Ukraine International Airlines

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Volume 5 Issue 10 October 2018

ON THE BOEING FRONT

             Boeing Making Steady Progress with 777X (Part 2)

In Everett, Boeing has begun construction of the second autoclave, scheduled to move into CWC (composite wing Center) later this year.

Now housing a single autoclave, the CWC will eventually need to reach three full rate. For spar production, Boeing has erected two fabrication cells, allowing it to build a front and rear spar simultaneously. While the CWC also makes composite panels, skins, and stringers—86 of which go into each wing—the wing’s aluminum ribs are made in other Boeing facilities.

In the meantime, at Boeing’s Seattle-area test facility, the company has completed more than 20 labs and has entered the lab-testing phase. One of the labs, called the integrated test vehicle(ITV), covers 12,000 sq ft and took about three years to complete.  It tests all of the hydraulics and actuators, as well as folding wing operation, flaps, landing gear and various other items. Also in the test building sits what Boeing calls (Airplane), which took 33 months to complete. It began testing avionics and systems integration in March. Covering 11,000 square feet, it includes all avionics boxes,55 bays of equipment and 3,700 instrumented cables.

Featuring 105,000-pound-thrust GE9x turbofans and structural improvements to the fuselage that will allow for a 6,000-foot cabin altitude, the airplane remain positioned to meet Boeing’s 2020 entry-into-service target, according to Boeing.

For the fuselage, after much deliberation, Boeing chose to retain the aluminum design, while still incorporating not only a lower cabin altitude but also higher humidity levels and larger windows. Boeing’s familiarity with the legacy 777 allowed it to create an environment comparable to that passengers enjoy in the all-composite 787. In the opinion of this writer it is going to be another awesome Boeing product.

Source : Boeing/Boeing Picture

 

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                                   Airbus Rolls Out First ACJ320neo

The first Airbus Corporate Jets ACJ320neo rolled off the production line in Hamburg, Germany, the company announced on August 16. Registered as D-AVVL, the airplane has been fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines and painted in Airbus Corporate Jets’ house colors.

Following delivery to UK-based Acropolis Aviation in the fourth quarter, the aircraft will enter outfitting at AMAC in Basel, Switzerland, where an Alberto Pinto-designed cabin will be installed. It will be repainted in the customer’s colors.

Airbus ACJ320neo family aircraft feature new-generation engines and Sharklets, reducing fuel burn by about 15 percent and increasing range.

According to Airbus, the ACJ320neo can fly 25 passengers 6,000nm, 11,100 km, enabling routes such as London to Beijing or Cape Town and Moscow to Los Angeles, while the ACJ319neo can fly eight passengers 6,700nm/12,500 km.

ACJ320 family variants differ from their airliner counterparts by including a lower cabin altitude, build-in airstrips, and cargo hold that is reinforced to carry additional center fuel tanks. There are currently nine firm orders for the ACJ320neo family—three ACJ319neo and six ACJ320neo—according to Airbus.

Source : Airbus/Airbus Picture          

       

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                              Boeing Sells BBJ Max 7 to Seasons Trading

Boeing Business Jets has sold a BBJ Max 7 to Singapore company Seasons Trading.

Although Seacons Trading chief executive Duty Purwagandhi says the re-engined narrow body was selected “because it offers more room and more range” than the company’s current line-up, it is unclear if it will replace the current BBJ or Gulfstream G550 it operates.

“The BBJ Max 7 has features and capability that allow us to meet our very long-distance and demanding international flights with the best passenger comfort in its class,” adds Purwagandhi.

Green deliveries of the 7,000nm(12,950km)-range, CFM international Leap 1B-powered BBJ Max 7 are scheduled to begin in 2022, with Asian operator Orient Global Aviation the launch customer for the type.

Boeing says it has secured 20 orders for the BBJ Max family. The line-up includes the -8 and -9 variants—the re-engined variants of the BBJ2 and BBJ3, which are earmarked for green delivery in 2018 and 2020.

Boeing set up its dedicated division for business jets in 1996 and since then has taken 259 orders and delivered 233 aircraft.

Source : Boeing Business Jets

 

             Bombardier: Mission Accomplished for Global 7500 FTV1

As it nears certification for its new 7,700-nm flagship business jet, Bombardier Business Aircraft has retired the first 7500 flight-test vehicle—FTV1, dubbed “The Performer” — from flight-test duties, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer announced this week.  ”On November 4, 2016, the inaugural flight test vehicle took to the skies for the first time,” it said. On September 7, 2018 it has officially completed all of its flight testing and is going into retirement. Mission accomplished.

However, Bombardier said the aircraft itself is far from being retired. Instead, FTV1 has recently been painted at the company’s Global Completion Center, serving as a dress rehearsal for the paint shop, which was recently expanded to accommodate the larger model. The airplane will also be used as a demonstrator and appear at local company events ahead of the first production Global 7500’s expected service entry in the fourth quarter. In addition, Bombardier’s customer experience team is using FTV1 to validate all instruction manuals and procedural guidelines.

Meanwhile, the company said the rest of its Global 7500 flight-test fleet—FTV2 through FTV5—is wrapping up the final testing. To date test aircraft have accumulated more than 2,700 flight hours altogether.

Source : ainonline/Picture Bombardier

                                                                     

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

                       Narrowbodies Will Grow Their Share: Udvar-Hazy

Single-aisle aircraft will increase their dominance of global airline fleet as it grows over the next decade,AirLease executive chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy expects.

Speaking at an Aviation Club luncheon in London on September 13th, Udvar-Hazy said narrow bodies had upped their share from 70% to 75% of in-service commercial aircraft within a few years.” That trend will continue,” he predicts.

He singles out Airbus’s longest-range narrow body, the A321LR, as a crucial aircraft in the medium market, suggesting that “we will see a lot more of them on transatlantic routes” because the variant offers “ close to the Boeing 757 capabilities, but uses 30 to 35% less fuel”.

However, he says “the multimillion dollar question” is how Boeing responds with its New Mid-Market Airplane concept. Udvar-Hazy expects the airframe to make a final decision on The “797” by next summer.

He remains skeptical about the prospects of the Airbus A380.”It is ideal for about 50 to 60 city pairs, but its versatility is limited because of seasonal markets and airport infrastructure that makes it complex aircraft to support,”he says.Pointing to the fact that Emirates dominates the installed fleet and orderbook for the double-deck wide body, he adds “How do you estimate residuals when so much of the fleet sin the hands of one airline?”

Source : Flightglobal

         Ethiopian Defers A220 Decision Following Airbus Acquisition

Ethiopian Airlines has suspended its planned order for at least 20 examples of the former Bombardier C Series following Airbus’s acquisition and renaming of the program now known as the A220.The airline engaged in an evaluation of the former Bombardier program for more than two years. However, now that the European airframes controls the program’s marketing, Ethiopian has decided to wait and gain a better understanding of Airbus’s plans.

But just as Ethiopian concluded its evaluation, Airbus acquired the majority of the program and renamed the aircraft the A220. “The new owner has a new marketing strategy,” said CEO GebreMariam.“Thus we decided to give it time and see how the process is going to evolve.”

Now the airline is studying whether or not the Boeing 737Max aircraft order could eventually fit into the regional route network on which it intended the C Series to operate.

“We are closely studying the market if it can continue to grow to the level of the Boeing 737 Max, which is a 160-seater,” said GebreMariam, referring to the Max 8.”with the fast growth that we see in the African continent this market may grow to that level and we may not need to add additional complexity with a new model aircraft and the additional need for training of pilots and technicians.”

Source : ainonline/picture Ethiopian

           Virgin Australia Signs On As Latest Boeing Max 10 Customer

Boeing’s firm order total for the largest of its 737 Max line rose to 417 on Wednesday August 29, as Virgin Australia said it would convert delivery positions reserved for 10 of 40 Max 8s on order to Max 10 positions. Australia’s second largest airline expects to take delivery of its first Max 10 in 2022, some three years after it takes the continent’s first Max 8 in November 2019.

Brisbane-based Virgin Australia Group operates more than 130 aircraft, including more than 80 Boeing 737NGs.The addition of the Max jets forms part of a fleet modernization program expected to further boost prospects for a recovering domestic network.

The Max 10 incorporates a pair of fuselage plugs to extend the max 9’s length by 66 inches. Other changes include a levered main landing gear, minor changes to accommodate the 777-style landing gear and four-inch-wider mid-exit door to allow for extra 12 passengers, bringing maximum capacity to 230 passengers.

Source : Ed’s Research/Boeing/Virgin Australia Picture

     

 LATEST BRIEFINGS

  • Ural Airlines of Russia is to diverge from its all-Airbus fleet having reached an agreement to lease 14 Boeing 737 Max jets.                                                                                 
  • American Airlines CR Smith Museum reopened to the public on Labor Day following the successful completion of a redesign of its permanent exhibitions.
  • Gulf Air has received its first Airbus A320neo, the airline will eventually operate  12 examples.
  • First Airbus A380 has been dismantled and will be sold as spare parts as new lessee or buyer could not be found after a 10-year lease to Singapore Airlines.
  • Luxair Luxembourg’s national carrier plans to acquire two Boeing 737-700s in 2019 to expand its route structure.
  • Atlas Air has concluded a deal to acquire a Boeing 747-400 freighter from Lease Corporation International, increasing its fleet almost 40 examples.
  • Corendon Airlines will introduce three more Boeing 737 Max from the beginning of next year.
  • Ukraine International Airline continues its expansion program by acquiring seven new aircraft this year including a former Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER.
  • Biman Bangladesh Airlines put its first Boeing 787-8 into service on September 1.                                                                                                                                                                   
  • Air Peace announces an order for 10 737 Max aircraft from Boeing to expand its regional network.                                                                                                                             
  • Brazil’s GOL unveiled its new Boeing 737 Max 8 at an event in Sao Paulo after taking delivery from Boeing.                                                                                                                       

 

 

AIR CARGO

                                The BMW Vision iNEXT World Flight

The BMW’s autonomous iNEXT electric crossover is no ordinary vehicle. And to launch it, BMW is taking to the skies. In a round-the-world sprint spanning Sept.9-11, BMW flew the iNEXT in a Boeing 777 Freighter to press events in Munich, New York, San Francisco and Beijing, before returning to Frankfurt.

Four destinations on three continents in five days. The BMW Group teamed up with the Lufthansa Cargo  to present the BMW iNEXT World Flight as part of an event unparalleled in its execution.

Lufthansa Cargo and the BMW Group team have worked together closely to turn this extraordinary vehicle and technology presentation from idea into reality.

Preparation for the presentation event involved laying more than 7.5 km of wiring, while 78,000 LEDs in 165 Video LED modules and ten 13,000 ANSI lumen projectors will lit up a show inside the Boeing aircraft and that appealed to all the senses.

More than 120 specialists in exhibition stand constructions as well as experts from Lufthansa Cargo and the BMW Group have played their part in making the project happen.

Around 30 tons of material were used to construct a suitable platform on which to showcase the BMW Vision iNEXT.

Timings were tight, given the need to turn the entire set-up inside the 777F from presentation mode to flight mode and back quickly and securely.

The first guests were expected to arrive eight hours after the plane lands. And just four hours after the final presentation has been wrapped up at one venue, the 777 took off again for the next destination on its itinerary.

Source : Lufthansa Cargo/Pictures Lufthansa/BMW Automotive News

 

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

  MRO’s Technological Shift

Aircraft maintenance is rooted in touch labor and is likely to remain so for many years. New tools and materials sometimes make life easier for engineers, but human input still is invariably required.

Threatening to shake things up, however, are new technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

For example, Lufthansa Technik has developed an automated inspection and repair boot for combusted cracks, while several airlines have trialed drones for automated aircraft exterior inspections.

With the inspection drones an engineer is still needed to review the results, but fault recognition technology may soon remove the need for human eyes.

Most composite repairs are still done by hand, but automated processes will be an integral part of the aftermarket going forward—in part because of the imposition of stricter standards to inspection and repair procedures, which add to repair time if done by hand.

Many of these technologies do not threaten to replace human workers. Instead, they offer productivity gains, quicker turnarounds and more accurate inspections.

Looking ahead, a more interesting question is whether hardware or software improvements will offer the biggest gains for maintenance.

Source : pro-network/Picture Lufthansa Technik

 

LATEST MRO NEWS

  • Ameco launched Airbus A350-900 line maintenance services for air China.
  • IAI is considering resuming its Boeing 747-400 passenger-to-freighter conversion program.
  • KLM UK Engineering has an Alliance Airlines contract for Fokker 70/100 heavy maintenance.
  • MTU Maintenance has a 3-year Jazeera Airways contract for CFM56-5B maintenance/repair.

   

 

       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

Volume 5 Issue 2 The Kaplanian Report February 2018

On the Boeing Front


Customer Support is the Backbone to Selling Commercial Aircraft

One of the key successes of the Boeing Company Commercial Division in selling commercial jetliners beginning with the introduction of the 707 is the support for their aircraft. I thought it’s time to share with my readers the inside look at the operations of Boeing’s Spare Distribution Center  (SDC located very near to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.)

The 700,000 sq.ft. facility ships more than one million spare parts each year. It handles receipts, shipments and repairs of thousands of parts needed to keep Boeing Aircraft aircraft flying every day.

As an ex VP of spares in the car and Heavy Duty Truck industries, I took a detailed tour of the facility in 1996. The facility officially opened in 1993 and is one of five regional distribution centers for Boeing.  The other facilities are located in Atlanta, Beijing, Dubai, London and Singapore.

Open 24/7, The the SDC employs more than 245 workers to handle spares and the facilities MRO operations. Approximately 60% of the staff works first shift, which handles AOG  (airplane on the ground) and restocking parts. The remainder of staff (approximately 15%)  work third shift, which focuses on getting parts out the door.

Each day, the Seattle SDC handles around 600 receipts and ships 2,000-2,200 orders.  Annually,  the SDC has around 300,000 receipts and issues one million spare parts, including 400,000 AOG shipments.

The SDC has 150,000 sq.ft. bulk floor storage area which contains parts too large to store                   elsewhere  in the building. Boeing has packaging engineers in-house to design boxes,                                  which are made from heat-teated treated wood and shaped for the most efficient fit on cargo aircraft.

Each package leaving the facility includes a Boeing 8130—an FAA form stating that the part  is airworthy.  The SDC’s top priority is AOG. All AOG parts are ready to ship in four hours.  The facility’s mission is “right part, right place, right time.

Source : Personal notes and observations/ Pictures MRO online

 

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

                                  Airbus Rolls Out Higher-Capacity A321neo 

Assembly of the first A321 neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex) has been completed in Hamburg,                               the  manufacturer confirms.

The CFM International Leap-1A powered narrow body will undergo ground tests prior to its  scheduled first flight Airbus adds.  It gives “mid-2018” as the time frame for the first delivery to a customer.

The variant’s exits are positioned immediately aft of the wing and can be removed to allow a higher-density seating capability. In the high-density single-class layout, with a space-saving aft galley installed, the aircraft can seat up to 240 passengers.

This total is attained by locating 102 seats ahead of the overawing exits, six at the exits                      themselves, with 59 in the cabin between the wing and repositioned aft exits and 73 in                                                the rearmost section.  Pegasus, Qatar Airways and VietJet are intending to take the A321neo ACF.

Source : Airbus/Picture Airbus

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

Mitsubishi Aircraft Details Latest Organizational Changes

Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to undergo organizational changes that will see MRJ program                        director, Alex Bellamy, run what the company calls its new program management division which started on January 1, 2018.

The division was established to “reinforce the development and management of the MRJ                    program,”  the division encompasses the newly established integrated product team (IPT)                   execution department,  the governance management office, and the product strategy office.

In a recent interview with AIN, Bellamy reported that the program teams had flown four flight-test airplanes a total of some 1,500 hours, while production crews had attached wings and began painting the fifth flight-test airplane.  Bellamy detailed the status of the flight-test program at Moses Lake, Washington, where the four existing flight-test airplanes have completed more than 50 percent of their duties ahead of expected certification in late 2019.  Targeting first delivery to launch All Nippon Airways in mid-2020, program leadership now expects the MRJ flight-test airplanes to clock as  many as 3,000 hours, some 500 hours more than originally allocated.

Source : AIN/Photo Mitsubishi Aircraft

 

GE Completes First Ground Test of Advanced Turboprop Engine

Aviation completed the first test run of the new Advanced Turboprop (ATP) at GE’s Prague engine manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic. The first application for the 1,240-shp ATP is the Cessna Denali single-engine turboprop, which is scheduled to fly late this year. Engine certification testing begins this year.

With a 16:1 overall pressure ratio, the engine is expected to offer 20 percent lower fuel burn and 10 percent higher cruise speed compared with competing engines. Time between overhaul is set at 4,000 hours. The ATP is part of a family that will include engines in 1,000-to 1,600-shp range.

This new engine is also aimed at the Pilatus PC-12 and Daher TBM900.

Source : GE Aviation/ Ge Aviation Picture

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

            Alaska Airlines Set to Anchor Paine Field Opening Late this Year 

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is looking to solidify an anchor presence at the redeveloped Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport in Everett, Washington with the January 16 announcement of 13 daily flights to eight cities set to launch in the fall of this year.

Alaska’s new point-to-point destinations from Paine Field will be Las Vegas; Los Angeles;                       Orange County, California; Phoenix; Portland; San Diego; San Francisco; and San Jose, California.    Alaska said it will detail flight frequencies and departure/arrival times in the year, pending  government approval.

Snohomish County is partnering with Propeller Airports to build a new passenger terminal at the  airport for a planned opening in the fall of this year. Paine Field, originally constructed in 1936, is the home for Boeing’s Everett Factory, the manufacturing plant for Boeing’s 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft.  The airport is also home to over 650 general aviation, business and historic aircraft.  Of the three runways at the airport, only one— Runway 16R/34L, at 9,010 ft in length and 150 ft. in width— is suitable for large aircraft.  Alaska said last year that it is planning to utilize Boeing  737 and Embraer E175s for the new routes.

United Airlines is also planning for commercial flights at Paine Field. In August 2017 the                      Chicago-based carrier said it will operate six daily flights from the airport to its hubs in Denver and San Francisco.

Source : ATW/Ed’s Research on airport information

 

GECAS Takes Delivery of its 394th—And Last—Next Generation 737  

Culminating a 20-year history of new orders for the type, GECAS has received its 394th and final skyline order of Boeing’s Next Generation 737.

With an initial order placed in 1996, GECAS’ NG order book accounts for roughly one of every NGs delivered to date. Surpassing other lessor’s skyline orders for the type,  GECAS’ placements of NG’s have been leased to 64 operators across 32 countries. Exclusively powered by CFM-56 engines, the narrow body has served the airline industry for decades and is ideally suited for both commercial passenger and cargo aircraft.

“An exceptionally valuable asset in our portfolio, the Next-Generation 737 has been incredibly reliable for our customers,” states Declan Kelly, GECAS Executive Vice President, noting “Much of our success since the 1990’s is in some way attributable to the NG and the relationship we’ve developed with the team at Boeing.”

The Next-Generation 737 has been an icon of the aviation industry for two decades,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President & CEO Kevin McAllister.

“It’s been a workhorse for the airlines and lessors alike and we’re proud to have delivered so many of these airplanes to GECAS. We look forward to beginning a new chapter of success together when   GECAS takes delivery of   its first 737 MAX this year.”

Source : GECAS/Boeing

 

 FAA Approves 787-10 for Airworthiness

Singapore Airlines can take delivery of the first Boeing 787-10 on schedule after the US Federal Aviation Administration approved an amended type certificate.

Boeing announced the entry into service for the 787-10 as broadly the “first half of 2018”, but the approval of the amended type certificate now means that the first delivery could happen by the end of the first quarter.

Four years after Boeing launched the third and largest member of the 787 family, the 787-10 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-TEN engines entered flight testing 10 months ago at Boeing’s factory in North Charleston, South Carolina. The smaller 787-8 and 787-9 models will continue to be assembled in North Charleston and Everett, Washington, and the 787-10 is exclusively assembled in South Carolina.

The 787-10 received approval from the FAA after completing about 900 test hours. The aircraft is 5m(16.4ft)longer than the 787-9, but the two aircraft are nearly identical with a few exceptions. To accommodate the longer fuselage on takeoff, Boeing installed a 777-300 ER-style semi-levered main landing gear.

Boeing also increased commonality by moving some design changes made for the 787-10 into the smaller 787-9. The latter is now produced using the stronger wing designed for the 787-10.The 787-9 also uses hybrid laminar flow control in the vertical tail only, after the same system was deleted from the vertical stabilizers in the 787-10.

Source : Boeing/Boeing Picture

   

  LATEST NEWS

  • Xiamen Air has committed to purchase 150 CFM LEAP-1B engines and MRO support for 20 engines at $2.05 billion. The engines will be used to power Xiamen Air’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

  • Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has committed to lease the first two Boeing 737-800 freighters(737-800SF) converted by Aeronautical Engineers INC.(AEI) from GECAS, with the first delivery expected in June of this year.
  • Air Astana has taken delivery of the first Airbus A321neo. The aircraft, on lease from AerCap, is configured with 28 business class and 151 economy class seats.

  • Ukraine International Airlines took delivery of a Boeing 737-800 NG in December, completing its 2017 fleet expansion program.
  • Silver Airways Florida-based regional carrier has firmed its order for 20 ATR turboprops

  • KfW IPEX-Bank has financed two Boeing 787-9s, equipped with Rolls-Royce engines for Air New Zealand.
  • Irish Lessor AerCap firmed an order with Rolls-Royce to power 10 forthcoming Boeing 787-9s with Trent 1000-TEN engines. The transition is valued at $450 million at list prices.
  • Emirates Airlines has announced a $16 billion deal for up to 36 additional Airbus A380s.The Commitment is for 20 A380s and 16 options with deliveries to start in 2020.

 

AIR CARGO

 Aeronautical Engineers, Inc Delivers B737F to ASL 

Aeronautical Engineers, Inc, has redelivered a B737-400SF freighter to Irish based ASL Aviation – the company’s one hundredth conversion of this type.

ACL Aviation owns and operates a fleet of nearly 90 jet and turboprop aircraft, providing capacity for up to 147 passengers or 40 tons of cargo.

The delivery represents the thirteenth AEI B737-400 converted freighter that has been re-delivered to ASL over the last few years.

ASL currently has an additional four B737-400SF freighters, either undergoing conversion or scheduled for modification in 2018, at partner Commercial Jet’s Dothan, Alabama facility.

AEI president Roy Sandri said: “This milestone represents another important achievement in AEI’s history”.

“The AEI B737-400SF has been an exceptionally successful fighter for not only ASL, but all our leasing and operator customers worldwide.”

Source : aircargonews/ ASL Picture/Ed’s Research

 

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul News

Southwest Adds MRO Capacity 

Southwest Airlines is pressing ahead with plans to build a new maintenance facility at Houston Hobby airport.

The new 240,000sq-ft hanger will have space for six Boeing 737 aircraft and will include aircraft wash facilities on the apron outside, taxiway connections, parking and loading docks, as well as offices and parts storage areas. Work on the hanger should begin this spring to ready it for opening in late 2019.

Once the project is finished, SWA will have six maintenance facilities in the US, which should leave it less exposed to some of the mishaps that have resulted from outsourced MRO work in the past.

The new maintenance capacity is also needed to service a growing fleet. Southwest has roughly 200 Boeing 737 Max 7 and Max 8 narrow bodies on order, although it recently deferred deliveries of 23 Max 7s from the 2019-2021 period to 2023 and 2024. In December the airline indicated that it might use gains from proposed corporate tax cuts in the US to further invest in its fleet. Most of its backlog is for the larger Max 8 model, to which 40 more units were added in late December when SWA excessed options with Boeing.

Source : mro-network/Ed’s Research/Picture Southwest Airlines

 

MRO Latest News 

  • LATAM Airlines Group plans to build a maintenance center at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in the second half of this year to simultaneously service seven wide bodies or 19 narrow bodies.
  • Limco Airepair has a Korean Air contract to maintain aircraft heat exchangers.
  • Precision Aircraft Solutions redelivered three Boeing 757-200PCFs in December 2017: two to AF Airlines and the third to YTO. Haeco Xiamen, Ameco each modified one.
  • Bulgaria Air has awarded FL Technics a three-year deal to undertake base checks. Work has already begun on an initial Airbus A319.
  • Eva Air has extended its co-operation with Lufthansa Tecknik to cover component maintenance on its Boeing 777 Freighters. EVA Air took delivery of its first 777F in November 2017 and set to receive four more through September 2019.

 

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

P.S. To all my international readers, thank you for following my blog.                                                                 Your comments, questions and suggestions will be appreciated.

by

Volume 4 Issue 2 February 2017 The Kaplanian Report

ON THE BOEING FRONT

Boeing Selects CTT for 777X Humidification Systems

CTT Systems has been selected by Boeing to provide the humidification systems for flight deck,  crew rests and cabin zone A/B for the Boeing 777X aircraft.  CTT will be tier-1 supplier to Boeing and the CTT products will be offered as supplier furnished equipment in the 777X catalog.

CTT Systems AB, headquartered in Nykoping, Sweden and listed on the Small Cap of OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm AB, is the leading provider of aerospace products for active humidity control: inside the aircraft cabin-for increasing humidity-and in aircraft structures- for preventing condensation.

Selecting CTT enables Boeing to bring humidification capabilities and performance from the 787 to the 777X and migrate to premium passenger cabins (zone A and B). In total, the Boeing 777X aircraft can be equipped with five humidifiers.

The 777X will be the largest and most efficient twin-engine in the world, with 12 percent lower fuel consumption and 10 percent lower operating costs than the competition.

CTT’s humidifier maintains relative humidity in the human comfort zone, 20 percent Relative Humidity. A higher humidity on long-haul flights reduces dry air related problems (e.g. fatigue, jet-lag, red eyes, dry skin, spread of virus diseases) and improves wellbeing and sleep. The humidifier is baed on evaporative cooling technology and uses a method that effectively precludes the transfer of bacteria.

Source : Arabian Aerospace/Boeing

                      

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT

Airbus Prepares Beluga XL Core for Integration

Airbus has assembled the basic core airframe of the initial BelugaXL high-capacity transport designed to replace the A300-600ST logistics fleet.

The airframes, based on an A330-200 freighter with reinforcements, was assembled in December of 2016; but has yet to be mated with its nose or tail sections.

These sections will be added this year, the manufacturer states, as an 18 month integration process commences.  Beluga XL program head Bertrand George says the final integration will be “a series of small steps”.

“The Number of holes to be drilled and fasteners to be installed is far bigger than on any other Airbus aircraft”.  He says. “Sticking to schedule at each step is the key to being ready for first flight in 2018.”

Over the initial 12 months of the assembly, the airframe will be completed and fitted with mechanical and electrical components.  The final six months will involve transferring the aircraft to a new station for Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engine installation  and Ground testing.

Airbus is renewing the logistics fleet with five Beluga XLs to meet demand for A350 assembly. The Beluga XL will enter service in 2019.

Source : Flightglobal/Airbus

 

REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

 MRJ Delay Confirmed; System Revision Cited 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the parent of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., has made official a further two year delay in the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program.

Mitsubishi said on January 23, that the first delivery of the MRJ90 to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) would be pushed back to mid-2020 from mid-2018; meaning first delivery will be nearly seven years later than what was planned in the program’s original timetable.

Four MRJ90 flight test aircraft are currently flying, with a fifth slated to join flight testing this year.

The Latest delay is necessary because of “revisions to certain systems and electrical configurations on the aircraft to meet the latest  requirements for certification,” “the design changes will not effect aircraft performance, fuel consumption of functionality of systems” Mitsubishi said.

MRJ certification is now targeted for the second half of 2019.The company aims to achieve world class commercial aircraft development through integrated work between global and Japanese experts.

Source : Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp./Photo Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.

 

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

 GE9X Spools Up for Second Test Phase

Testing of the largest turbofan aircraft engine in history will enter a new phase later this year. Until now, GE Aviation has used the first engine to test (FETT) to validate design and performance assumptions.

With the second engine to test now in final assembly, GE is poised to begin a one -year cycle of trials required to earn airworthiness certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Although based on the architecture of the GE90, the GE9X sets new boundaries for the industry in terms of size-notably its 134in (340cm) fan diameter-pressure ratio (a claimed 61.1 margin at top of climb) and application of new materials, including the spread of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) to turbine nozzle guide vanes and combust or liners.

It also improves on the strength of the carbon fiber construction of the fan blades, allowing GE to assign only 16 blades for each engine, despite a 6in wider diameter compared with the 22 fan blades found on the GE90.

Each new feature in the GE9X must be validated as being as safe or better than the proven engine technology already in service, while still meeting performance promises such as a 10% reduction in fuel burn against the GE90.

And it must be proved ready on a tight schedule: Boeing plans to begin deliveries of the first GE9X powered 777-9 by early 2020, which implies a system-level, Part 25 airworthiness certification in late 2019 and an engine-level, Part 33 certification in 2018.

Source : Flightglobal/GE Aviation

 

Southwest Jockeys with Norwegian for 737 Max Launch Title

Southwest Airlines chief executive Gary Kelly says the carrier will be the launch  customer of the Boeing 737 Max “regardless of when we take the first delivery”, even as Norwegian prepares to be the first operator.

Kelly cites the Dallas-based carrier’s extensive involvement with Boeing on the development and testing of the latest generation of the venerable narrow body, as the rationale behind his comment during a quarterly earnings call today.

Southwest is the launch customer of the Max, placing the first order in December 2011. Norwegian placed its 737 Max order a month later in January 2012.

Southwest reaffirms that it will not debut the 737 Max 8 on scheduled flights until the end of the third quarter, when all its 737-300 and -500 aircraft, or classics, are retired.  ”We don’t really need the 737 Max for flying until October 1,” says Kelly.

“Norwegian will now be the first airline to take delivery of the 737 Max, and will be the first airline in the world to operate this brand-new aircraft type,” spokesman for Norwegian says.

The jockeying between Norwegian and Southwest sets up a race between the two carriers to see who will take the first 737 Max, with the odds likely on the latter due to its placing the first order and heavy involvement in the program.

Lion Air, Norwegian and Southwest are all scheduled to take their first Max 8s in May, the Flight Fleet Analyzer shows.  In addition,China Eastern Airlines, FlyDubai and WestJet are scheduled to take their first of the type before the end of September.

Source : Flightglobal     

LATEST NEWS

  • Flynas, Saudi Arabia’s leading low-cost carrier, has signed an agreement with Airbus for 60 A320neo Family aircraft

  • Juneyao Airlines has announced an order for 10 Boeing 787-9s, comprising five firm orders and five options.  The aircraft will facilitate the Shanghai-based carrier’s rapid international expansion.
  • SpiceJet sealed a deal worth $10 billion with Boeing for 100 737 Max aircraft.

  • Air Baltic, the Latvian carrier has received its second Bombardier CS300 aircraft after becoming the launch customer for the larger CSeries variant.
  • Trade Air, the Croatian Charter, carrier received its first Airbus A320, a former SATA international example.
  • Delta Airlines has taken delivery of its first US-built Airbus A321.  The jet N314DN (c/n 7281),was delivered from Mobile, Alabama, plant to Minneapolis, St Paul last December.
  • Arik Air of Nigeria has scrapped a longstanding order for two Boeing 747-8Is, replacing it with a pair of Boeing 787-9s.
  • China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC) signed a long term lease with Thai AirAsia for one Airbus A320, which is expected to be delivered this year.
  • Avolon, the Irish lessor, delivered one Boeing 737-800 to Malaysia-based Malindo Air. This is the forth Avolon aircraft on lease to Malindo.
  • Ukraine International Airlines has taken delivery of the first of six Boeing 737-800s, which are scheduled to join the fleet this year.

 

AIR CARGO

Crustaceans Crush 2016, Leading to 4.1 % Cargo Rise at Halifax 

Thanks to a booming year for lobster, Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) saw substantial cargo growth in 2016, processing more than 33,000 tons of cargo, up 4.1 percent over 2015.  An estimated US$187 million in seafood exports were shipped last year, an increase of approximately $40 million from 2015.  As demand for lobster and other high-value seafood grows in markets such as Asia, Halifax Stanfield International Airport expects continued growth in seafood exports.

Yangtze River Express Airlines was the latest cargo carrier to add services to Halifax Airport and take advantage of the lobster export season earlier this month.

The Chinese carrier operated five 747-400 F cargo flights between Canada and China since the first of the 2016 calendar year.

Passenger numbers were up as well, and bellyhold cargo is an important part of the story. Compared to the previous year, the 2016 passenger numbers were up 5.6 percent, said Joyce Carter, Halifax International president and CEO.  ”We are set to hit 4 million passengers in 2017.”

The airport is Atlantic Canada’s busiest full-service airport, with cargo connectivity to markets across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean Basin, Europe and Asia.  The airport processes cargo worth more than $447 million each year.

Source : Air Cargo World

 

  MRO NEWS

 GECAS Asset Management Services Aquires 737NG Inventory

GECAS Asset Management Services has entered an agreement with Air Berlin to acquire the airline’s entire inventory of 737NG spares including both rotables and expendables.

“Most components will be available for immediate shipment to our customers,” says Stefan Hayes, global commercial leader for GECAS Asset Management Services.

“We will soon have everything,nose to tail,that an operator of this popular aircraft type needs.This purchase represents an exciting opportunity for GECAS AMS to continue our relationship with Air Berlin while bolstering our 737NG stock and increasing our service capability.”

The material will be located at Asset Management Service’s warehouse locations in the U.S.,UK and Singapore.

Source : MRO network.com

    

Qantas Unveils $30 Million Maintenance Hanger for Its A380s   

636213810462889315-qantas-a380-in-new-lax-hangar                               

Qantas Airways unveiled a new $30 million hanger at Los Angeles International Airport, big enough to hold and perform maintenance on its A380s.

The hanger, the only facility in the U.S. designed specifically to hold the behemoth plane, was touted as signaling the airline’s commitment to Los Angeles as well to travelers making long-haul flights between the US and Australia.

“This is a win-win opportunity,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility on Friday, January 27th.

The Hanger is 480 feet by 370 feet and 12 stories tall, big enough to hold four passenger jets.The facility replaces a smaller 1950s-era hanger.

Qantas flies 40 flights per week between Los Angeles and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, primarily using A380s and Boeing 747 jets.

Qantas Group Chief Executive Alan Joyce, said the new hanger will make maintenance 20% more efficient because it allows more planes to fit the facility at the same time.  When Qantas wanted to work on an A380 in the old, smaller hanger, most of the plane would not fit inside, he said.

Joyce said that Qantas also plans to rent out the facility to other carriers at LAX.

Source : Los Angeles Times/ Photo Qantas

                       

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ekaplanian@msn.com

by

Volume 3 Issue 3 March 2016

ON THE BOEING FRONT

 Boeing Launches 737-800 BCF Program

Boeing has launched the 737-800 converted freighter program, with orders and commitments for up to 55 conversions. In a statement, Boeing says the modifications will be done at selected facilities near conversion demand, including Boeing Shanghai.

Modifications required include the installation of a large main-deck cargo door, a cargo-handling system and accommodation for non-flying crew or passengers. The first 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2017.

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The aircraft will have the capacity to carry up to 52,800 pounds of cargo, and a range of about 2,000nm. Boeing says 12 pallet positions, comprising 11 standard pallets and one half-pallet, will provide 5,000 cubic feet of cargo space on the main deck. There will also be two lower-lobe compartments, which will provide a further 1,540 cubic feet of cargo space.

GECAS will provide the initial aircraft for conversion, and has also ordered five conversions. Hangzhou-based YTO Airlines and Beijing-based China Postal Airlines have meanwhile signed for 10 conversions each. YTO has also committed to 10 additional conversions. An unannounced customer meanwhile has signed for five conversions with two commitments.

Boeing adds that it has also secured a further 13 commitments from China’s SF Airlines, Bulgaria’s Cargo Air, and an unannounced customer. The 737-800 BCF will primarily be used to carry express cargo on domestic routes.

“While the recovery of the global cargo market has been slow, we see demand for freighters, such as the 737-800 BCF, that will carry express cargo on domestic routes,” says Stan Deal, senior vice president, commercial aviation services, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Source : Flightglobal/Boeing/Photo Boeing

 

ON THE AIRBUS FRONT 

Airbus Group Lifts A330 Output Goal As Profits Meet Expectations                                                         

Airbus Group performed a partial U-turn on plans to cut production of its profitable A330 aircraft on Wednesday February 24th, easing the delicate transition to newer models.

The European plane maker said it now plans to build seven A330 wide body jets per month  from 2017; partially unwinding recent staggered cuts in output to six from 10 a month as it prepares for its new A350 jetliner and an A330 upgrade (the A330neo) .

Demand for the current generation of jets such as the 250-to 300-seat A330 faces a broad decline as a new generation of fuel-saving airplanes enters the market.

The move to reconsider the decline of one of its two main sources of cash and profits came weeks after Iran provisionally agreed to buy 45 A330 jets as part of a $27 billion deal following the lifting of sanctions. Airbus said it would have gone ahead anyway because of other deals.

“That should be enough to put a floor under production until a revamped version of the A330 enters service at the end of 2017”, Chief Executive Tom Enders said.

Source : New York Times.90

 

BUSINESS/REGIONAL NEWS

Embraer Rolls Out E190-E2 Aircraft

Embraer has rolled out its first next-generation E-Jet, an E190-E2, at its factory in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The E-190-E2’s first flight is slated for the second half of 2016 with first deliveries expected to take place in 2018. The E2s are exclusively powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofan engines.

Before a crowd of several thousand Embraer employees and invited guests – following flyovers from aircraft from Embraer’s three aviation divisions (commercial jets, executive jets and defense systems) and a welcome greeting from Embraer president and CEO, commercial aviation Paulo Cesar Silva – the doors of hanger F-300 slowly opened to reveal the first assembled prototype of the E190-E2jet, which gradually rolled out onto the tarmac before stopping, its nose several meters away from the gathered crowd.

“The rollout on February 25th marks the completion of the assembly of the first E190-E2 and paves the way for the start of the tests that will lead to first flight,”  Embraer SVP operations and COO-commercial aviation Luis Carlos Affonso said.

Four prototypes of the E-190-E2 will be created for the aircraft’s certification process. Assembly of the second prototype is underway; it recently had its wing junction completed, Affonso said.

To date, the E2 program has 640 commitments, comprising 267 firm orders and 373 options and purchase rights.

Source : ATW/Embraer Photo

 

    Gulfstream Starts G600 Systems Testing on Iron Bird

Gulfstream has begun simulated flight tests on the G600 Iron Bird ground rig preparation for the first large-cabin, long-range business.

During the 30 minute “flight”, the Iron Bird-housed at the airframe’s Savannah, Georgia headquarters-simulated taxi, take-off and landing, says Gulfstream. It also performed simulated maneuvers and transitions at different altitudes and airspeeds.

“This first flight sets in motion the testing and validation required for the G600’s actual first flight,” says Dan Nale, Gulfstream’s senior vice-president for programs, engineering and test. ”With the Iron Bird, we can confirm the characteristics of the system components, improve the integration maturity, make modifications and provide those benefits in a lab environment, all while on the ground and still in design stage, to the benefit of the flight-test aircraft.”

Gulfstream says the first G600 flight-test model and structural test vehicle are in production in Savannah.The 6,200nm (11,500km) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW815Ga- powered twin is scheduled to enter service in 2019 – a year behind its shorter-range stablemate, the G500.

Source : Flightglobal/Gulfstream

 

OTHER AVIATION NEWS

GE Aviation Finishes the Assembly of the First GE9X Test Engine

GE Aviation has completed the assembly of the first GE9X test engine at its Peebles, Ohio facility. It will shortly begin ground runs of the 100,000 kb-thrust (445kN)-class power plant for the 777X.

“The engine is assembled, it is just a matter of adding lots of instrumentation,” says GE9X program manager Bill Millhaem. Tests will begin “soon” he says, although declines to offer a precise date.

The GE9X features a basket of advanced technologies as GE strives to reduce weight and improve engine performance to deliver a 10% reduction in specific fuel burn over the  current-generation GE90.

These include use of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) on the inner and outer combusted liners, plus stage 1 and 2 nozzles and stage 1 shroud in the high pressure turbine.

“The first engine to test (FETT) wraps up the extensive technology maturation program for the GE9X engine program. It began five years ago and has included component-level, system-level and core demo testing to validate the advanced technologies and materials in the new engine,” GE said in a statement.  The CMC parts have so far performed “phenomenally”,said Millhaem.

The maiden sortie of the GE9X, using a company owned 747-400 flying testbed, is due to take place in mid-2017.  Engine certification is scheduled for October 2018.

Source : Flightglobal/GE Aviation

 

 Ryanair to Offer All Business 737-700 for Charter

Budget carrier Ryanair is to offer a Boeing 737-700 for corporate charter services, the aircraft configured with just 60 business class seats.

Ryanair – which acquired a 737-700 last year, indicating it would serve as a back-up and training jet – says that it is offering charter with the type.  The carrier’s regular mainline fleet comprises the larger 737-800.

The aircraft will be operated on routes up to 6 hours and the passengers will be offered a cabin fitted with leather seats, at a pitch of 48in, and fine dining on-board catering.

The airline will provide the cockpit and cabin crew.  Its a charter for hire division says the aircraft will be made available on a “cost per hour” basis, with overall quotes depending on the departure and arrival airport. “We offer the most competitive rate in Europe,” it said.

Source : Flightglobal/RyanairPhotos

 

Emirates Tim Clark Blasts Airbus for Confused Strategy On Wide Body Jets                                             

Emirates President Tim Clark faulted Airbus for lacking a coherent strategy on its biggest airliners; saying the plane maker should focus on an upgrade of its A380 super jumbo rather than spend resources on yet another variant of its new A350.

“Airbus’s thinking has become increasingly hard to read and talk further extending the stretched A350-1000 makes little sense”, Clark said on Thursday, March 10th at the ITB travel fair in Berlin. He added that he is not sure the manufacturer could afford to fund the project along the upgraded A380 he is keen to buy.

“There seems to be a certain amount of cloudiness,” Clark said. “They’ve got the A380 and then bingo, out pops the new A350-1000. I am not quite sure how that’s going to pan out.”

As the world’s leading wide body operator, Emirates exerts influence over the models that Airbus and The Boeing Co. develop.  The Dubai based carrier has made the A380 the centerpiece of its fleet, adding flourishes such as bars and showers. Emirates is eager to buy as many as 200 upgraded planes, even as a lack of orders from other carriers puts the model’s future in doubt.

Clark is evidently running out of patience after John Leahy, Airbus’s sales chief, said on March 1st, that there’s “nothing imminent” about the A380 re-engining plan and that even if the  Neo were available, Emirates is “not in a position to go ahead” until the mid-2020s because of lack of airport space.

Clark said that’s wrong and the Gulf carrier would be happy to take the aircraft from 2021 if Airbus builds it. Airbus said it could not immediately comment.

Airbus’s increasing focus on a double-stretch A350 is of less interest to Emirates because the plane would compete with the largest version of Boeing’s revamped 777X – an aircraft it’s already taking. Clark said a bigger A350 would add weight and create issues at airports from the extra length.

Source : Bloomberg/Emirates

 

LATEST NEWS IN BRIEF  

  • Air Canada on February 17th Air Canada announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent with Bombardier Inc. to acquire up to 75 Bombardier CS300 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500 G engines.
  • Etihad Cargo has taken delivery of a new Boeing 777-200 LRF freighter that will enable the freight arm of Etihad Airways to continue its expansion plans into 2016.

  • Boeing gets U.S. license to talk deals with Iranian airlines about buying jetliners; but it would need additional U.S. approval to make sales.
  • British Airways jet that caught fire in Las Vegas airport last year is being repaired and will reenter service. A team from Boeing carried the repair and the aircraft has flown to Victorville, California for painting.

  • Oman Air  has agreed to a three year wet leasing deal for two Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8s.
  • Ukraine International Airlines will replace its 737 Classic fleet with newer types through the end of 2018. The carrier took delivery of a 737-800 on January 22nd and announced plans to expand the fleet with six of the type this year.
  • Iran Air placed a firm order for 20 ATR 72-600s and took options on a further 20, valued at $1.1 billion at list prices.

  • Travel Service Czech leisure carrier is aiming to operate 40 Boeing 737-MAX 8s by 2025 and has just leased a further 16 aircraft, increasing its commitment to 25 of the type.
  • Air Niugini ordered four Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The previously unidentified order adds to the Papua New Guinea national carrier’s fleet of Next Generation 737s and 767-300ERs.

  • Philippine Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to purchase six A350-900s. The Order is valued at $1.8 billion at list prices.
  • Airbus the first Airbus A321neo equipped with CFM International Leap-1A engines completed its maiden flight on February 9th from Hamburg, Germany.

 

AIR CARGO

     Kalitta Air to Diversify with 767 Freighters 

Kalitta Air relies on a fleet of 747 freighters for the long-haul flights it is known for carrying large payloads, including heavy machinery, delicate medical equipment, perishable foods, even livestock. So what’s with 767s the cargo carrier is now purchasing? 767s may be the go-to freighters for the integrators, but they’re rare in general freight world.

The answer is a combination of fleet maintenance requirements and a strategy shift at the Michigan-based carrier.  “The time is right for Kalitta to develop in the domestic market”, said Pete Sanderlin, the vice president and general manager, and the number two guy behind CEO and owner Conrad “Connie” Kalitta. Right now, Kalitta Air operates thirteen 747 freighters, three of which are 30 years old 747-200s.Sanderlin said it’s getting difficult to secure parts for the -200s,and since five of the 747-400s are tied up in DHL operations,Kalitta Air does not have many freighters available for other business.

The Airline recently purchased four 767-300 passenger aircraft, two of which are being converted to freighters by Bedek in Tel Aviv.  ”We got them because we want to diversify,” Sanderlin said, adding that most of Kallita’s work is on the international stage.  “We do little in the U.S. domestic market,” he said.  But the plan is to test the waters with the new freighters.

Of course, bringing in new freighter type does not mean abandoning the old. In addition to acquiring the 767s, Kallitta Air also plans to expand its fleet with more 747s. In fact, Sanderlin said they are in negotiations right now to purchase another 747-400 freighter.

Kalitta Air is not a huge airline, but with 1,500 employees and almost 20 freighters, it’s not small by any means.  In addition to the airplanes, Kallitta Air has its own engine shop, airframe maintenance facility and training facility with three simulators, which Sanderlin said is unmatched by carriers of its size.

Perhaps one reason Kallita Air has continued to thrive is because it does so much in house. Another reason is leadership. ”Connie is very close to the business, very hands on,” Sanderlin said. He added that he and Kalitta make most of the decisions together.

Source : Air Cargo World /Picture Kallitta

 

MILITARY

                        Boeing’s Second KC-46A Achieves First Flight 

Boeing’s second functional KC-46A has joined the fledgling pegasus fleet as the US Air Force’s next-generation tanker program advances towards a production decision by the Pentagon in April or May.

The fourth engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft took flight from Boeing’s Paine Field in Washington state on the second of this month and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle.

The company announced the flight in a statement and confirmed that the second 767-2c aircraft (EMD-3) used for FAA and military type certification will join the tanker program in April.

“Adding a second tanker to the flight test program is very important as we move into the next phase of testing,” US Air Force KC-46 system program manager Col. John Newberry says.  ”The team will initially use the aircraft to test mission system avionics and exterior lighting. Later, it will share the air refueling effort with the first KC-46.”

Adding the second fully configured tanker will help Boeing move through “receiver certification” for 18 aircraft types.  KC-46 has already demonstrated functionality with the Locheed Martin F-16, Boeing F/A-18 and refueling from a Boeing KC-10.

Source : Flightglobal/Boeing

  

Researched and Compiled by : Ed Kaplanian

Commercial Aviation Advisor

Contact – ed@kaplanianreport.com