Gulf Air

by

The Kaplanian Report – October 2019

ON THE BOEING FRONT

               Boeing Global Services Continues to Be On the Roll

Boeing’s services business has signed a series of orders and contracts from Asia-Pacific carriers, primarily for its digital products.

This comes on the back of a Boeing Global Services forecast projecting the Asia-Pacific commercial aviation services market will grow 5% annually over the next twenty years.  By 2038, it is estimated to be worth $3.4 billion.

Boeing announced that Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo signed a deal for crew and aircraft scheduling and management solutions offered by Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen.

Japanese low-cost operator Peach Aviation has signed for Boeing’s digital aircraft positioning products.  Chinese carriers, Shandong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines, both renewed multi-year contracts for various Jeppesen products as well.

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific and Philippine Airlines inked deals with Boeing for performance improvement packages for their Boeing 777-300ER fleets.

The second version of the packages feature aircraft modifications, associated retrofit parts kits and accompanying service bulletins.  These  will improve aircraft fuel efficiency, payload and range capability without requiring airlines to significantly change operational policies or procedures, says Boeing.

Lastly, Malaysia Airlines signed a consumables and expendables services agreement, allowing Boeing to provide supply chain solutions.

Source : Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

              Airbus Inaugurates Automated Fuselage Line in Hamburg                         

Airbus has inaugurated an automated fuselage structure assembly line for the A320 family of aircraft in Hamburg, the company announced on October 1st.

The new facility features 20 robots, new logistics concept, automated positioning by laser measurement, and digital data acquisition system.

For the initial section assembly, Airbus uses a modular, lightweight automated system called Flextrack, which employs eight robots and counter-sinking 1,100 to 2,400 holes per longitudinal joint.  In the next production step,12 robots, each operating on seven axes, combine the center and aft fuselage sections with the tail to form one major component, drilling, counter-sinking, sealing, and inserting 3,000 rivets per orbital joint.

Besides the use of robots, Airbus will implement new methods and technologies in material and parts logistics to aid production efficiency, improve ergonomics, and shorten lead times. The initiative includes the separation of logistics and production levels, demand-oriented material replenishment, and use of autonomous guided vehicles.

The Hamburg structure assembly facility carries responsibility for joining single fuselage shells into sections and final assembly of single sections to aircraft fuselages.  Mechanics equip aircraft parts with electrical and mechanical systems their delivery to the final assembly lines in France, Germany, China, and the U.S.

Source : ainonline/Picture Airbus             

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

              Flagship Cessna Citation Longitude Enters Service

Textron Aviation has announced the first deliveries of the company’s new flagship Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet, which it says signals the start of a new dimension in business travel.

“The newly certified Citation Longitude brings unrivaled technology to the business travel market, for both the passenger and the pilot, offering our customers the most efficient and productive super-midsize jet now in operation,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO.  ”We are thrilled to now transition this program into service.”

The Longitude features the longest maintenance intervals in its class—800 hours or 18 months—and is the most cost-effective aircraft in its category.

“The Longitude was designed around maximizing reliability and operational availability for our customers,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president, global Customer support.

Source : Textron Aviation/Picture Textron Aviation

                                                                       

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

   Aeroflot Announce Contract on 777 Passenger Cabin Modifications

Aeroflot and Boeing announced a contract to modify passenger cabins on 18 of the Russian flagship carrier’s 777-300ERs.

Boeing will perform engineering work and supply component kits for the planned cabin interior reconfiguration.

“It’s a great honor that a leading Russian carrier selected Boeing solutions,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services.  ”Aeroflot is an experienced 777 operator and we are pleased to provide them with the expertise that will support their implementation, long-term strategic growth and development plans.” 

Aeroflot is a member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance.  It serves 159 destinations in 54 countries.  Aeroflot’s 249-strong fleet is the youngest of any airline worldwide that operates more than 100 aircraft.  In 2018, Aeroflot carried 35.8 million passengers.

Source : Boeing/Picture Aeroflot

         Gulf Air Receives its Seventh 787-9 Dreamliner with New Livery

The airline received the aircraft at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC.In attendance at the event marking the arrival, which took place ahead of Gulf Air’s 70th anniversary, was the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and Chairman of Gulf Air’s Board of Directors, HE Zayed, R. Alzayani and the United States Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur L.Ross.

Attendees toured the aircraft, which displayed a redesigned vintage of the Golden Falcon Locheed TriStar livery, representing the company’s iconic design from the 1970s.

Alzayani said: “It gives me great honor to reveal this special livery which would definitely resonate nostalgically with our global audience.The revival of this livery is a homage to our resilient national carrier as it celebrates being one of the first established carriers in the Middle East and how it continues to connect the Kingdom of Bahrain to the world”.

The new Dreamliner will join the fleet by the end of this month, increasing the total number of Dreamliners operated by the airline to seven aircraft following the delivery of three more by 2021.

Source : Arabian Aerospace

      Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Delays Entry into Service of A350-1000 Jets

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is delaying the entry into service of five Airbus A350-1000 jets as it strives to return to profitability after three consecutive years of losses.

The state-owned carrier has been downsizing its fleet and route network following a failed strategy to rapidly expand to compete with more established Gulf airlines like Emirates.

The Spokesman for the airline said the largest version of the A350 jet remained important to Etihad’s future plans, but did not say when the airline would start using it.  Airbus declines to comment, referring questions to Etihad.

Etihad has canceled billions of dollars in aircraft orders, including for 40 of the smaller A350-900 jets and two A350-1000s, as part of a five-year turnaround strategy started in 2016.  It has committed to take delivery of five A350-1000s from a current order of 20.

Etihad replaced the management who led the aggressive expansion strategy, which also included investments in airlines that later ceased operations due to their own financial turbulence.

Source : Reuters   

      

LATEST NEWS

  • SpiceXpress has taken delivery of its first 737-800 Boeing converted Freighter (BCF)

  • Pegasus Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo on September 11, equipped with a 239-seat high-density cabin layout.

  • China’s AVIC begins first MA700 assembly; on September 27, aiming for first flight in 2020 and certification in 2022.
  • EasyJet UK budget carrier has emerged as the recipient of the 9,000th Airbus A320-family jet to undergo delivery to customers.
  • Turkmenistan Airlines buys a Boeing 777-200LR which is planned for delivery in January 2021.
  • Mongolian Airlines will receive its first Boeing 787-9 from Air Lease Finance in the Spring of 2021.
  • Saudia the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has welcomed its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner with a special ceremony that included a water cannon salute at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport on Monday September 30.

  • Flydubai introduces Split Scimitar Winglets on its NG Boeing 737-800 fleet.

  • Boeing says it remains fully committed to the development of the ultra-long-range 777-8 variant despite its decision to shelve development to focus on recovering the schedule of the baseline 777-9.
  • ATR regional aircraft manufacturer, confirms it has received authorization from the board of directors for the launch of the ATR 42-600S.

 

Sources: Flightglobal, Boeing, Arabian Aerospace, World Airline News, Airbus.

 

AIR CARGO

           Express Cargo Operator Atran Adds Extra 737-800 BCF

 

Russian express airline Atran has added another freighter to its fleet as it continues adding capacity to cater for an e-commerce bonanza.

The addition of a second Boeing 737-800 BCF brings the Volga-Dnepr-owned airline’s fleet to six aircraft.

Atran has now taken delivery of three freighters this year and its fleet also includes four 737-400Fs and another 23t-capacity 737-800BCF.

The company says that the additional capacity will help it meet growing demand for e-commerce shipments, including mail, between China, Russia and CIS states.

The 737-800BCF is 19ft (6m) longer than the -400F variant and also has a wider cargo door.

Atran says that the “step-by-step” fleet expansion and addition of new destinations has allowed it to achieve a “more than 15-fold volume upsurge from China to Russia, eight fold increase of domestic traffic, and more than six-fold uptick from Europe to Russia.”

Source : Volga-Dnepr/Flightglobal/Picture Atran Airlines

 

MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND OVERHAUL NEWS

                  Japan Airlines Strives for No Irregular Operations

Japan Airlines is a bit of a phoenix that has risen past adversity and now has an engineering division that is striving toward achieving the highest safety goals, what it terms zero, zero, 100 irregular operations and inflight shutdowns; zero flight squawks and 100% on-time departure. 

Since starting its zero, zero, 100 safety goals in 2017,JAL’s flight operations have improved. One big achievement is not having any inflight shutdowns in 2018 and none in 2019 as of this writing, says Yasuo Yoshida, VP maintenance, corporate planning and finance.  This is a first for JAL.

He also revealed that the airline’s on-time domestic and international on-time departure rate is more than 99.38%, as of August.

“We’d like to be first MRO” to reach the zero, zero, 100 goal, he says.  While he says some people think the airline’s goals are “far too high” or “may sound crazy”, he says they are largely driven by three detrimental things: the crash of  flight JA8119, a Boeing 747 that crashed in 1958 and resulted in 520 deaths; the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau issuing a “business improvement order” in 2005 after a series of three unsafe events: and the airline filing bankruptcy in 2010 after accumulating $264 trillion in debt.

“We had given so much trouble to society due to the accident and bankruptcy that we felt that we needed to give back,” says Yoshida. JAL, relisted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

 

 

 

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian 

 

 

 

 

by

Volume 5 Issue 5 May 2018 The Kaplanian Report

On the Boeing Front

                               Boeing Start Assembly of the First 777-9

Major fuselage sections of the first 777X aircraft have entered Boeing’s fuselage assembly center in Everett wide body plant.

In a tweeted photo on March 23rd, (see picture) Boeing showed the first Section 41—the company’s internal designation for the nose and forward fuselage—entered the 40-47 bay of the Everett factory. The first 777-9 version of the 777X family to enter fuselage assembly will be used for static testing on the ground, Boeing says.

Inside the 40-47 bay, Section 41 will be joined to the center and aft fuselage sections, using a new process introduced two years ago on the 777-300ER and 777-200LR programs. Instead of loading the assemblies into a rotating tool fixture, Boeing will mate the 777X using automated upgrade build (FAUB) procession which sections are loaded into movable cradles and are mated together using mostly robots for drilling and fastening.

Later this year, the assembled fuselage will be moved to the final assembly bay for the 777X, where it will be joined with the aircraft’s first new composite wings.  Boeing introduced the first 777-9 wingspan into assembly last year for the static test airplane.

During final assembly, Boeing also mates the fuselage with the wings, onboard systems and the GE Aviation GE9X engines. The 777-9 program is scheduled to enter flight testing in 2019 and enter service with launch customer Emirates in 2020.The longer-range 777-8 will enter service two years later.

Source : Boeing/Flightglobal   

                   

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

      Sections for First All Nippon Airways A380 Arrive in Toulouse

Final assembly of the first A380 for All Nippon Airways is set to start this month.

The main sections of the first A380 for Japan’s All Nippon Airways(ANA) have arrived at the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse, France via a special convoy, with six subassemblies—the nose, central and aft fuselage sections, the tailplane, and the two wings.

ANA Holdings placed a firm order for three A380s in 2016, becoming the first customer for the A380 in Japan. The first delivery is scheduled early in 2019, and the A380 will initially be operated on the Tokyo-Honolulu route. ANA’s A380 will feature a special Hono Hawaiian green sea turtle livery, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.

Source : Airbus/Picture Airbus            

       

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

      Gulfstream Aerospace Has Delivered a Fourth G650ER to Qatar

Gulfstream AeroSpace delivered a fourth G650ER to Qatar Airways for its Qatar Executive commercial charter service.

With the delivery, Qatar Executive becomes the largest single owner and operator of G650ER aircraft, Gulfstream said.

The delivery will help meet increased demand for a longer-range private air travel by Qatar customers, Qatar Airways said. Gulfstream’s partnership with Qatar Airways began in 2014 when it became the launch customer for the Gulfstream G500.

Since then, Qatar Airways has signed orders and options for up to 30 Gulfstream aircraft that include the G650ER,the G500 and the G600.

Source : Gulfstream/Qatar Airways                                                                                                                                  

                 Cambodia Bayon Airlines Commenced Operations                         with MA60 Domestically

Cambodia Bayon Airlines (Phnom Penh) is a new airline in Cambodia which selected the Xian MA 60 to fly domestic operations between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The airline received its AOC on December 23, 2014.

Cambodia Bayon Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayon Airlines Holdings which was established in April 2014.

Bayon Airlines plans to introduce 20 MA60 aircraft and 10 Airbus A320 aircraft within five years to build route network which covers Cambodia and services to Japan , China and Korea.

Little bit about the MA60…it is a stretched version of the Xian A7-200A which was produced on the An24 to operate in rugged conditions with limited ground support and short take-off and landing(STOL) capability. The MA60 has not applied for FAA(US) and EASA(Europe) type certification and is not certified for use in the US and the European Union.

Source :World Airline News/Ed’s Research  

                                                               

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

         China Southern Group to Take 309 Aircraft Through to 2020

The China Southern Airlines Group is currently scheduled to take delivery of 309 aircraft over the next three years, with nearly half of those set to arrive this year.

Over 2018 the carrier will take delivery of 115 aircraft, comprising of 61 Boeing 737-800s,39 Airbus A320 family jets,10 787-9s and five A330-300s.It will retire 29 aircraft, thus ending the year with an estimated 840 aircraft-up from 2017’s 754.

2019 will see the addition of 105 aircraft, comprising of 45 Boeing 737-800s, 42 A320 family jets, seven 787-9s, six A350-900s and five 777-300ERs. It will end the year with 916 aircraft, after 29 retirements.

2020 will see 89 additions, again with the 737-800s forming the bulk of the deliveries at 51, followed by 24 A320 family aircraft, six A350-900s, five 787-9s and three 777-300ERs.With 26 planned retirements, it will end the year with 979 aircraft. China Southern is the largest airline group in China by fleet size. Besides China Southern, the group also has stakes in a list of carriers including Xiamen Airlines, Shantou Airlines, Zhuhai Airlines, Guizhou Airlines, Chongqing Airlines and Hebei Airlines.

Source : Flightglobal                                                                                                                                           

                    American Orders 47 787s for Fleet Replacement

American Airlines has ordered 47 Boeing 787s on April 6 and canceling its order for 22 Airbus A350s.The 787 order consists of 22 787-8s to begin arriving in 2020 and 25 787-9s scheduled to begin arriving in 2023 American said.

The 787-8s will replace American’s Boeing 767-300s, while later 787-9 deliveries will replace Airbus A330-300s and older 777-200s.All the 787s will be powered by GE Aviation GEnx-1B engines. The order is valued at $12 billion at list prices, says Boeing.

“This was a difficult decision between the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 and the A330neo and we thank both manufactures for their aggressive efforts to earn more of American’s business,” says Robert Isom, President of American, in a statement. “In the end, our goal to simply our fleet made the 787 a more compelling choice.”

As part of the deal, American is also deferring the delivery of 40 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbodies.

Boeing says that the order is a new deal from American and not an exercise of the carrier’s options for 58 787s.

American will be the largest operator of the 787 in the western hemisphere, with 89 aircraft. ANA, the Japanese carrier that was the launch customer for the Dreamliner, is the largest operator of 787s, while lessor AerCap is the largest 787owner.

So Far Orders for the 787 Dreamliners stand at over 1,365 that is not counting recent announcements from Hawaiian for 10 787-9s and Emirates for 40 787-10. When confirmed will be over 1,400. (EdK)

Source : Boeing/American/ATW/Flightglobal/Ed’s Research

           

                          Ethiopian Airlines Launches Split Scimitar                              Winglet in Northern Africa

Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) announced on March 26 that Ethiopian Airlines has become the first operator in Northern Africa of its Split Scimitar Winglet Technology. The first installation of the System was completed on March 20th,2018 in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian Airlines intends to install the Winglets on its fleet of Boeing Next Generation 737-700 and 737-800 aircraft. Aviation Partners’ latest Winglet design, the Split Scimitar Winglet, uses existing Blended Winglets technology but adds new aerodynamic Scimitar tips and a large ventral strake, further increasing the efficiency of the airplane.

The Split Scimitar Winglet modification reduces Boeing Next-Generation 737 block fuel consumption by up to an additional 2.2% over the Blended Winglets alone. The Split Scimitar Winglet System will reduce Ethiopian Airline’s annual fuel requirements by more than 275,000 liters per aircraft and their carbon dioxide emissions by over 700tons per aircraft per year.

Since launching the Boeing Next-Generation 737 Split Scimitar Winglet program, APB has taken orders for over 1,800 systems, and over 1,000 aircraft are now operating with the technology. APB estimates that its products have reduced aircraft fuel consumption worldwide by over 8.0 billion gallons to date thereby saving nearly 85.0 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions

Source : Aviation Partners Boeing/Ethiopian Airlines/Picture Avimet.cr

     

LATEST NEWS

  • Ukraine International Airlines will take delivery of 10 aircraft in 2018, comprising of four 737-800s, four 777-200ERs and two Embraer E190s.
  • Spirit Airlines agreed to purchase 14 Airbus A319-100s off-lease from AerCap.
  • Avolon delivered one Boeing 787-9 aircraft to Virgin Atlantic. This is the fourth Avolon aircraft on lease to Virgin Atlantic.
  • Jet Airways announced a new order for 75 737 MAX. The new deal is in addition to a similar number of 737 Max 8s of firm orders and purchase rights that was announced at the 2015 Dubai air show.
  • Air Lease has firmed up an order for eight additional Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, valued at almost $939 million at list prices.
  • Royal Jordanian Airlines improved on-time performance to rank third in the Middle East and Africa.                                                                                                                                             
  • Hi Fly Portuguese long-haul wet-lease specialist is to become the latest operator of the Airbus A380, with planes to take delivery of the type around the middle of this year.
  • LOT Polish Airlines received its first 787-9 after a 9h 20 min flight from Everett Paine Field to Warsaw Chopin Airport.
  • Lessor BOC Aviation has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing for six 787-9s, in a deal valued at $1.69 billion at list prices.
  • All Nippon Airways(ANA) has finalized an order for two 777-200LRFs valued at $678 million at list prices. 
  • Gulf Air reveals new branding as it took delivery of its first delivery 787-9 on April 6th.                                                                                                                                                                     
  • Sources : Various Sources Researched by Ed K

 

AIR CARGO

  Air Bridge Cargo Launches Scheduled Freighter Services at Rickenbacker

AirBridgeCargo Airlines(ABC) will become the fifth freighter operator to provide scheduled services at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio.

The Russia-based carrier joins a network of logistics service providers at the US cargo-dedicated airport, which is located within a one-day drive to nearly half of the US population and one third of the Canadian population.

ABC’s inaugural flight landed at Rickenbacker on April 5th, and weekly flights will continue on Thursdays, carrying freight inbound from the airlines global hub in Moscow and returning to Moscow through Liege, Belgium. The carrier will employ its fleet of 747 freighters that provide up to 139 tons of capacity.

ABC joins Cargolux, Cathay Pacific Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo and Etihad Cargo as freight carriers that operate up to 15 weekly international lights at Rickenbacker International Airport(LCK).

Source : aircargonews/Photo ABC                                                                                                                   

       Qatar Airways Signs LOI for 5 Boeing 777-200LR Freighters 

On April 10 Qatar Airways signed a letter of intent(LOI) with Boeing to buy five 777-200LR Freighters, worth $1.7 billion at list prices, the airline said in a statement. Al Baker And Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister met in Doha to sign the preliminary agreement. Qatar has taken delivery of 13 out of 16 Boeing 777 Freighters orders in 2006, and has 60 of the next generation jets on order, according to Boeing’s orders and deliveries website.

The order will be posted on Boeing’s orders and deliveries website once the purchase is finalized the statement said.

Source : Reuters

 

   Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

     Rolls-Royce Develops Maintenance Log Reader

Rolls-Royce is preparing to demonstrate part of Intelligent Insights a suite of tools launched under the IntelligentEngine program.

The first of those tools, Technical Insight uses natural language processing techniques to read engine maintenance logs, combining its findings with cloud-based inputs from other data sources.

“Insights are then delivered via visualization tools for the line maintenance environment in an easy-to-use append via the Rolls-Royce portal”, says Rolls-Royce in a statement.

If It works as intended, the tool should make mechanics’ lives easier, removing the need to cross-check various sources of information and presenting important data in an accessible manner.

The main goal is to improve dispatch reliability, but it will also be interesting to see how the new technology contributes to wider aims such as lifecycle management.

Rolls-Royce has not said if Technical Insight was developed with outside help or purely in house.

Source : Rolls-Royce/Rolls-Royce Picture

 

MRO LATEST NEWS

  • Safran Nacelles unveiled the NacelleLife service offering providing complete coverage of its set engine nacelle systems—including thrust reversers.
  • Lufthansa Technik has a total component support agreement with Easter Jet for its Boeing 737NGs.
  • AerFin signed a three-year TrueChoice Material Service Agreement with GE Aviation for serviceable OEM parts, advanced repair and technology upgrades for the CFM56,CF34 and CF-80C2 engines.
  • Wheeltug was selected by Kenya Airways to provide its electric taxi systems for its Boeing 737NGs.
  • Pratt & Whitney was selected by JetBlue Airways to supply GTF engines for another 85 Airbus A320neo family aircraft; the deal includes 15-year EngineWise service agreement.                    

 

 

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian

by

June 2017 The Kaplanian Report

ON THE BOEING FRONT

 Boeing Elaborates on 777-9 Design Details 

Boeing has published further preliminary details of the 777-9’s configuration, three years ahead of entry into service. It shows a slightly lower aircraft with an interior re-sculpted to carve out a precious 10.2cm (4in) of internal diameter.

A 79-page document posted on Boeing’s website offers the first detailed update on the larger 777X variant’s dimensions since a brochure version appeared in 2015.

Boeing released both documents to help airport managers prepare for the arrival of the stretched wide body with its extended wingspan.

Compared with the previous iteration, the update shows the 777-9’s designers have made a few minor tweaks.  For example, the height of the vertical tail above the runway is about 17 cm (6.6 in) shorter,while it remains nearly 1m (3.3 ft) taller than the height of the 777-300ER.

The most critical dimensions for the 777-9 remain unchanged, with a 2.9m (9.5 ft) longer fuselage and 7m (22.9 ft) wider unfolded wingspan compared to the 777-300ER.

The folded wingspan of the 777-9 measures 64.82m (212.7 ft), about 2,54cm (0,083 in), wider than the 777-300 ER. Boeing also has

worked to make the 777-9 more comfortable with a standard 10-abreast layout in economy class.

The 777-9 shares an external fuselage cross-section with the 777-300ER, but the internal sidewalls have been carved out by about 10.2cm (4.0in).

Boeing now lists the 777-9’s standard two-class cabin as accommodating 414 passengers, with a three-class cabin holding 349 seats.

Source : Boeing/BoeingPicture

 

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                        A330 First Flight Likely to Slip to September

Airbus will now perform the first flight of its A330neo “at the end of the summer”’, a significant delay over its previous timeline for the re-engined aircraft.  Speaking at an event in Toulouse, Airbus executive vice-president for programs Didier Evrard confirmed the slippage.

The initial Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine has successfully completed tests, he says: “We will install it during the summer and fly at the end of the summer.”

The maiden flight, he says, would likely take place around September rather than August, due to the lengthy summer break in France.

In the meantime, lessor SMBC Aviation Capital has ruled out interest in the Airbus A330neo. Instead they are focusing its energies on securing more sale-and-leaseback deals for the A350.

Although leaving the door open for the re-engined wide body, SMBC chief executive Peter Barrett says at the moment “it is not something we have considered”.

Source : Airbus/Flightglobal

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

Fourth MRJ Arrives in US; Mitsubishi                                Evaluating Flight Test Program

A fourth Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ90 flight test aircraft has arrived at Moses Lake, Washington.  The aircraft, which departed Nagoya, Japan, March 13, arrived April 1 at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake. It made stops in Guam, the Marshall Islands, Honolulu and San Jose, California.

The total flight distance flown from Japan was approximately 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and total time was 19 hr and 48 min.

The latest aircraft to arrive in Moses Lake was the last that had been designated to participate in US-based MRJ flight testing.  A fifth MRJ90 flight test aircraft is remaining in Japan, though the majority of flight testing is slated to occur in the US.

Source : ATW/Mitsubishi Aircraft

 

   Dutch to Replace Royal Transport with 737 BBJ

The Dutch transport minister has announced the purchase of a Boeing 737 business jet to replace the current Fokker 70 that is currently used to transport members of the nation’s Royal family and government officials.

Boeing will supply the airframe, while Fokker Technologies will provide the VIP interior.  The aircraft will have a capacity of 24 passengers: the same as the Fokker 70 in current use.  It will carry the registration PH-GOV.

The preliminary agreement has been signed and final contract was finalized in April. The purchase price is estimated at $98.7 million and anticipated delivery is in 2019.

One of the requirements for the new aircraft is that it should be able to reach parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands non-stop, including the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean.

Four responses were received following the release of a public tender last year, but none met all criteria leading the Netherlands to enter negotiations with Boeing over a BBJ acquisition.

One of the pilots for the new VIP transport will be King Willem-Alexander, who also has flown the Fokker 70. He will commence type rating training on the 737 this year.

Source : Flightglobal

 

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

Gulf Air on Track for the First 787-9 Delivery

Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, is gearing up for the arrival of the airline’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.  It will be delivered in April 2018 and will operate the airline’s long haul routes, gradually replacing its Airbus A330s.

A total of 5 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will have entered Gulf Air’s fleet by the end of 2018, with an additional 2 aircraft arriving in 2019 and 3 arriving in 2020.

Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners will offer 282 seats in a two-class configuration, with 26 Falcon Gild Class seats and 256 Economy Class seats.

“The 787 customer base is growing, not just globally, but in the Middle East as well with airlines such as Gulf Air taking delivery of the Dreamliner,” said Marty Bentrott,Vice President- Sales, the Middle East, Turkey, Russia and Central Asia.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes, ”We are confident that the 787-9 will help Gulf Air achieve a new level of efficiency and profitability, plus will contribute to their future growth and success.”

Source : Bizbahrain

WestJet to Purchase Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

On May 2, WestJet announced a definitive purchase agreement with The Boeing Company for up to 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This agreement includes commitments for 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to be delivered between the first quarter of 2019 and December 2021; with options for an additional 10 aircraft to be delivered between 2020 and 2024.  The airline also announced it has selected General Electric’s GEnx-1B engine for the 787.

“We welcome WestJet to the Dreamliner family and look forward to the new destinations they will serve,” said Ray Conner, Vice Chairman of The Boeing Company. “WestJet, for its entire 21-year history, has been a loyal all-Boeing jet customer and we’re excited to see them expand their fleet with the 787.”

As part of the purchase agreement, WestJet is converting 15 firm orders for the Boeing 737 MAX that were to be delivered between 2019 and 2021 to options available between 2022 and 2024.

Source : WestJet

Oman Air Plans Major Aircraft Order                                         Even as Break-Even is Delayed

Oman Air Transport plans to move ahead with a multi-billion order for wide body jets early next year, even though it won’t now break even in 2017. The low oil prices curbs growth in the Persian Gulf.

The Carrier is now aiming to end losses by the end of next year, contingent on demand not deteriorating further, Chief Executive Officer Paul Gregorowitsch said in an interview on May 2.  While the Mideast carrier will also delay plans to expand to a 70 aircraft and 75 destinations to 2023, from 2020, it still plans to order 15 new wide body jets needed to replace older planes and add capacity, he said.

Further discussions will be held with manufacturers and leasing firms as Oman Air seeks to agree to terms to take either the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787-9.

The 787 model has a slight advantage because the carrier already operates six Dreamliners, with the tally set to increase to 10 in 2018.

Oman Air will also go ahead with deliveries of the 20 Boeing 737 Max planes it has on order  as it leases out some of its current marrow body fleet to better Match seats to demand.

While the carrier is continuing to operate 10 Airbus A330s, which form the core of its wide body operations, those planes will be retired to make way for the new aircraft. Gregorowitsch said.  The upgraded A330neo isn’t of interest.

Source : Bloomberg

 

LATEST NEWS

  • Hawaiian Airlines has launched a companywide rebranding under which it will update its logos and repaint its fleet over the next several years.
  • Rossiya, the Russian carrier has unveiled a Boeing 777-300 with a specialized paint scheme, intended to draw attention to conservation of rare wildlife, including big cats.

  • Delta Air Lines added 10 Boeing 737-900ERs to its order book during the first quarter, bringing its total orders for the type to 130 aircraft.
  • Embraer delivered its 1,100th business jet on May 4. The milestone aircraft is the industry’s best selling Phenom 300, the customer is Net Jets.

  • Boeing has selected Ipeco to design and manufacture a High Comport Attendant Seat for the next generation 777X airplane.  This follows on from a contract awarded last year for the pilot and observer seating for the same aircraft.
  • UPS Airlines is adding its first used Boeing 767-300 freighters to its fleet, with expected entry into service in 2018.
  • SMBC Aviation Capital has placed a direct order from Boeing for three 737-800s, bringing its total owned, managed and committed portfolio for 737-800s to 198.
  • Avolon delivered one Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Batik Air.  This is the sixth Avolon aircraft on lease to Batik Air.
  • Asiana Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, which is on lease from Dublin based SMBC Aviation Capital.  The aircraft, part of a six A350 sale-and-leaseback deal is the first of the type to be operated by a Korean Airline.

  • Primera Air Scandinavian leisure carrier has placed an order for eight 737 MAX 9s, has taken purchase rights on four more.  They will lease another eight from US lessor Air Lease Corp.

 

AIR CARGO

        One of the Last Airworthy Boeing 747-200s                      Flies into Retirement

A Kalitta Air Boeing 747-200 delivers a soft puff of white smoke as the jet completes its second-to-last landing ever on Thursday April 20 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  On Friday, April 21st, the jet and its crew shuttled the airplane back to Kalitta Air’s home base in Michigan, where the airplane was retired for good by the cargo carrier.

In a time when the iconic jetliner has been disappearing from fleets across the globe at an astounding rate, another 747 biting the dust may not seem particularly remarkable.  Yet this particular airplane stands out among the crowd: It’s one of the last airworthy 747-200s in commercial service. There are two others still in use as Air Force One.

“I tell ya, this is a nice airplane.It’s old school,” Captain Scott Jaykl says during a post-landing interview aboard the aircraft. “It’s a pilot’s airplane,” Jaykl says from the plane’s antiquated flight deck. ”You have manual control over everything.”

Built in 1987, Captain Jaykl’s jet was among the last “-200“ variants of the 747 to come off the assembly line.  The model was then replaced by the updated 747-400 in 1989, and the -200 variant, which debuted in 1971, ended production completely a few years later.

This specific aircraft was originally bought by United Airlines, converted to a freighter for Northwest Airlines in 2000, then transitioned to Kalitta and added to its fleet in 2010 according to public records.

Source : USA Today/Ed’s Research/Picture

 

 Cargolux And Emirates SkyCargo Ink                                                  a Memorandum of Understanding

Luxembourg all-freight operator, Cargolux and Dubai-based Emirates SkyCargo, have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU), paving the way for strategic cargo partnership

The partners said the agreement, which was signed at the Air Cargo Europe event in Munich, is the first of its kind in the air cargo industry between a mainline airline and a specialized freighter operator.

Under the cooperation, Emirates SkyCargo will use Cargolux’s nose-loading 747 freighters for heavy and outsized cargo, complementing its own fleet of 13 777Fs and two 747-400ERFs.  The two carriers will also further develop block space and interline agreements on each other’s network.

Emirates SkyCargo will launch flight operations to Luxembourg from this month, while Cargolux will step up its Dubai World Central frequencies to 3X-weekly. Both airlines’ cargo will be handled at the same facility in Luxembourg, Cargolux will be handled by Emirates SkyCargo at Dubai World Central.

Cargolux operates 14 747-8Fs and 12 747-400Fs, covering 90 destinations. ( five and a half years after the first GEnx powered 747-8F went into service.  Cargolux has become the first operator to fly 1 million operating hours with the new engine type so far, the carrier has experienced no engine-caused in-flight shutdown of a GEnx since its entry into service.) Ed

Source:  ATW

 

 Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

Lessors Welcome New Engine Entrants

With next generation engine types, the CFM LEAP and the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan having a combined order backlog of nearly 20,000 units, engine lessors are anticipating greater numbers being brought into their portfolios over the next decade.

In a six person panel discussing the engine leasing market at Aviation Week Network’s Engine Leasing,Trading & Finance in London on May 10, lessors foresee opportunities around both the LEAP and the GTF.  While Pat Laffan, SVP structured finance at GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), says the company will focus on GE and CFM engine types in future; primarily in the sale and leaseback market.  They would also consider looking at other engine types should the returns be beneficial.

Julie Dickerson, managing director of Ireland-based Shannon Engine Support, a firm which doesn’t chase sale and leaseback deals, expects a greater focus on early year LEAP engines along with continuing with mature CFM56 types.

The widebody engine market also conjured up some interesting perspectives.  Having found success with sales and aftermarket coverage with the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, Bobby Janagan, vice president and general manager at Rolls-Royce and Partners Finance, conceded associated costs with the engine type could be high. Nevertheless they were similar to those of another wide body engine type, the GE90.

Speaking from the perspective of an independent lessor on the XWB, Dan Coulcher, SVP & chief commercial officer at Willis Lease Finance Corporation, pondered if there would be a competitive aftermarket for the engine type powering the Airbus A350, which has been in service since 2015. He also says entry-into-service challenges around Pratt’s GTF are a concern for would be investors, due to questions over changes to bills of materials on the engine.

Source : MRO Network

                          MRO LATEST NEWS 

  • OEMServices has a 15-year Asiana Airlines contract to provide Airbus350-900 component support.
  • AFI KLM E&M extended component support deal with Malaysia Airlines for 54 Boeing 737NGs.
  • FL Technics signed a contract with Russia’s Nordavia to provide CAMO services for its Boeing 737CL aircraft.
  • Epcor was selected by Kenya Airways for APU support for Boeing 737NGs, 787s and Embraer E190s.
  • Airbus has a UPS contract to upgrade 52 Airbus A300-600Fs with new Honeywell avionics.
  • AerFIn agreed to acquire 15 Embraer E170s, plus spares inventory, from Saudia.

 

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ed@kaplanianreport.com

by

Volume 3 Issue 8 August 2016


ON THE BOEING

        Boeing Details Range-Boosting 737-7 Redesign

     Boeing decided to stretch the 737-7 by two seat rows and added major elements of the 737-8.  It is the first major tweak to the 737 Max line-up in more than five years after launching the program.

     In a sign of the shifting dynamics in the single-aisle market, the 737-7 has attracted just 60 aircraft orders from three customers. It gives the formerly 126 seat variant less than 2% of the overall backlog for the three member 737 Max family.  The original of the aircraft, the 737-300 Classic, outsold two larger sister variants by a wide margin.

     In an overall market segment from 120-240 seats with more thanks 8,000 aircraft on backlog; a total order book of 465 aircraft on firm order does not appear encouraging. The 465 aircraft on firm order includes the A319neo.  In the end, Boeing decided to stretch the 737-7 by two seat rows and added major elements of the 737-8.

      Boeing does not expect the addition of up to 12 more seats in a typical two class seating configuration to significantly drive new demand into the low end of the single-aisle sector. The move appears to be driven to satisfy new requirements imposed by the two 737-7’s two largest customers, namely Southwest and WestJet.

     “We have now assessed the market.  The customers have said that the bigger airplane is something we would like with that range,” says Keith Leverkuhn, vice-president and general manager for the 737.

     The 737-7 and 737-8 share the same wingspan, but the latter has a thicker wing that can carry more fuel.  The modified 737-7 wing will have more fuel capacity to compensate for the greater weight of the lengthened fuselage and add 500 nm more range”, says Leverhuhn. The fuselage itself is lengthened by 1.17 m (46 in) forward of the wing and 76 cm aft of the wing, he says.  The maximum take-off weight rises from 70,300kg (155,000 lb) requiring the use of the strengthened landing gear of the 737-8.

Source : Flightglobal/ Line Drawing Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                 Airbus : Delivery of P&W A320 Engine Imminent

     Airbus stated that the delivery of the revamped Pratt and Whitney PW 1100G is imminent by the time this report is out for distribution Lufthansa is supposed to have received the first A320neo with the revamped engine.

     Deliveries have been held up by efforts to correct engine start-up times, as well as other minor technical issues, leaving Airbus with some 25 undelivered A320neos at its production sites.  Airbus Group chief Tom Enders, speaking as the airframe disclosed its first-half results, said the first upgraded ”golden engine” would be delivered to the German flag-carrier Lufthansa.

     P&W parent United Technologies’ chief Greg Hayes, speaking during a briefing on July 26th, said the technical problems were “in the rear-view mirror”  and that the manufacturer was “exactly” aligned with the production plan submitted to Airbus earlier this year.

       He says the geared turbofan power plant, which also powers the Bombardier CSeries, Mitsubishi Aircraft MRJ and other types, has accumulated 5,000 hrs in service with four operators, with a 99.8% dispatch reliability.

    Hayes says the engine is “meeting commitments” on fuel-burn, noise and emission levels. The manufacturer expects to build 140 geared-turbofans engines in the second half of 2016, having produced 60 in the first half of 2016, with 36 delivered to various aircraft platforms to meet a target of 200 for the year.

Airbus has also just started delivering A320neos with the rival CFM International Leap-1A power plant,with the first going to Turkish carrier Pegasus Airlines.

Source : Flightglobal/Airbus/Pratt and Whitney

             

        

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

     E-190-E2 Is Ahead of Schedule But Not Rushing Delivery

     Embraer has no plans to rush the timeline for delivering the first E190-E2 regional jet, even though the flight test program remains ahead of schedule.  The first flying prototype made a debut appearance at the Farnborough air show only after six weeks after achieving first flight.

     The second E190-E2 entered the flight test campaign on July 8th, and the overall program so far has consumed less of the buffer the company built into the schedule,says Luis Carlos Affonso, senior vice-president of operations and chief operating officer for Embraer’s Commercial Aviation unit.

     Embraer will not accelerate the delivery schedule of the first E190-E2, even if the program stays ahead of schedule, Affonso says.  The company will focus on increasing the maturity of the new technologies packed into the E190-E2, including the Embraer developed fly-by-wire control system and Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofan engines.

    Though summarized often as re-engining project,the E2 version of the E-Jet is a bold project.  In addition to the engines, Embraer is installing a new, high-aspect ratio wing, re-inventing the flight control system and tweaking the cross section.

“ It’s not a re-engining. It’s a new plane,” Affonso says.

Source : Flightglobal/Embaer/Embaer Picture

                                                                       

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

             Cayman Airways a New Customer for the 737 Max

    The Caribbean carrier, a longtime Boeing customer, will replace four 737-300s that are approaching 25 year of age.  The new aircraft, which will come from lessor Air Lease Corp (ALC), will begin arriving in December 2018 through 2020.

       After retiring the -300s, “the logical progression would have been to go to 737 NGs,” Cayman Airways’ president and CEO Fabian Whorms said, but the lease structure put together by ALC swayed them to go with the newer design. The leases will be run for a minimum of nine years.

      Going from a -300 to a MAX8 will save the airline  20% in fuel costs alone. ”In fact, it will be more than that,” Whorms said.  The MAX’s will also be able to carry 40 more passengers than the existing aircraft and their faster cruising speed will save 15-20 minutes on the four hour flight to New York.

Source : ATW/Picture Boeing

                       Gulf Air Chooses Trent 1000 to Power its 787-9s

Bahrain-based Gulf Air selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine to power its Boeing 787-9s in a deal valued at $900 million.

Gulf Air announced in January that it is ordering 16 787-9s. The contract with  Rolls covers Trent 1000 engines to power 10 787-9s, plus options for additional Trent 1000s to power six more 787-9s. The agreement also includes long-term service support by Rolls-Royce.

( An interesting sidebar, Gulf Air’s long range fleet  was comprised of 22-24 767-300s which the airline used from 1988-2007.  Boeing’s 787-9 meant to be a replacement to the 767-300 with a wider fuselage 168 diameter for the 767-300

with seven across seating vs the 787-9 with a wider diameter fuselage of 226 inches with 8-9 across seating) Ed K

Source : ATW/Gulf Air Picture

   American Defers A350 Deliveries by More Than Two Years

     American Airlines has deferred the deliveries of all the 22 Airbus A350-900s on order. It is working to reduce its capital expenditures and manage capacity through 2018.  The Fort Worth-based carrier will take its first A350 in late 2018 instead of the spring of 2017, American said in a quarterly financial report.  Deliveries will continue through 2022, two years later than originally scheduled with an average deferral of 26 months.

     American will take two A350s in 2018, five in both 2019 and 2020, the remaining ten in 2021 and 2022, the filing shows.  It previously planned to take four in 2017, ten in 2018, six in 2019 and two in 2020.

     The deferral will reduce capital expenditures in 2017 and 2018 and provide capacity flexibility, the airline says.     Aircraft capital commitments are $4.06 billion in 2017 and $2.2 billion in 2018, the filing shows.  This is down from $4.58 billion and $2.89 billion, respectively, that American reported in April.

Source : Bloomberg/American           

      

LATEST NEWS

  • Herous-Devtek Canadian supplier has completed its first set of 777-300 ER main landing gear for delivery to Boeing, ahead of its contract to make the 777X main landing gear.
  • Azerbaijan Airlines is considering buying 10 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the carrier has announced.
  • Tara Air the Nepalese regional carrier has signed a purchase agreement with Viking for three Twin Otter Series 400S.
  • Kalstar Aviation, an Indonesian regional operator, signed a firm order for five E190-E2s. The value of the order has an estimated value of 582 million dollars.
  • Arkia Airlines signed a letter of intent (LOI) for up to ten E195-E2 jets, consisting of six firm orders and four purchase rights.
  • Porter Airlines, a Canadian regional airline, has signed a firm purchase agreement for three Bombardier Q 400s, valued at $93 million at list prices.
  • Xiamen Airlines officially launched its first ever trans-Pacific flights to North America on July 25, using 787-8 aircraft.
  • Thai Airways International first A350-900 has entered flight testing.  Thai Airways, which confirms the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered jet has carried out its first flight.  Thai has four of the type on order.

  • Fly Leasing has bought five Boeing aircraft.  Three 787-8s were purchased in a sale and lease back transaction with a leading flag carrier.
  • Avolon, the Irish lessor, delivered one Boeing 787-9 to China’s Hainan Airlines. This is the Fourth Avalon aircraft on lease to Hainan Airlines.
  • Qatar Airways doubled its deal for Boeing 777-9Xs on Wednesday July 13th, firming a previous commitment for 50 aircraft and adding new purchases for an additional 50 of the wide bodies.  

  • Allegiant Air  Las Vegas based airline has ordered 12 Airbus A320s from the airframe, in its first purchase of new aircraft.

 

AIR CARGO

           Cathay Pacific Expands Cargo Presence to Portland, Oregon  

     Cathay Pacific Airways announced an expansion of its freighter service in the Americas with the addition of a twice-weekly scheduled service to Portland International Airport (PDX). It will launch on November 3, 2016, subject to government approval.  Portland will be Cathay Pacific’s 18th cargo station in the Americas.

   The new Portland service will operate on a Hong Kong-Anchorage-Los Angeles-Portland-Anchorage-Hong Kong routing every Thursday and Saturday. They will use Cathay Pacific’s newest and biggest freighter, the Boeing 747-8F.

     The Boeing 747-8F aircraft offers more cargo space to carry the anticipated high volumes of semi-finished foot ware and apparel, electronics and perishables from Portland and its catchment area into Asia. Portland is also one of the fastest-growing hubs for e-commerce related shipments in the Pacific Northwest region.

     Cathay Pacific was the first Asia Pacific airline to take delivery of the Boeing 747-8F in 2011 and currently has 13 of this type in its cargo fleet. The Boeing 747-8F employs innovative technologies to bring about significant improvements to the airline’s ultra-long-haul freighter services, particularly on North America routes,while reducing the environmental impact of its operations.

   “We could not be more pleased with the commitment byCathay Pacific to launch Portland-Hong Kong service this fall,” said Keith Leavitt, Port Chief Commercial Officer.

Source : China Aviation Daily/Picture Cathay Pacific

       

MILITARY NEWS

                         KC-46 Completes Required Flight Tests

     The KC-46 Pegasus program completed all flight tests required for the Milestone C production decision on July 15, offloading 1,500 pounds of fuel to an A-10 Thunderbolt II.

   The successful A-10 mission was the last of six in-flight refueling demonstrations required before the tanker program can request approval from Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, to award production Lots 1 and 2, totaling 19 KC-46A aircraft.

      “It is great to see the KC-46 boom back in action and the program moving forward to a production decision”, said Col. John Newberry, the KC-46 system program manager.

   The other five required air refueling demonstrations were the C-17  Globemaster III and F-16 Fighting Falcon using the air refueling boom.  The Navy’s F-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II were also using the centerline and wing drogue systems, and the KC-46 a receiver aircraft.

      This test would not have been possible without contributions from the 412th Test Wing, 23rd Fighter Wing, 355th FW, 124th FW, the 896th Test Support Squadron and  40th Flight Test squadron which all provided aircraft manpower and equipment.  The milestone C decision to begin low-rate initial production is expected this month.

Source : Aero News Network/ Images provided with USAF news release

                         

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ed@kaplanianreport.com