrahim.

“Also there is very little air traffic congestion which makes it the ideal place for plane preservation and maintenance.”

The airport currently hosts 95 wide-body aircraft, including eight of the world’s largest passenger airliners-the Airbus A380.  The number of planes arriving per week to be parked in the airport has doubled since the start of the pandemic.  The airport, owned by the local government, has not increased its rates since the beginning of the crisis, Ibrahim said.

The sudden stop to air travel has led airlines struggling to find space to store their planes. In Europe, some airlines have grounded their entire fleets and are storing their aircraft by parking them in airports, including on now-unused runways.

Source: Reuters/Picture spainsnews.com

                         

 

 

 Researched and Compiled by : 

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor  

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by

The Kaplanian Report – May 2020

ON THE BOEING FRONT

                 Status of Boeing Strategy Concerning the 737 & 787

Boeing believes it will resume 737 Max deliveries in the third quarter of 2020, with chief executive David Calhoun saying the company is progressing well through certification work despite challenges posed by coronavirus.

“We currently expect the necessary regulatory approval to allow Max deliveries in the third quarter,” Calhoun says on April 29.  ”We are very confident that the process will conclude with the certification.”

Boeing is now working through what Calhoun describes as “a mountain” of documentation work.  He says the certification pace has been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced staff to work from home.

Boeing expects to resume 737 Max production this year at “low rates”.   It does not specify initial production volumes, but says production will “gradually increase” to 31 aircraft monthly in 2021, with additional increases to follow.

As to the 787, Boeing has no immediate plan to restructure its 787 manufacturing footprint despite announcing a major cut in production.  However, Chief Executive David Calhoun says Boeing will have time to review it manufacturing strategy in the coming years, as 787 production further declines.

On April 29 Boeing announced it will reduce 787 production from 14 aircraft monthly to 10 monthly this year-end then to seven monthly by 2022.

“Certainly, both lines will be running during the initial phase of reducing production to 10 787 monthly.”  Calhoun says.  ”We have not made any decision on the 787 production locations,” he adds of production requirements after 2020.

“We will have plenty of time to figure out exactly the way to go.”

Source: Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

  Airbus Sees More Pain in Commercial Market Through 3Q 2020

Airbus does not expect to have clear visibility of full short-to medium-term impact of the Covid-19 crisis until June.  In a briefing for financial analysts the morning of April 29 to announce diminished first-quarter results for 2020, Airbus indicated that it will likely defer decisions on steps to right-size the business for another two or three months.  This will allow more time to reassess the situation of its airline customers and also get more complete guidance from governments on steps to ease lockdown restrictions.

Group CEO Guillaume Faury told analysts that the greatest Covid-19 impact so far has been on its commercial aircraft business.  Its short-term reaction has been to scale back production rates by around a third to 48 units a month, including 40 A320s, 6 A350s and 2 A330s.  The A220 production line in Canada is expected to return progressively to a monthly output rate of 4 aircraft.

“The industry is now facing the gravest crisis in its history and we have a strong focus on matching production to demand and also cash containment,” Faury said.

Earlier in April Airbus announced that it is tapping government-backed payroll protection support schemes.  This has resulted in around 3,000 being furloughed on close to full pay in France and a further 3,200 in the UK.

Airbus is deferring further decisions on possible workforce reductions until June, when it expects to have a clearer idea of reduced demand for airliners.

Source: Airbus          

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

  Supersonic Jet Maker Aerion to Build Manufacturing Site In Florida

Supersonic business jet company Aerion will manufacture its in-development AS2 transport aircraft at a new facility in the Florida city of Melbourne, in the heart of the state’s aerospace cluster.

The company, currently based in Reno, intends this year to begin constructing in Melbourne a “global headquarters and integrated campus for research, design, build and maintenance” of the AS2, Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ office said on April 24.  Aerion’s media representative confirms the plan.

The $300 million project will create a facility called “ Aerion Park” in a region of Florida known as the “Space Coast”, says the governor.

The Company intends to begin manufacturing AS2 there in 2023, and the site will employ 675 people by 2026. 

“ Having evaluated a number of potential locations for our new home, we are excited to partner with Florida and Melbourne community to create a sustainable supersonic future,” says Aerion chief executive Tom Vice.  Aerion has said it hopes to complete first flight of the 12- passenger AS2 in 2024.

Source: Aerion/Picture Aerion          

                                                       

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

        AvioInteriors Seating Innovation Addresses Covid Concerns

Italian aircraft seat and cabin interior supplier AvioInteriors has released a concept for new seating solution designed to theoretically allow airlines to fill their middle seats amid Covid-19 concerns.  Calling it a “kit-level solution”, operators can install on existing seats to make close proximity safer, the company’s Glasssafe and Janus products feature transparencies to create an isolated volume around the passenger to avoid or minimize the spread of germs between occupants.

The Company can supply a Glasssafe retrofit kit in opaque material or with different degrees of transparency.   AvioInteriors designed the application with various executions and fixing systems that allow easy installation and removal and to allow for traditional seat-back magazine pockets and tables.

The Proposal for the second product, called Janus, features a center seat of a three-abreast layout positioned in the opposite direction, while passengers seated on the side seats, aisle, and fuselage continue to face in the forward direction.

As in the Glasssafe applications high shield that prevents breath propagation surrounds each Janus seat.  But another advantage of the Janus setup is the middle seat passenger has unobstructed access to both armrests.

If approved the AvioInteriors products would allow airlines to generate 33 percent more revenue if regulators call for middle seats to remain empty.  In fact, International Air Transport Association director general Alexandre de Juniac warned of the likelihood of higher airfares due to empty middle seat requirement.

Source: ainonline

              Southwest Delays Deliveries of 59 737 Max to Post-2021

Southwest Airlines, among the world’s top Boeing 737 Max customers, has pushed back deliveries of 59 Max aircraft in response to the travel downturn caused by the coronaviris pandemic.

Previously, Southwest anticipated receiving 107 Max jets from Boeing in 2020 and 2021, including 62 aircraft that had been scheduled for delivery in 2020 and 45 scheduled for 2021, securities filing shows.

The airline provides few details about how many 737 Max aircraft it intends to acquire in 2020 and 2021, other than saying it expects to receive less than 27 jets from Boeing this year.

Those 737 Max are aircraft Boeing manufactured for Southwest after regulators grounded the type in March 2019.  Boeing continued manufacturing the jets after grounding, storing the airliners until the grounding lifts.

Southwest is “still working on specifics of how many we want to take between now and the end of the year,” chief financial officer Tammy Romo says, during Southwest’s first-quarter earnings call on April 28.  “We have fleet flexibility.”

News of the deferrals came the day Southwest reported a first-quarter loss of$94 million, reflecting the collapse of travel demand during the pandemic.

While some Max customers have cancelled orders in recent weeks, Romo says Southwest still prefers to take new jets.”Our preference is to get new airplanes from Boeing,” she says.

Romo adds that “Max’s 14% fuel savings (compared to 737NGS) is still very meaningful and significant”, despite tumbling fuel prices, which have eroded the financial value of efficiency.

Source: Southwest/Flightglobal

                   Delta to Retire Its MD-88, MD-90 Fleets in June

Delta Air Lines will retire the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft earlier than previously planned, with both aircraft types exiting the fleet effective June 2020.

The accelerated retirement schedule of both aircraft is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic as the airline reduces capacity systemwide.

Delta cut its overall active fleet by about half, parking more than 600 mainline and regional aircraft in the last two months.

The 149-seat MD-88 was previously set to retire by the end of 2020.  As of February this year, prior to the coronavirus-driven fleet reduction, there were 47 MD-88s and 29 MD90s operating.  Both aircraft operated across much of Delta’s domestic network and have been workhorses for the airline.

Delta continues to evaluate its broader fleet plan and will consider additional aircraft retirement to focus on a modern, more simplified fleet going forward.

Source: World Airline News

                

LATEST NEWS

  • Airbus has backed out of a joint venture with Thai Airways to build a new MRO campus at Thailand’s U-Tapao airport.
  • El Al Israeli flag-carrier has reached a sale-and-leaseback agreement with an unidentified foreign company covering three Boeing 737-800s.
  • American Airlines sets a company cargo record on a Boeing 777-300, the flight on April 15 broke American’s all-time record for freight volume, removing 115,349 pounds(52,321 kilograms) of soybean seeds.On one of American’s cargo-only routes from Buenos Aires to Miami.

  • Lufthansa is prematurely phasing out six Airbus A380 as part of fleet cuts across the airline group.
  • Rolls-Royce says it is aiming to bring the number of Boeing 787s on the ground for Trent 1000 engine modification reasons down to fewer than 10 by the end of the second quarter.
  • Silver Air a private jet management and charter company has added a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) with unrestricted charter access based in West Palm beach, Florida.

  • Boeing conducted a successful first flight of its second 777X airplane. Designated WH002 the second of four 777-9 flight test vehicles.

  • Qantas is putting Project Sunrise on hold, citing the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on air travel.
  • United Airlines will sell and lease back 22 planes to Bank of China(BOC) Aviation.The deal involves six Boeing 787-9s and 16 Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft.
  • German Government First A350 Airbus has transferred the first of three A350-900s for the federal German government to Hamburg for outfitting at the Lufthansa Technik facility on May 7.

Sources: United Airlines, Flightglobal, Boeing, Qantas, Rolls-Royce, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Airbus, El Al. 

 

AIR CARGO

                         Air Freight Market Goes Into Overdrive

Damian Brett, the editor of Air Cargo News, outlines how the freight sector has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

While passenger airlines have heavily reduced their services over recent weeks, the air cargo market has gone into overdrive as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The sector is managing a huge capacity crunch as airlines have largely stopped operating the bellyhold services which make up roughly 50% of cargo capacity.

Consultant Seabury estimates that at the end of March, cargo capacity was down by around 35% compared with the year-ago figure.

The drop-off in demand lags the capacity reductions, as a result, freight rates have taken off.

Numbers from Tac Index show that rates an services from China/Hong Kong to Europe increased by 156% from March 2 to April 6.

On China/Hong Kong to North America an increase of 90.5% as recorded during the same timeframe.

So what of the coming months? There are some early signs that the situation is easing as carriers have started to re-activate parked-up freighters aircraft, passenger aircraft are being utilized as ad hoc freighters and containership operations come into play.

Lufthansa Cargo chief executive Peter Gerber says that while it is impossible to predict what the future holds, it could be the case that there are several spikes in cargo demand over the coming months as production plants in various countries come back on line.

The prospect of this outcome was also posited by logistics and parcels giant Deutsche Post DHL in recent business performance update.

“While the development of the business situation in China has been quite promising in the last weeks, Europe and North America are still in an earlier stage of the pandemic,” DP DHL said.

Source: Air Cargo News/Picture Cargolux

 

OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Lessors see no ( one-size-fits- all ) solution to help airlines through crisis

While aircraft lessors are agreeing to a number of rental deferral requests to help airline customers struggling through the coronavirus crisis, leasing executives stress there is no one size-fits-all approach being sought by airlines.

Speaking  on May 6 during the Leasing Leaders on Aviation Crisis webinar, organized by FlightGlobal in association with IBA Group.  BOC Aviation chief executive Robert Martin notes rapid funding action- including measures from governments-means some airlines have been more interested in, for example, sale-and lease-back activity.

“Clearly a lot of our customers were immediately hit and have asked for help, but it’s not one-size-fits-all,” he says.”  Some airlines didn’t need liquidity because they already have access to liquidity in other ways.  So actually they were more interested in doing purchase-and lease-back business, and we have done $5 billion of that since Covid started.”

“As we have addressed these issues, it’s clear to us you can tell the experienced airlines who have been through something like this before,” he says.  For example, editing the speed with which North American carriers acted to improve their liquidity and that Chinese carriers tapped their domestic bond market.

Another lessor leader panelist on the webinar, chief executive of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Firoz Tarapore, concurs that there is no single response.

In publishing its first quarter results, the lessor says that at the end of April, it had granted rent deferral requests from 25 customers – an aggregate rent totaling 5% of annual revenue. It is also evaluating rent deferral request from 33 customers, the aggregate rent deferral for which totals 10% of annual revenue.

“It’s been a deliberate and corroborative approach to make sure we carefully balance the needs of our clients and our own needs to make sure we are here for our other customers tomorrow.” said Tarapore.

Separately another aircraft lessor, Avalon, in reporting its first quarter results said it has received requests for payment relief from more than 80% of its current owned and managed customer base.

Source: Flightglobal.com/webinars

                         

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian 

by

Kaplanian Report – March 2020

ON THE BOEING FRONT

Asia Pacific Customers Finalize Agreements for Boeing Digital Solutions to Enable Growth

On February 12, 2020, Boeing announced orders and agreements that will enable growth for multiple Asia-Pacific airlines in a rapidly developing region.  These digital solutions lower costs across fleets for regional and international operators, enhance airline crew situational awareness and increase operational efficiency.

New digital solutions orders and agreements include :

  • Vistara, an Indian and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, signed an agreement for multiple services to support their entry into service of new 787-9 aircraft, including Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox and airplane Health Management tools.  Powered by Boeing Analytx, these tools provide real-time custom alerting, fleet data to enhance maintenance capabilities.  Vistera has signed a new five-year agreement to receive Jeppesen Crew Rostering and Boeing Alertness Model tools to improve operational efficiency and crew planning capabilities.
  • Air Tahiti Nui joins more than 100 international customers using Boeing Health Management by signing a multiyear agreement to access real-time maintenance and engineering data and support to enhance maintenance and operational decisions for their 787 fleet.
  • Bamboo Airways will integrate several digital solutions to support their new 787 fleet, with new agreements finalized for Jeppesen Flight Deck Pro electronic flight bag(EFB), Electronic Document Browser and Onboard Performance Tool capabilities. These digital tools enable flight crews to perform real-time weight and balance and takeoff and landing calculations to reduce maintenance costs, optimize payload capacity and streamline cockpit operations.
  • Sichuan Airlines has agreed to a multiyear contact for Jeppesen JetPlanner Pro services to enhance flight planning capabilities.  The tool generates optimized routes and efficient flight plans in complex airspace to achieve lower operating costs, using the industry leading flight planning engine.
  • Virgin Australia Group has signed a seven-year agreement with Jeppesen Flight Deck Pro electronic flight bag (EFB) and digital navigation chart services, to increase operational efficiency.

“We continue to work closely with our Asia-Pacific airline customers to understand their unique operating requirements, as they continue to expand in this dynamic region of the word,” said Ted Colbert, president and CEO,Boeing Global Services.

Source : Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

             A330-800 Receives Joint EASA and FAA Type Certification

On February 13th The A330-800 has received joint Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency(EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).  The aircraft’s certification flight-test campaign was successfully performed by aircraft MSN1888, which completed the program in 370 test hours and 132 flights since its first flight in November 2018.

Certified initially with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 242 tons for a range capability of up to 7,500 nautical miles, the A330-800 will typically seat 220-260 passengers in three classes, or up to 406 travelers in a single-class-density configuration. To date, the A330neo Family has won 337 firm orders from 22 operators.

The A330 has received over 1,800 orders from 120 customers with 1,400 A330s currently in operations today.  The A330neo is the latest edition to the Airbus wide family, which also includes the A350XWB.

Source: Airbus/Picture Airbus             

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                  KlasJet Introducing New Boeing 737-VIP to the Middle East Market

From the end of March this year, KlasJet, a European private and business charter carrier, will be operating a newly refurbished Boeing 737-VIP aircraft from Saudi Arabia .

KlasJet operates the largest Boeing 737-VIP fleet in Europe and is one of the most distinctive aviation companies worldwide that offers a one of a kind fleet and high quality service.  Each aircraft is different, allowing customers to choose a jet according to their needs and offer flexibility of having a flight available whenever the client needs it, wherever.

KlasJet is based in Vilnius, Lithuania, their fleet is composed of Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s and Bombardier CRJ-100series.

In addition to unique high quality service, the company also has a major focus on comfort. Extra leg space, the best quality seats and a stress-free journey—all makes a big difference when it comes to good performance at work.  Since most of KlasJet clients are sport teams, diplomatic envoys and corporate travelers, all aircraft have been refurbished recently, to provide the maximum comfort.

“When flying for business purposes, extra time to prepare, strategize and do research is significantly important.” explained Igor Borzov, Vice President of KlasJet Sales for the Middle East.

Source : KlasJet/Picture KlasJet

                                                                 

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

            Fuselage of First Airline A380 Recycled Into Identity Tags 

A German company is using recycled fuselage parts from the first airline-operated Airbus A380 to create collectable identity tags, following the parting out of the aircraft by Tarmac Aerosave.

The ex-Singapore Airline A380 is one of two aircraft the airline has retired that are being broken for spares by recycling specialist Tarmac Aerosave in Tarbes, France.

Germany’s Aviationtag has launched a special series of 7,000 identity tags manufactured from the outer skin of MSN003.   A380 MSN003 first flew from Toulouse on May 7, 2006, and was delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 12, 2007.  It operated the world’s first A380 passenger service on October 25, 2007, from Changi to Sydney.  Singapore Airlines retired the aircraft in October 2017 and it was parted out by Tarmac Aerosave last year.

“Each of the limited edition tags sports the aircraft type, registration number, edition number and size,” says Aviationtag.

Source: Aviationtag/Pictures Flightglobal                                              

             ANA Announces Commitment for 15 GEnx-powered 787s


All Nippon Airways has committed to placing firm orders for 15 Boeing 787s to be powered by the General Electric GEnx-1B and not the Rolls- Royce Trent 1000 that powers its existing fleet.  The order will comprise of 11 787-10s and four 787-9s, says ANA.  In addition,  it will obtain options for an additional five 787-9s.

The GEnx-1B decision is a major engine change for the airline.  Cirium fleets data indicates that ANA has 71 in-service 787s, all powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000.  The R-R power plant has had a troubled service life aboard the global 787 fleet.

Boeing says separately that “once the agreements are finalized, it will be ANA’s sixth order” for the 787.

Boeing adds that the deal is worth over $5 billion at list prices.  It also notes that of the four 787-9s in the order, three will come from Atlantis Aviation Corporation.  According to ANA, Atlantis Aviation is a special purpose company that is 100% owned by Japanese conglomerate Sojitz corporation.

Should the options be exercised, ANA’s fleet will grow to 100 examples.

The 787-10s will arrive in the fiscal year 2022-24 timeframe or between March 2022-25.  These aircraft will replace 777s now serving on domestic routes.  The 787-9, which are earmarked for international services, will enter service in the FY 2024-25 timeframe or between March 2024-26.

Source: Boeing/ANA

          American Airlines to Lease 22 787-8s from BOC Aviation

American Airlines has agreed to lease 22 Boeing 787-8s from BOC Aviation, the lessor discloses in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

The aircraft, which are on long-term leases, will deliver in 2020 and 2021.

Boeing Capital Corporation (BCC) was originally going to buy the aircraft and lease them to American Airlines.  However, BOC Aviation says it has entered into an agreement with BCC and the airline to buy the aircraft from the Boeing Company and leave them to American Airlines.

BOC Aviation had a fleet of 523 aircraft owned, managed or on order aircraft as of December 31, 2019.  Among these are 15 787 family aircraft, of which 11 are owned, with one in its managed fleet & three on order.

Cirium fleets data shows that the lessor currently has one 787-8 in its in-service fleet, on lease to Kenya Airways, and 10 of the larger 787-9s.

Source: Flightglobal/BOC Aviation

                        Boeing Starts ‘ Air Force One ’ Modifications of 747-8

Boeing has begun modifications to the first of two commercial 747-8 airliners which are to be turned into US Air Force (USAF) VC-25B aircraft.

Known by its “Air Force ONE” call sign when the US president flies aboard, two VC-25B are to operate as the USA’s top executive transports for the next 30 years.  Modifications are being done at Boeing’s San Antonio,Texas, facility, says the USAF.

“The first phase of aircraft modification involves cutting large skin and structure areas in both the forward and aft lower lobes of the aircraft and then installing two newly manufactured super panels,” says the service.  ”The superpanels contain structural upgrades and cutouts for the VC-25B lower lobe doors, including internal airstrips for mission requirements.”

The USAF is working to replace its current fleet of presidential aircraft, two 747-200-based VC-25A aircraft delivered in 1991, with two 747-8s originally built for Russian carrier Transfer, which filed for bankruptcy 2015 before it could take delivery. The Commercial airliners need extensive retrofits to be transformed into the VC-25B configuration.

The Commercial 747-8s have been stripped of many of its typical components as well, says the USAF.

“Boeing prepared the two aircraft for modification start by removing the commercial interiors, engines, auxiliary power units, and numerous secondary system components,” says the service.

“Additionally, Boeing placed a sophisticated jacking and crib mechanism under each aircraft to reduce structural stress for the initial modification phases.”

The V-25B is to be retrofitted so that the president of the USA can run the federal government, including commanding and controlling the US military, while in flight.  As such, detailed information about the aircraft’s components and capabilities are classified or tightly controlled.

“The VC-25B modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include electrical power upgrades’ mission communication systems, medical facility, executive interior and autonomous ground operations capabilities,” says the USAF.

Boeing was asked to replace the existing auxiliary power unit (APU), usually a Pratt & Whitney PW901A/c on the commercial airliner, with two APUs from unnamed sources. According to the book Air Force One by Robert Door, a second APU was installed on previous presidential aircraft to ensure they were “self-sufficient on the ground”.

The two VC-25B aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by December 2024.

Source: Flightglobal/Boeing/Picture Boeing   

      

LATEST NEWS

  • Joramco, the Amman, Jordan, based MRO, announces an agreement with the engineering arm of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise; has announced that it has entered into first maintenance agreement with the operator, Avion Express, one of the largest narrowbody ACMI operators.
  • Boeing has just conducted the first taxi test of its Boeing 737 MAX 10. in Renton, Washington.
  • Aeroflot took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, making the Russian carrier the 30th operator of the type.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
  • European Aviation Safety Agency(EASA) UK government it will leave EASA on December 31, when the transition period ends for the country’s departure from the European Union (EU).
  • Boeing/Collins the downturn in aerospace stocks won’t holt Boeing and Collins Aerospace from investing in new commercial aircraft technologies.
  • SITA is accelerating innovation in air traffic control(ATC) communications as part of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program, alongside key industry partners including NASA and long-standing airline customer, Etihad.
  • AMAC Aerospace has announced that a Boeing BBJ 747-8 will undergo a re-configuration of the cabin and update of the whole interior to the latest level.                        

AIR CARGO

                         Air Cargo Essential to Fight Against COVID-19

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said it continues to support governments in their efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

In a statement, IATA said : “Since the crisis began, air cargo has been a vital partner in delivering much-needed medicines, medical equipment (including Spare parts?repair components) in keeping global supply chains functioning for the most time-sensitive materials.

This has been done through dedicated cargo freighter operations, utilization of cargo capacity in passenger aircraft and with relief flights to affected areas.

Air cargo is also instrumental in transporting food and other products purchased online in support of quarantine and social distancing policies implemented by states.

“The dramatic travel restrictions and collapse of passenger demand have severely limited cargo capacity.  IATA calls on governments to take urgent measures to ensure that air cargo will be available to support the global fight against COVID-19.”

Source: Arabian Aerospace                                                                                                                      

OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

                           The End is Near for the Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger and most expensive airliner in the world. The aircraft has now been in service for more than a decade.

The A380 is too big, expensive, and inefficient for most operators.  Just over one year ago, Airbus announced it will end production of the A380 in 2021.  Meanwhile, the first few A380s have already been pulled from service, including a quiet retirement of an Air France jet in November 2019.

Things were much different back in 2007 when the Airbus A380 entered service to great fanfare. The gargantuan jet, dubbed superjumbo, was designed to take everything that made the Boeing 747 an icon and push it to the limits of modern engineering.

The A380 has not been the game changer Airbus had hoped it would become to help Airbus compete against the Boeing 747.  But in a cost-conscious market and with fluctuating fuel prices, the very attributes that made the plane stand out may have also doomed it.  Some say the A380 came two decades too late, while other say that with increasing airport congestion, the plane is ahead of its time.

Some industry observers, such as the Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia, have gone so far as to call it the biggest mistake in the history of Airbus.  According to Aboulafia, the A380 is a poorly executed aircraft designed for a market that doesn’t really exist. As a result, the $25 billion that Airbus spent on the A380 program could have been better used elsewhere, like on a rival for Boeing’s next-generation 777X or on a true replacement for the aging Boeing 757, Aboulafia told business insider.

“It’s painful, but in the long run, it’s best,” Aboulafia said regarding the end of the A380 production run.

The plane is a polarizing machine, with some viewing it as an eye-sore, and others as a testament to marvels of modern engineering. 

Source: Business Insider 

                   

 

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian 

by

The Kaplanian Report – April 2019

ON THE BOEING FRONT

                        Boeing has Released Images of the First 777-X

        The 777-9 variant was quietly unveiled to employees on March 13.  Boeing had intended to rollout the aircraft during an employee and media event the same day, but scaled back the unveiling back the unveiling in light of the March 10 crash of Ethiopian Boeing 737 Max.

Still, the company put the 777x on display for employees, releasing pictures from the event showing the aircraft in the hanger, freshly painted in Boeing’s blue-and-white livery.

The 777-8 will have an 8,700nm (16,110km) range and capacity for 350-375 passengers, while the 777-9 will have 7,600nm range and ability to carry 400-425 passengers.

Source : Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

 Airbus Shows Off the Second High-Capacity BelugaXL Transport

The aircraft -MSN1853- carries the similar beluga whale paint scheme of the first airframe, MSN1824, which began its flight-test campaign in July  last year. 

Airbus had previously indicated that MSN1853 would be the first aircraft to enter service.

Airbus has already demonstrated that the aircraft is able to fly a set of A350 wings from Bremen to Toulouse, the primary task for which the twinjet has been developed.  

Formally known as the A330-700L, the BelugaXL is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and is a successor to the A300-600 ST Beluga transport.

This older aircraft was unable to handle more than one A350 wing and airbus developed the larger A330-based version in order to cope with A350 production ramp-up.

Source : Airbus/Flightglobal/picture Airbus        

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

 Embraer’s Praetor 600 has Entered the final Phase of Flight-testing

Certification testing of the Super-midsize business jet was completed on March 11, says the Brazilian airframer, with three aircraft—two prototypes and a production-confirming example— logging 440hrs across 372 flights at Embraer’s Gaviao Peixoto test base.

A maturity campaign—designed to ease the jet’s entry into service— is now under way, and production-conforming aircraft has so far accumulated around 30 hrs of an expected 50 hrs of flying, says Embraer .

Powered by Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans, the Praetors are derivatives of the Legacy 450 and 500 with which they share the same fuselage and wings, supplied by the company’s metal and composites manufacturing facility in Evora, Portugal.  

Improving on the capabilities of the Legacy 500, the Praetor 600 gains new winglets and two extra belly fuel tanks, while engine thrust has been increased by 500lb(2.2kN), taking range to 3,900nm (7,200km).  That is 760nm more than the Legacy 500, and almost 300nm longer than its closest super-midsize competitor, the Gulfstream G280. 

Both models will share an assembly line with the Legacy duo in Sao Jose dos Campos, and at Embraer’s US business aviation manufacturing facility in Melbourne,Florida. 

Source : Embraer/Picture Embraer

 Genghis Khan Airlines Takes Delivery of its First Comic ARJ21-700 

The operator has orders for 25 ARJ21s, which are powered by General Electric CF34-10A engines.  The twinjet will be used to operate regional routes within Inner Mongolia from its base of Hohhot Baita International airport, says Comac. 

Genghis Khan received preliminary regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation of China just under a year ago.  It is wholly backed by state-owned Inner Mongolia Aviation Tourism Investment.

Initial plans were based around a fleet of bombardier CRJ900s, however the carrier subsequently ordered 25 ARJ21s, with options for another 25, in August of last year. It aims to have 25 aircraft in service within five years operating, a network of 40 destinations.

Source : China Aviation News/Picture COMAC                                                            

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

 Ryanair is to Resurrect the ‘Buzz’ Airline Brand Later this Year 

The airline says it will rebrand Ryanair Sun, which was set up last year, with new identity being introduced from autumn. The name will be used for its newly-established Polish operation Ryanair Sun.

Ryanair Sun flies under a Polish air operator’s certificate and uses a fleet of 17 Boeing 737-800s.

The Buzz brand was acquired by Ryanair when it took over KLM UK budget airline operating under this name in April 2003.

The Buzz brand name is to be revived with the Polish operation and Buzz will become one of the four carriers within Ryanair Holdings—along Ryanair itself, Laudamotion, and Ryanair UK. 

Ryanair Sun chief executive Michal Kaczmarzyk says the fleet will have a “new and unique branding” when Buzz is launched. 

Buzz will operate scheduled and charter flights and Ryanair aims to expand its fleet to 25 aircraft by summer this year.

Source : Ryanair/picture Ryanair

                    EgyptAir Takes Delivery of its First 787-9 Dreamliner

The Aircraft is one of six Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered Dreamliners that the Egyptian flag carrier is taking on lease from AerCap. The delivery took place on March 27, 2019. 

The aircraft will join EgyptAir’s existing widebody fleet, which comprises of eight airbus A330s and eight Boeing 777s.

It waived on March 28 at Cairo International Airport and has been received at Caro by Capt. Ahmed Adel-Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding. Adel said: “we are delighted to welcome the first B787-9 Dreamliner to our Fleet.” 

In 2017, The national air carrier added nine aircraft of B737-800 Next Generation to join the airline’s fleet. The same year, EgyptAir announced the that 33 aircraft will be joining the fleet by the end of 2020. (6) B787-9 Dreamliners,(12) A220-300, and (15) A320neo.  

Source : Arabian Aerospace/EgyptAir

                              Lufthansa Revealed 777X Milestone

German National carrier Lufthansa has taken to social media to share an image of its first Boeing 777-9 in production at the manufacturer’s Everett site.  The aircraft’s nose, mid and aft fuselage sections have been attached, reaching what Boeing calls ‘ final body join’—-a major milestone in the construction process.

The wide body is due to redelivered to the airlines 777x launch customer in the summer of 2020.  The carrier, which has ordered 20 examples of the 252 feet long jet(77m), is expected to be the second operator of the type after Dubai-based Emirates.

Lufthansa confirmed last September it will launch a new business class cabin with its 777-9s. The aircraft is expected to replace the carrier’s last remaining 747-400s, complementing Airbus A350-900s, A380s and Boeing 747-8s on long-haul services.

Source : Lufthansa/Picture Boeing/Lufthansa

           Taiwanese Startup Starlux Airlines Firms A350 Commitment 

Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines has confirmed an order for 17 Airbus A350-family aircraft, as the startup carrier prepares to begin operations next year. 

The Airline had signed an MOU for the A350s at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2018. The deal includes five -900s, which will be delivered from late 2021, and 12-1000s to begin arriving in late 2022. 

Starlux said the A350s will be used for long-haul services from Taipei to Europe and North America as well as on some Asia -Pacific routes.

The A350s will not be available for the carrier’s launch, which is planned for early 2020.The airline has signed a separate deal to lease 10 A321neos, and these are expected to begin deliveries in October this year.

Source : ATW/Picture Airbus  

LATEST NEWS

  • Avianca is canceling orders for 17 Airbus A320neo family aircraft and deferring delivery of 35 more by at lease seven years, the Colombia-baed airline said on March 15.
  • All Nippon Airways (ANA) received its first of three Airbus A380s on March 20, which the carrier plans to use to double capacity between Japan and Hawaii.
  • Air Vanuato has become an Airbus customer with the purchase of four A220s. The order, split equally between the -100 and larger-300 variants.
  • Air New Zealand is pushing back deliveries of four Airbus A320neo family jets as it dials back its planned capacity growth over the next three years.
  • Evelop Airlines has taken delivery of its first A350.The A350-900, supplied by Air Lease, will be used to serve Caribbean destinations from Madrid.
  • Mauritania Airlines has become the first airline to Africa to take delivery of an Embraer 175.
  • Lufthansa completed an order for 20 787-9 Dreamliners. With the deal valued at up to $5.8 billion per list prices.

Sources : ATW, Lufthansa, Flightglobal, ,ANA,Air New Zealand

AIR CARGO

 Atran Airlines Takes Russia’s First 737-800 Converted Freighter

Russia’s Atran Airlines, an express subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Group, took delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCFs from GE Aviation Capital(GECAS) in October 2018.  The aircraft has already operated its first flight from Moscow Vnukovo to Norlisk (city in Krasnoyarsk Krai above the Arctic Circle) and Yakutsk in the Far East of Russia, carrying consumer goods, including perishables, general cargo and e-commerce shipments.

Atran Airlines general director Dmitry Obsharov said: “ As the upgraded version of the Boeing 737, the airplane has more technical and operational capabilities.

We are confident that with this new aircraft type we will be able to guarantee high-service quality for our customers, leveraging trade flows in the markets we serve, with special focus on china-Russia routes and emerging volumes of cross-border e-commerce and mail shipments.”

Boeing announced the 737-800BCF program in 2016.The aircraft carries up to 52,800 pounds(23.9 metric tons of cargo, flying routes of nearly 2,000nm(3,690 km).

Atran Airlines, which joined Volga-Dnepr in 2011, operates a fleet of five 737 freighters on short-and medium-haul routes; and is based in Moscow Vnukovo.

Source: ATW/Volga-Dnepr/Atran Airlines Boeing 737-800 BCF Picture

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

737 Demand, Pricing is Firming Up

After the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft fleet was grounded by regulators across the world in earl March, some noticeable trends are occurring in the market concerning Boeing 737 classics and NG aircraft, according to Firoz Tarapore, CEO of Dubai based lessor DAE Capital.

With changes due, including a new software fix and an overhaul of pilot training put forward by Boeing earlier this week, he does not see this being the new norm.”This phenomenon is likely to abate after a permanent and satisfactory fix has been put in place for the MAX,” Tarapore says.

DAE Capital currently has 103 737s in total under ownership, in its portfolio of 110 clients in 60 countries worth around $14 billion.It took delivery of its first 737 MAX in July of last year on lease to Brazilian carrier Gol Linhas Aereas. However, despite the documented issues of the 737 MAX, Tarapore does not see the lessor changing its investment strategy for the aircraft long-term.

The business is also building its fleet of managed assets.In January 2019,DAE Capital announced that its managed portfolio of aircraft grew to 54.Following this, Tarapore says it has a target of $5 billion for the portfolio’s value over the next few years. However, he does not see DAE Capital expanding its reach beyond aircraft to engines.

Source : DAE Capital

 

 

 

 

Researched and Compiled by : 

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor  

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian  

 

by

The Kaplanian Report – February 2019

On the Boeing Front

                                           Boeing Unveils 777X Cabin Design

Boeing has released images of its 777X’s cabin and disclosed design changes that will make the aircraft’s cabin more comfortable than the current-generation 777.

In addition, Boeing is giving 777X customers more flexibility in cabin layout by enabling them to choose from a greater variety of “cabin interior linings”, says the company. Linings include sidewalls, bins and ceilings, and encompass aircraft lighting.                                                              

“We have been able to… create a suite of options for airlines to actually customize aircraft without the typical customization headaches,” says Boeing regional director of cabin experience and revenue analysis Kent Craver. ”Those lining packages allow us to have multiple ceiling treatments, multiple bin options.”

Windows in the 777X will be 16% larger than those of the 777, and they will be slightly higher, giving passengers on the aircraft a better view of the outside.  The top of the passenger cabin windows are about 2.6 in higher than the 777’s windows, Craver says.

The 777’X cabin draws influence from the 787s and the “SKY” cabin found in the newer 737s, Boeing says.                                                                                                                                            

The 777X has enough storage to enable each passenger to stow a bag. Boeing redesigned the sidewalls so that the 777X cabin is 102 mm(4in) wider than the 777’s cabin.

The 777-8 will have an 8,700nm (16,110km) range and a capacity of 350-375 passengers, while the 777-9 will have 7,600 nm (14,075 km) range and the ability to carry 400-425) passengers, Boeing says.

Source : Boeing/Flightglobal)

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

         Airbus Takes Wait and See Response to Boeing’s Proposed NMA

Airbus’s incoming chief executive feels no pressure to scramble in response to Boeing’s concept for a New Mid-market Airplane (NMA).

Rather, Guillaume Faury describes Boeing’s NMA — which remains little more than a proposal—as a potential response by the US manufacturer to a market already controlled by Airbus.

“They are in the situation where they are losing this part of the market because they no longer have the right products,” says Faury of Boeing. “They believe they have to do something about it, and this is on them to make the next move”.

Faury, who spoke in Mobile in January, currently heads the Airbus Commercial aircraft division but is in line to succeed Tom Enders as Airbus CEO in April.

Boeing has taken a very different public approach, with executives saying they see a significant demand for an aircraft with 200 to 270 seats and range of 5,000nm (9,300km).

“This airplane is a big opportunity for us,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Kevin McAllister said last year.

Meanwhile, Airbus had made inroads by squeezing more range from its A321neo. The European company has developed a long-range A321LR and speculation abounds that even longer-range derivative, known as the “A321LRX”, might be in the works.

Fauey declines any comment about the XLR, but insists Airbus’s products already meet airlines’ needs.”We don’t have this gaps we don’t feel under pressure to react even before Boeing has moved. We will wait and see and observe,” he says.

Source : Airbus/Flightglobal             

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                  AMAC Secures Its First BBJ Max 9 Completion Contract

Swiss firm AMAC Aerospace has secured its first BBJ Max 9 completion contract and plans to take delivery of the re-engined narrow body at its Basel facility in September.

Bernd Schramm, AMAC chief operating officer, says the design team has already started work on a mock-up of the interior, which he describes as “very special and unique”.

The completed aircraft is scheduled for re-delivery to its unnamed customer in 2021.

AMAC is now working on three green completions projects in Basel—two narrow bodies and a Boeing BBJ 747-8I—and is preparing to accept its first BBJ Max 8 in the fourth quarter.

Boeing, meanwhile, holds 19 orders for the BBJ Max family: 12 Max 8s —the first

two units were delivered green in 2018—three Max 9s, and four Max 7s. Three orders remain on backlog for the original BBJ, based on the 737NG airframe. Boeing also holds an order for a BBJ 787-8 wide body. 

Source : Boeing Business Jet /AMAC

                                                                  

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

          JetBlue Sees Delays to A321neos, Pushes Out A220 Deliveries

JetBlue Airways expects delays to the delivery of up to seven Airbus A321neos this year-end and says it has postponed deliveries of its first A220-300s to allow more time for the airline to choose suppliers of the aircraft’s interiors.

The New York-based airline now expects to take six A321neos “minimum” in 2019, down from 13 deliveries previously, says chief financial officer Steve Priest in an earnings call on January 24. ”We’ve been officially notified by Airbus of widely-known delays in neo deliveries,” says Priest.

JetBlue continues to expect that its first A321neo will enter service in mid-year.

The airline has orders for 85 A321neos. In 2020, JetBlue will receive only one A220-300, instead of five it initially planned for. Priest says two of the four postponed deliveries will shift to 2021, the other two to 2025. An updated fleet plan shows the airline will take delivery of six A220-300s in 2021, up from four previously.

Priest says the order book changes have no impact on the airline’s capacity plans for 2019 and 2020, or cost guidance. The carrier expects first quarter capacity to grow 7.5% to 9.5%,and full-year capacity to rise 5-7%. 

Source : JetBlue/World Airlines

                   British Airways will unveil BOAC 747-400 RetroJet

British Airways will unveil a Boeing 747-400 “retrojet” this month adorned in the colors of its predecessor airline BOAC, as part of the airline’s centenary celebrations.

The UK carrier says that one of its 747-400s—registration G-BYGC— will arrive at Heathrow from the printshop on February 18 in the BOAC scheme, and that will remain in place until it retires in 2023.

Tantalisingly ,it says that the 747 will be the “first aircraft to receive this design from British Airways’ past with more details of further designs to be revealed in due course”.

“So many British Airways customers and Colleagues have fond memories of our previous liveries, regularly sharing their photos from across the globes it’s incredibly exciting to be re-introducing this classic BOAC design,” says Alex Cruz, British Airways (BA) chairman and chief executive.

Source : British Airways/Picture British Airways

            Trent 1000s Start Receiving Approved Redesigned Blades

Rolls-Royce has started installing a redesigned intermediate pressure compressor blade design on certain Trent 1000 engines, following approval from European and US regulators.

The new blades, for the Package C version of the Boeing 787 powerplant, have obtained European Aviation Safety Agency and US FAA certification.

Boeing and Rolls-Royce started issuing bulletins to customers in December 2018, Rolls-Royce adds. The Package C engines are fitted to some 170 Boeing 787s.

Rolls-Royce says the first engine to receive the new blades is “currently being serviced” at the company’s overhaul facility in Derby.

The blades have also been flown on an airborne testbed aircraft in Tucson.

“As testing proved the design, Rolls-Royce began making new sets of blades, ready for introduction, in anticipation of regulatory approval,” says the company.

It adds that the new blades are part of a program of activity intended to minimize disruption to 787 operators.

Source : Rolls-Royce

            

LATEST NEWS

  • Air Premia South Korean startup carrier has selected the Boeing 787-9 to form the basis of its fleet, with deliveries to start in 2020.                                                                     
  • Saudia is to introduce Boeing 787-10 this year, the largest variant of the twinjet family.   
  • Aeromexico will receive its first Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft this year, allowing the carrier to add seats at constrained airports with its network.                                                               
  • Cayman Airways has received the first of four Boeing 737-8s. The four Max 8s will replace the airline’s existing 737-300s.
  • American Airlines has taken delivery of its first A321neo, making it the latest US carrier to add the re-engined narrow body to its fleet.                                                                          
  • United Airlines took delivery of their 1,600th brand new Boeing aircraft since deliveries first began with the 707 in 1959.  The 737 MAX is the carrier’s 12th of the new fuel-efficient jet.                                                                                                                                      
  • Qatar Airways converts 10 of its 50 Airbus A321neo on order to the longer- range Airbus A321LR.                                                                                                                                     
  • Royal Air Maroc has signaled that it is preparing for an extensive fleet expansion possibly involving upwards of 50 aircraft.                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Sources : Royal Air Maroc, Flightglobal, Air Lease, Qatar Airways                                                       

AIR CARGO

                                     Delta Cargo, Virgin Atlantic Cargo to Move                                   Into a New Facility at LHR

Delta Cargo, Virgin Atlantic Cargo are to move into a new purpose-built dnata City East, London Heathrow’s most state-of-art cargo facility.

The move to the new facility is scheduled for the second half of this year and will ultimately increase the size of Delta’s cargo and Virgin operation at Heathrow to 335,000 square feet, and see customers benefit from greater automation and faster truck and cargo handling times.

The Carriers’ facility at the off-airport data City Set building will be located opposite the Heathrow Cargo Terminal and adjacent to the airport’s southern perimeter road, which will provide quick access to the airport’s operational areas.

The Purpose-built facility will deliver the highest levels of service, security and automation.

The New location will also include temperature-controlled services for biopharmaceuticals and life science products, as well as a space for perishables and an enlarged center for live animals.

Source : AirCargoAirports/Delta Cargo                                                                                                   

Lufthansa Salutes The Boeing 747

The 747 turned 50 on February 9th.  Lufthansa salutes the aircraft by releasing a picture of one of their freighters a Boeing 747-230F, taken in 1972.  Nickname:”Beetle Swallower”, as it had space for 72 VW Beetles.

Source:  Lufthansa

 

      Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

                                     Parts Providers Step Up 777 Teardowns

The Boeing 777 maintenance market will be worth north of $110 billion over the next 10 years;  with about a quarter of that spend earmarked for components, according to Aviation Week data.

Accordingly, several parts suppliers are stepping up efforts to source 777 material, buying aircraft from carriers that are upgrading their fleets.

The latest example is GA Telesis, which at the end of January announced the consignment of four 777s from Cathay Pacific for disassembly in the U.S. and the UK. The first disassembly has already begun and the aftermarket company has committed to take five 777s in 2020.

A significant chunk of the components salvaged could be bound for Asia, which is forecast to account for more than a quarter of 777 maintenance demand over the next 10 years—the largest any region.

However, the Middle East carriers will operate the largest number of 777s by 2027, when it will be home to roughly 800 of nearly 2,000 77s in service by that year, according to Aviation Week data.

Across all regions, meanwhile, engine maintenance will be the most important part of the 777 aftermarket, generating more than a third of overall demand.

Source : MRO network/Aviation Week data

 

    

 

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian 

                   

by

The Kaplanian Report – January 2019

On the Boeing Front

                        GE Begins Second Round of GE9X Flight Testing                                  

GE Aviation’s GE9X turbofan returned to the skies on December 10, kicking off a second round of airborne testing during which the engine maker will evaluate the power plant’s software and performance in hot-and-high conditions.

The latest round of testing will involve roughly 18 flight of GE’s flying Boeing 747-400 testbed, which will carry the massive GE9X turbofan under its wing, GE says.

The 105,000 lb thrust (467kN) GE9X will power Boeing’s 777-9s and 777-8s.

GE9X flight tests will stretch into the first quarter of this year, bringing GE closer to achieving its goal of receiving certification of the engine by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to the Ohio-based engine maker.

“During the second round of testing, GE will continue software development testing that began in the first round, perform hot-and-high starts and fill in remaining gaps from the first round of testing,” says GE.  “Tests that remain include blade out, hailstone, bird ingestion and block or insurance testing,” GE Says.

The GE9X-105B variant of the engine will power the 777-9, which Boeing expects will achieve first flight this year and enter service in 2020.

GE aviation acquired its 747-400 flying testbed from Japan Airlines, then modified and strengthened the aircraft’s wing and strut to accommodate test engines, it says.

Source : GE Aviation/Picture GE Aviation

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

          Airbus Strategy Review Augurs Clean Break Under New CEO

Airbus has launched a strategic review to outline changes under the incoming chief executive, Guillaume Faury, as it faces industrial challenges and prepares to overdue modernization, industry sources said.

The “Airbus Next Chapter” review involves a team of planners working outside the normal strategy organization in pursuit of a break from years of industrial problems, management feuds and ongoing bribery scandal.

It is being led by investor relations chief Julie Kitcher, in what one insider described as a signal to financial markets that profits will be embedded in strategy’s as the one state sponsored European project marks its 50th anniversary.

Planemaking boss Faury, who becomes CEO when Tom Enders retires in April, ”wants to go fast and introduce a new state of mind: he wants to turn the page on the past”, a person familiar with the company said.

Founded in 1969, Airbus has risen to compete on par with Boeing and is one of Europe’s leading exporters. The review may address how Airbus can meet demand by sharply ramping up production of its jets like its A320. One previous taboo that may come for discussion is a fragmented production system securing jobs in The UK, France, Germany and Spain.

The A320 is the lifeblood of Europe’s largest aerospace group, described by operations chief Tom Williams, who retired in late 2018, as the “golden goose.”

Executives are warning Airbus must not find itself lacking in proven technology for the A320’s successor after 2030, as it had been in wide-bodies when Boeing launched the 787.

For now, Airbus is winning a bigger slice of the market on the A320 but some analysts say it has fallen behind Boeing in manufacturing techniques-a gap that could grow if Boeing launches a mid-market jet with a new factory system.

Source : Tim Hepher, Reuters

     

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

      Boeing Business Jets Launches Longest-Range Jet with BBJ 777X

Boeing Business Jets is confident that its newly launched BBJ 777X will deliver significant sales in the Middle East, justifying the unveiling of the VVIP airliner at the Middle East Business Aviation Association(MEBAA).

“Our most exclusive customers want to travel with best space and comfort, and fly directly to their destination,” says Greg Laxton, head of Boeing Business Jets.  The BBJ 777x will be able to do this like no other airplane before it, redefining ultra-long-range VIP travel.”

He says the company has been touting the aircraft to customers ahead of its formal launch at MEBBA and has received positive feedback.

“The Middle East traditionally accounts for over 52% of our wide body BBJ sales and there is no reason why the breakdown won’t apply on the 777X, ”Laxton adds.

Like the commercial aircraft on which it is based, the BBJ 777X will be available in -8 and -9 variants and becomes the fourth current production wide body in the BBJ range, joining the 787-8/9,747-8 and 777-200 LR/300ER.

BBJ also announced a new order at MEBAA for a BBJ Max, bringing to 21 the total orders for the business jet version of the re-engined narrow body family: 14 Max 8s, three Max 9s and four Max 7s.

Source : Flightglobal/Boeing Business Jets

                                                                       

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

           Boeing Delivers the 787th 787-9 to AerCap and China Southern

On December 13, 2018, Boeing delivered the 787th 787 Dreamliner to come off the production line, marking a special milestone for the super-efficient airplane family and the fastest-selling twin-aisle jet in history.

Since its first delivery in September, 2011, the 787 family has flown nearly 300 million passengers on more than 1.5 million flights around the world, including more than 210 new nonstop routes made possible by the airplane’s superior fuel efficiency and range.

The airplane was delivered to AerCap, the world’s largest lessor and 787 customer. Sporting a special logo commemorating the production milestone, the airplane will be leased and operated by China Southern, which continues to expand its long-haul fleet of 787 Dreamliners, including 10 787-8s and eight 787-9s.

China Southern Airlines first ordered 10 787-8 Dreamliners in 2005 and further increased its capability on long-haul routes when they placed an order for 787-9s in 2016.

Source : World Airline News/Boeing/Boeing Picture

                    Boeing Delivers First China-Completed 737 Max

On December 15, 2018 Boeing marked a key milestone in its relationship with China’s aviation industry, delivering the first aircraft from its 737 completion and delivery center in Zhoushan.

The hand-over, undertaken in conjunction with joint-venture partner Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), involved a 737 Max 8 for Air China, registration B-1178. The aircraft was built on Boeing’s 737 assembly line in Renton, Washington, but completion was undertaken at the Chinese facility in Zhoushan.

The milestone comes 20 months after construction began at the 100-acre site, says Boeing, which is its first such facility outside the USA. It was built in partnership with the Zhejiang Provincial and Zhoushan Municipal Governments and will become fully operational in phases as capacity increases, adds Boeing.

“This moment signifies our growing partnership with China that stretches back over nearly half a century,” says Kevin McAllister, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Source : Flightglobal/Boeing/Boeing Picture

                         Boeing 767 Era Ends at British Airways                                                         

On November 25th, 2018 British Airways flew its final Boeing 767 passenger flight revenue flight as it retires the type after almost three decades of service.

BA was the last customer for the Rolls-Royce RB211-powered version of Boeing’s wide body twin. This proved a relatively unpopular option, with just 31 delivered-28 to British Airways(BA) and three to China’s Yunnan Airlines.

The 767 was selected by BA in 1987 over Airbus’s pitch-A300-600R. BA said at the time of selection that, before deciding on the Boeing 767, it had “conducted a most careful study of the closely comparable Airbus A300”,but the final decision was based upon the 767’s commonalities with the 757 ( common type rating),and the availability of the RB211.

The first 767-300ER arrived in February 1990, and the twinge proved very agile throughout its 28 years, operating across its short-haul network as well as further afield to destinations in North America, the Caribbean, and Africa and the Middle East.

The last commercial flight took place on aircraft registration G-BZHA between Larnaca, Cyprus and London Heathrow. It first flew in 1998 and flew an estimated 23 million miles. It has visited Larnaca 900 times in its life, but its most popular route is actually to Athens, where it completed 1275 round trips. According to British Airways, its estimated that this specific aircraft has carried around 4 million customers across nearly 23,000 flights.

Source : British Airways/Photo Boeing

                 

LATEST NEWS

  • Air Kiribati Embraer signed a contract with the Government of Kiribati in partnership with their national airline, Air Kiribati, for two firm orders for the E190-E2 E-Jets and two purchase rights for the same model.                                                                                            
  • Bombardier has delivered the third and final Challenger 650 to Swiss rescue and medical services provider Rega. From a 2015 order for the large-cabin business jet.         
  • Azul firmed up an order for 21 Embraer E-195-E2s previously announced at the Farnborough air show in July 2018.                                                                                           
  • Flydeal Boeing and Flydeal announced on December the Middle East carrier is growing its fleet with 737 MAX aircraft, the airline committed to ordering 30 aircraft with options for 20 more.
  • Green Africa Airways Nigerian start-up carrier Green Africa Airways has committed to acquiring up to 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets                                                                                                                                                                  
  • Easter Jet has become the first South Korean carrier to take delivery of a Boeing 737 Max 8. It is one of two that the leisure carrier is taking through VEB-Leasing, which will join its fleet of 19 737-800s.
  • Nordic Aviation Capital will lease seven new Embraer E190s to Air France regional subsidiary HOP!
  • Airbus delivered 89 aircraft (two A220s; 71 A320s; three A330s; 11 A350s; two A380s) in November 2018 vs 74 in November 2017.
  • Air Europa will begin phasing out its Embraer E195 aircraft in 2021 as part of a strategy to transition to an all-Boeing fleet in 2023.
  • Subaru Aerospace Company has moved up the value chain with its center wing-box work for the Boeing 777X, as it seeks to further improve efficiency and manage costs.
  • Middle East Airlines of Lebanon announced has announced plans to purchase four Airbus A330-900neos, with options on a further two.                                                                  

AIR CARGO

              Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Celebrates Liege Anniversary                                  

Ethiopian Airlines Cargo and Logistics Services has celebrated 10 years of cooperation with Belgian airfreight hub Liege. The anniversary was celebrated at the recent 2nd Africa Aviation summit, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya in late November 2018 at the Liege Airport.

The next summit, in 2020, is to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will be hosted by Ethiopian Airlines Cargo and Logistic Services and Liege Airport.

Fitsum Abady, general manager Ethiopian Airlines Cargo and Logistics Services, said in Nairobi that the carrier’s choice of Liege in 2008 as its European hub has proved to be a wise choice.  The freight carrier has grown rapidly over the last decade: its freighter fleet has evolved from two leased MD11s to an inventory of eight brand-new Boeing 777 freighters—with more to come.

Ethiopian Cargo played a role in the creation of Liege Airport Cargo North as a gateway for flowers and other perishables, and is seen as an important partner for the future by Belgian gateway.

Source : aircargonews/Ethiopian Photo                                                                                                 

                        White-glove Service for Red-Carpet Event                                                

The Standard limousine wasn’t good enough to chauffeur government officials and corporate executives for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November of last year in Papua New Guinea.

Kuwait-based Agility Logistics chartered two Boeing 747-8 freighters operated by Air Bridge Cargo, to fly 40 Maserati Quattroportes from Milan, Italy, about 8,500 miles to the event.

The Quattroportes were jacketed in protective covers as part of the white-glove treatment.

Source : Automotive News/Picture Air Bridge Cargo

 

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

             Cold-Soak Software Fix Expanded to Leap-1B Engines                                               

European And US regulators have expanded a software-upgrade mandate to CFM International Leap-1B engines that ensures Boeing 737 Max-powered aircraft will not experience engine-fan-speed issues caused by extremely cold weather.

The European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. FAA mandates, issued

November 27 and December 11, 2018 respectively, mirror earlier requirements that covered Leap-1A engines that power A320neos. The latest directives require 737 Max-family operatives to upgrade full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and prognostic health monitoring (PHM) software within 60 days of their respective effective dates. The Boeing fleet upgrades were recommended in a CFM service bulletin issued October 24, 2018.

The Issue stems from engines cold-soaking after sitting at least six hours in temperatures well below freezing. Frontier Airlines reported six incidents when Airbus A320neo-family aircraft departing on their first flights of the day were forced to return to their gates when engines would not reach the required takeoff fan speed. In each case, water and ice was discovered in engine pressure-sensor lines affecting the sensor’s accuracy.

“While we have not received any reports of aborted takeoffs with the CFM Leap-1B model engine, the unsafe condition is likely to exist because of similarities in design and instances of ice and moisture found in the pressure sense subsystem lines,” FAA said.

Source : pro-network.com

 

Sources on Latest News: Airbus,World Airline News, Flightglobal ,Air Europa, Middle East Airlines & Bombardier.                

  • Sources of Header Pictures : Boeing Archives, Airbus & Embraer

 

 

 

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian

 

by

Volume 5 Issue 12 December 2018 The Kaplanian Report

On The Boeing Front

 The GE9X for the 777X is Entering the Closing Stages Of its Certification                                                                                           

The GE9X is ready for flight test in its definitive production configuration, the 105,000-lb.-thrust engine for the 777X twin jet, is about to enter the closing stages of an intense and broad-range process that began with the core tests in late 2015.  The effort will clear it for the start of flight tests of the 777-9, the initial 777X-family variant in March 2019, followed shortly by certification of the engine itself.

The flight-test engine is already attached to the 747-400 at GE’s Victorville, California, flight-test operations facility, one of eight GE9X development units in the baseline program.  A further batch of eight compliance engines, plus two spares, are also under assembly, with the first expected to arrive at Boeing’s Everett, Washington, plant for completion with buildup units and accessories prior to installation on the first 777-9. More on the process of the detailed testing will appear in my January report.

Source : AVweek/GE Aviation

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                               Airbus A330-800 Flies for the First Time

The first Airbus 330-800 took off on Tuesday, November 6, from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse for its maiden flight over southwestern France.  The aircraft, MSN 1888, will perform the dedicated flight-physics tests required for the smaller variant of the A330neo family, launched in 2014 as a more fuel-efficient replacement for the A330-200.

Plans call for the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-powered A330-800’s certification development to last around 300 flight-test hours allowing for planned EASA approval next year.  Its sibling, the larger A330-900, recently completed its development testing and certification program, validating the A330neo family’s common engines, systems, cabin, and flight and ground operations.

An October 15 purchase agreement with Kuwait Airways for eight A330-800s gave Airbus a badly needed launch customer for the A330-800, whose previous initial customer, Hawaiian Airlines, canceled its commitment for six examples in favor of Boeing 787-9s in late February.

Firm orders for the A330neo topped 224 from 14 customers at the end of September, but all for the -900.  Delta Air lines signed as a launch customer of the A330neo and TAP Air Portugal as a launch operator.  Air Asia X remains the biggest customer.  (as of this writing dated November 9) Air Asia X has yet to firm up a tentative order for 34 A330neo placed in July, and is considering switching some of those jets to narrowbody A321neos, the CEO of its Malaysian arm.)                                                                                                                                          

A switch to narrow bodies would be a setback for Airbus’ A330neo program, which has been hit by a series of market losses to the rival Boeing Co 787. 

Source : ainonline/picture Airbus.   

       

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                   Embraer’s Bandeirante Marks Golden Jubilee of Flight                             

On October 26th, 2018, Embraer celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first flight of its Bandeirante turboprop twin—the company’s inaugural aircraft model.  The ceremony recreated the October 26,1968, first flight of the regional turboprop from Brazil’s Sao Jose dos Campos Airport.

In two decades after entering production in 1969, Embraer manufactured 498 Bandeirantes. About  150 of these aircraft are still operating at airlines, air taxis, government entities, and air forces in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

“The Bandeirante represented much more than an aircraft; it marked a new cycle of transformation for Brazilian industry.  It represents a Brazil that is bold, capable of uniting competence, talent, and innovation,” said Embraer president and CEO Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva.  ”This commemorative date offers us an opportunity to be grateful and celebrate the pioneers of Embraer and of the Brazilian aeronautical technology.  Embraer today is a company that competes on equal technological conditions with the world’s largest because 50 years ago a group of engineers, designers, and pilots dared to bring to life an aircraft that became a legend.

Source : AINonline

                                      Delta Received the First A220                                                            

On October 26th, Delta Airlines received the first Airbus A220-100; the ceremony was attended by executives from Airbus, Bombardier and Delta, as well as local leaders, at the joint Airbus-Bombardier assembly line at Montreal’s Miracle airport.

Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus’ commercial aircraft division, says the delivery could not have happened without an international “partnership that spans the Canadian, American and European aviation sectors”.

The aircraft will enter service from the airline’s New York LaGuardia hub on flights to Boston and Dallas/Fort Worth on January 31,2019.  It will roll out to five other markets, including Detroit, Houston and Salt Lake City, through August.

Air Canada will join Delta as a North American A220 operator in 2019, and JetBlue Airways in 2020.

Source : Flightglobal/Picture Delta Airlines    

                                                               

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

              Singapore Airlines to Fly Nonstop To Seattle/Tacoma                                                

Seattle will become the fifth US city in Singapore Airlines’ route network and fourth to be served nonstop from Singapore when new flights are introduced next year.

The nonstop Singapore-Seattle/Tacoma flights are due to be launched on September 3, 2019. The airline will use the Airbus A350-900 on the route, fitted with 42 Business Class, 24 Premium Economy Class and 187 Economy Class seats.

The new Seattle flights will compliment Singapore Airlines’ existing services to the US cities of Houston, Los Angeles, New York (both JFK and Newark airports) and San Francisco.

Singapore Airlines will operate 53 flights to the US by December 2018, including 27 nonstop Singapore-US services.  With the introduction of the new Seattle flights next year, total US frequency will increase to 57 flights per week.

Source : World Airline News/Picture Singapore Airlines

        Boeing, Adient Joint Venture Advent Aerospace Starts Operations

In Mid October Boeing and Adient Aerospace announced their airplane seat joint venture is operational after securing regulatory approvals.  The companies also appointed Alan Wittman as Chief Executive Officer and named the team that will lead Adient Aerospace in addressing the aviation industry’s need for more capacity and quality in airplane seating.  Industry analysts forecast the commercial aircraft seating market to grow from approximately $4.5 billion in 2017 to $6 billion in 2018.

“ Adient Aerospace is now open for business, providing better customer and passenger experience with quality seats,” Wittman said.  ”Our focus is comfort, craftsmanship and operational excellence that will differentiate our products and services, all while offering more choice and better meeting commercial airplane industry’s needs.”

Adient Aerospace CEO Wittman was most recently the director of Business Operations for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner program.

Source : Boeing

                Virgin Australia on Track for 2019 737 MAX Delivery

Virgin Australia is on track to receive its first Boeing 737 Max aircraft in November 2019, and is not considering further delays to the deliver date.

In early 2017, the airline postponed the MAX deliveries, which were originally scheduled to begin in September or October of this year.  The carrier now believes the revised 737 MAX timetable is appropriate and will not delay deliveries to boost its financial position, CEO John Borghetti said during a teleconference following Virgin’s annual general meeting.

The Airline is scheduled to receive 30 737-8s and 10 737-10s.  The aircraft will primarily be fleet replacement, although some will also be for growth, Borghetti said.

The “economics…don’t make sense” to delay retirement of the airline’s 737-800s any, further, Borghetti said. The carrier does not want to be in a position of operating 25-year old aircraft and then facing a “tidal wave of capital expenditure”. Higher fuel burn and increased maintenance boost the cost of operating older aircraft, he said.

Regarding subsidiary Tigerair,  Borghetti said the LCC’s transition from A320 to 737 will take three to four years.  Tigerair operates 12 A320s, and four 737s have been transferred from Virgin Australia in 2016.

Source : atwonline/ Picture of 737 Max In Virgin Livery Boeing

         

LATEST NEWS

  • Switzerland-Based Vertis Aviation, the long-range charter specialist, has added a second Boeing Business Jet to its growing portfolio of large-jets available for international charter.
  • United Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-10, making it the third global operator of the largest 787 variant and the first in the Americas.                                             
  • S 7 Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 on lease from Air Lease Corp., becoming the first Russian airline to fly the type.
  • AerCap took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 and leased it to China Southern Airlines.
  • Shanghai Airlines took delivery of its first GEnx powered 787-9, its 100th aircraft.
  • American Airlines signed a firm order with Embraer for 15 E175 jets in a 76 seat configuration.
  • China Eastern Airlines took delivery of its first 787-9 Dreamliner.  Previously the airline finalized an order for 15 787-9 Dreamliners.
  • Japan Airlines is planning to launch flights between Tokyo Narita International Airport to Seattle beginning March 31, 2019, its sixth North American west coast route.                
  • Air New Zealand has taken delivery of its first A321neo, one of 20 of the re-engined A320neo family destined for the carrier.

 

AIR CARGO

             Turkish Cargo Adds Ho Chi Minh to Its Freighter Network                             

On November 5th, Turkish Cargo announced it is adding freighter routes from Europe to Ho Chi Minh airport to its flight network. The new routes will be flown by the airline’s 777 freighters.  Turkish has acquired three of the freighters in December 2017, and has two more on order from Boeing.

Turkish Cargo first established its presence in Vietnam’s capital in 2015, via twice-weekly flights between Istanbul and Hanoi using A330-200Fs.  The Airline now seeks to expand its flight routes to Vietnam, because of shifting cargo trends between Asia and Europe.

Vietnam is gaining attention from manufacturing companies seeking to move operations from mainland China; it is over fears of negative impacts from the trade war between the United States and China.

This trend, coupled withHo Chi Minh’s status as Vietnam’s largest city and pre-existing trade links with Europe, further increases the city’s high export and cargo traffic potential.

Source : Air Cargo World/Picture Turkish Cargo

 

 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News 

                                  Boeing Considering a 777-300ER Freighter                                                                        

As one of its organic growth projects, Boeing is in the process of building a business case for a 777-300ER passenger to freighter conversion.

Boeing has invested in 215 organic projects to grow its services business, one of those is exploring a 777-300ER passenger to freighter conversion.  ”We’ve been talking to customers about a market acceptance and pricing, and we’re in the midst of working the business case,” says Stan Deal, President and CEO of Boeing Global Services.

The robust global freight demand, and the subsequent need for cargo aircraft is “largely driven from an commerce explosion in the U.S.,Europe and China,” says Deal.

He says that around 2022, the 777-300ER “will be in a timeframe when it will be ripe for a conversion or a second life.”

Of the 215 organic projects, Deal says the 777-300ER Converted Freighter “is a big one.”   The array of projects also spans upgrades to existing capabilities as well, such as the release of Jeppesen Flitdeck 4.0, which provides pilots, maps, charts and documents necessary for paperless flying.

Source: mro-network/ Picture Swiss                                                                                                                

Continued Progress Under Boeing’s Predictive Maintenance Umbrella                

Predictive maintenance is no single tool, but a set of tools and procedures aimed at a goal according to Boeing.  ”For us, it represents an umbrella of activities to help operators turn unscheduled maintenance into scheduled activities,” summarizes Dawn Nozdryn-Plotnicki,

director of advanced analytics at Boeing.  The analytics chief says “the approach is already well along, yet with new advances in bigger data, more powerful analytical methodologies and newer airplane designs, we continue to have more to do.”

Boeing’s predictive umbrella covers a range of actions: maintenance strategy; maintenance

planning, day-of-operations monitoring, execution, reliability analysis, maintenance and post-operations monitoring for feedback and improvement.  Predictive maintenance alerts can influence both modification of aircraft design and scheduled maintenance, Nozdryn-Plotnicki notes.

There are many ways predictive maintenance can be achieved at individual airlines.  For example, Boeing offers airlines self-service analytics, consulting services to address specific needs, digital solutions that include both analytics and expertise and turn-key maintenance, engineering, and supply chain program, Global Fleet Care.

The OEM has invested in further gains in designing the 737MAX and developing the 777X.

Another major investment is developing more algorithms and technology platforms to exploit

ever bigger and better aircraft data.  Boeing’s predictive services are already widely used. For example, Airplane Health Management (AHM) conducts over two million calculations each hour for over 100 airlines flying 4,700 aircraft.  And AHM is just one of the OEM’s predictive services.

Source : pro-network  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              

 

Researched and Compiled

  Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor  

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by

Volume 5 Issue 11 The Kaplanian Report

On the Boeing Front

    Max 10 Maintains Family Ties Following Landing Gear Tweak Design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boeing will introduce a levered main landing gear on the 737 Max10 to overcome the potential threat to commonality with the rest of the narrow body family posed by its longer fuselage. To Preserve commonality in the Max family, Boeing has long been studying different options for the largest member of the Max family, the fuselage of which, at 143 ft (43.8m),is 1.6 m longer than the Max 9.

Boeing picked the levered design which will enable the gear to extend 9.5 in (24.1cm) during takeoff rotation, says Gary Hamatani Max chief project engineer.  “We have put in this new lever that extends down to 9.5 in, to provide us the rotation.”

The design is similar to that of the 777-300, in addition to the lever, the 737-10’s main gear has a steel “innovating shrinking mechanism”, dubbed a “shrink link”, which pulls the inner cylinder as the gear retracts, enabling it to fit in the same wheel well, Hamatani says.                   

“From a pilot’s perspective, there is absolutely nothing different the Max10 landing gear and the existing Max family,” Hamatani adds.

The Max 10 will carry 188 passengers in two-class layout and have a range of 3,300 nautical miles (6110km). The 737Max10 was launched at the Paris air show in 2017.

Source : Boeing /Flightglobal /Boeing Photo

                    

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                             Airbus A330-900 Gains EASA Certification

The Airbus A330-900 has received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), clearing it for first delivery to launch customer TAP Air Portugal. TAp’s first aircraft served as a demonstrator for route proving, during which it visited 12 countries. Including the two A330-900 flight-test aircraft, the certification campaign logged some 1,400 hours in the air since first flight on October 19, 2017.

Carrying an Airspace by Airbus cabin and powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330neo family consists of the A330-900 and the smaller A330-800.

Airbus launched the A330-900 and -800 simultaneously in July 2014.The company stresses the negligible extra cost of developing the smaller -800 due to the fact that the variants share 99 percent commonality. Fuel efficiency benefits come from a switch from the A330’s Rolls-Royce Trent 700 to the new Trent 7000, the addition of sharklet wingtip devices and the use of composite nacelles.

According to Airbus a result of those changes, both the A330-900neo and the smaller, A330-800neo (based on the A330-200),deliver a claimed improvement of some 25 percent over older generation aircraft of a similar size.

While the fuselages remain unchanged, Airbus specifications show 10 more passenger seats, giving the -900neo a three- class capacity of 287 and the -800 a capacity of 257.

Firm orders for the A330-900 now stand at 224, while the A330-800 lost its sole remaining customer in May, when Hawaiian Airlines canceled its order for six airplanes. Tap Air Portugal has ordered 10 of the-900 and plans to operate a similar number on lease. AirAsiaX by far ranks as the largest customer, having placed an order for 66 A330-900s.(On October 16 Kuwait Airways became the newest customer of the A330-800 with an order for eight aircraft.)

Source : Airbus/Ainonline/Ed’s research

                    

             REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS                     

  Helvetic Airways Firms Up Its Order For 12 Embraer E190-E2 Jets

Helvetic Airways has signed a firm order of 12 E190-E2 jets. This agreement was announced as a letter of intent (LOI) at the recent Farnborough Air Show in July.

The firm order has a value of $730 million, based on current list prices and was   included in Embraer’s 2018 third quarter. backlog.

The contract also includes purchase rights for a further 12 E190-E2, with conversion rights to the E195-E2, bringing the total potential order up to 24 E-jets E2s.

With all the purchase rights being exercised, the deal has a list price of 1.5 billion. The first E190-E2 aircraft will begin replacing Helvetic’s five Fokker 100s and seven E190s, starting in late 2019 and completing in autumn 2021.

The Purchase options for a further 12 aircraft (E190-E2 or E195-E2) will enable Helvetic Airways to grow according to market opportunities.

Source : World Airline News

Zunum Picks Safran for Developmental Hybrid-Electric Commuter 

 

 

 

 

 

Boeing-backed US hybrid-electric aircraft start-up Zunum Aero has selected Safran Helicopter Engines to supply a turboshaft engine to generate electric power propulsion of its in-development 12-seat commuter aircraft.

Safran says it will supply a new variant of its 1,700-2,000shp (1,270-1,500kW) Ardiden engine family—designated 3Z— which will be capable of delivering 500KW in combination with an electric generator.

The 12-seater—internally dubbed ZA10— will also be equipped with battery packs to “supplement” electric power during “key stages of flight and over long ranges”.

The company has received financial support from Boeing’s HorizonX division, JetBlue Technology Ventures and the State of Washington Clean Energy Fund.

Source : Flightglobal /Safran/Safran Picture       

                                                             

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

         ATSG Signed an Agreement to Acquire Omni Air International

US air cargo company Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has signed an agreement to acquire Tulsa-based charter operator Omni Air International for $855 million in cash.

The move, which remains subject to regulatory approval, will significantly expand ATSG’s global reach and see the company acquire its first Boeing 777s, says Wilmington, Ohio-based ATSG on October 2nd.

ATSG anticipates closing the deal in the 4th quarter. It will fund the purchase with money borrowed through an existing line of credit, the company says in a media release.

In Business since 1993, Omni flies charters and operates wide bodies under aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance(ACMI) agreements. Its customers include the US government. Omni’s fleet includes 13 passenger-configured wide bodies—seven 767-300ERs, three 767-200 ERs and three 777-200ERs.

Acquiring Omni will expand ATSG’s(ACMI) work, diversify its revenue with new customers and enable it to expand globally thanks to the capability of Omni’s 777s, which have more range than anything in ATSG’s fleet the company said.

If the deal closes, Omni will continue operating from Tulsa as an ATSG subsidiary and will be headed by Current CEO Jeff Crippen.

ATSG’s fleet includes some 73 aircraft, including 767-200Fs, 767-300ERFs,757-200Fs and 737-400Fs. Acquiring Omni’s fleet will bring ATSG’s fleet to 90 aircraft.

Source : ATSG

The Jet Travel Era Began in Earnest—60 Years Ago

              This year marks the 60th anniversary of a seminal moment in commercial aviation: the start of transatlantic jet services. While jet travel was nothing particularly new by 1958, the launch of services between the US and Europe in October that year by British Airways (formerly BOAC) and US airline icon Pan Am is a true legacy of what the airline industry represent today. Prior to 1958, the industry’s foray into jet services had been sporadic.

BOAC ushered in the jet travel in 1952 when it began services with the de Havilland Comet 1, powered by four of the company’s Ghost turbojets. The inaugural flight was a multi-hop service from London down through Africa to Johannesburg.

Sadly, the pioneering operations of the Comet 1 came to an abrupt halt within two years when the jet was grounded after a series of tragic accidents subsequently traced to metal fatigue proliferated by design error.

By the time this happened, Boeing was already well advanced with the development of its own jet transport that would become the 707, while de Havilland was working on larger and longer-range Comet variants powered by Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets.

During 1957 and 1958, as de Havilland raced to develop its improved Comet 4, incorporating changes resulting from the inquiry into the 1954 accidents, Boeing was surging ahead with its much more advanced model 707.The Boeing jet, was powered by Pratt& Whitney JT3C turbojets, flew on December 20,1957 with first production Comet 4 taking to the air four months later on April 27,1958.

Both types received their certificate of airworthiness in September that year and the race was on to be the first to inaugurate transatlantic flight, with BOAC championing the British Comet 4 and Pan Am flying the Boeing 707.

There was no turning back after those transatlantic jet inaugurals 60 years ago. While development of the Comet fizzled  out after the Comet 4 series, the development of the 707 and its rival the Douglas DC-8 rapidly provided airlines with longer-range jet transports.

Source : Ed’s Research/Flightglobal/Flightglobal Pictures           

      

LATEST NEWS

  • Air Tahiti Nui has received the first of four Boeing 787-9s it has on order, which will replace its aging Airbus A340-300s
  • BOC Aviation will lease three Airbus A320ceos for Saudia’s LLC subsidiary FlyDeal. All three aircraft will be delivered in 2018.
  • AirBaltic received its 12th Airbus A220-300; two more are expected by the end of 2018.
  • AviaAM Financial Leasing China delivered a Boeing 737-800 to China’s Okay Airways.
  • Airbus has named current Commercial Aircraft CEO Guillaume Faury to replace Tom Enders as chief executive of the entire entity.
  • United Airlines has ordered nine more Boeing 787-9s, bringing its backlog for the type to 13 aircraft.
  • Oman Air took delivery of the fourth of 30 new Boeing 737-MAX 8’s it has on order. By the end of 2018, Oman Air will have taken delivery of five new MAX aircraft and three 787-9s.
  • Scoot has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo out of the 39 jets it has on firm order with Airbus
  • Copa Airlines has unveiled its first 737 Max 9, featuring the first lie-flat seats in business class and new economy extra section                                                                         
  • EVA Air took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 leased from Air Lease. EVA will begin deploying the type on International routes this month.

 

Source: Ed’s Research

                               

AIR CARGO

    Atran Airlines to Lease two GECAS Boeing 737-800 Freighters                          

Atran Airlines, the scheduled express cargo carrier within the Volga-Dnepr Group, has signed a deal with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) for lease of two passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions.

The aircraft are scheduled to be phased in during the remainder of 2018 and the first half of 2019. The will provide additional capacity to supplement Atran’s all-cargo fleet of three B737-400 SFs.

Aircraft lessor GECAS noted that the B737-800 freighters are “perfectly suited to short and mid-range routes,” which form the basis of Atran’s scheduled network between Russia and Europe. The carrier also specializes in handling growing international e-commerce shipments. Paul Nolan, fleet development director at Cargo Logic Management (a UK-based Volga-Dnepr Group company specializing in management consulting services for international airlines) commented: “these newly converted 737-800 freighters will assist Atran Airlines in achieving its strategic objectives and serving customers in e-commerce and express services on Russia-China routes.”

Atran Airlines was established in 1942 and is among the oldest Russia-based airfreight carriers. It joined the Volga-Dnepr Group in 2011.

Source: Air Cargo News/GECAS

 

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

 Southwest to Invest in New MRO Facility at Baltimore/Washington

Southwest Airlines will co-fund a new $130 million regional maintenance facility at Baltimore/Washington International airport, to better meet its needs at the second busiest airport in its network.

Construction of the (130,000 square feet) line maintenance facility will begin early next year, with completion in 2021. Southwest will invest 480 million, with the Maryland Aviation Administration contributing the remaining $50 million.

The three-bay hanger will be the first of its kind for Southwest in the northeast, complementing six maintenance hangers in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orlando and Phoenix. The facility will include additional exterior parking spots for eight aircraft well as office space.

Construction of the hanger is expected to create 450 jobs,  but will not significantly grow maintenance employees numbers at the airline. Southwest currently employs more than 120 technical operations staff at the airport, which is its largest line operation and has the most number of Southwest aircraft remaining overnight.

The new facility will provide shelter to these employees in inclement weather, and also provide more space for storage of parts according to Southwest chief executive Gary Kelly and another signal of the airline’s “serious commitment” to Baltimore/Washington.

News of the planned maintenance facility comes as the airline celebrates its 25th year of service at Baltimore/Washington. It employs more than 4,800 staff at the airport.

Source: Flightglobal/Southwest

 

                                      MRO Latest News

  • Lufthansa Technik  has a China Aviation Supplies Co. contract to provide Airbus A350 component support for Air China.
  • AJW Group was selected by Air Mediterranean to provide Boeing 737-400 component support.
  • Turkish Aerospace Industries signed a collaboration agreement with Airbus for research and development of secondary aircraft structures, such as movable parts, for Airbus commercial aircraft.
  • Turkish Technic was selected by India’s SpiceJet to provide Boeing 737 MAX component support.
  • Liebherr wins follow-up component supply deal for current 777s and the 777X.
  • Diehl Aviation cabin interior specialist has won a contract from Boeing to supply     emergency lighting equipment for the 787 program.

Source : Ed’s Research

 

Researched and Compiled by :

                                                      Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

                                                      Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

                                                      Editor:   Lee Kaplanian