Commercial Aviation News

Emirates Airbus A380 registered A6-EVM is the first to be retrofitted with the new premium economy interior. The new Premium Economy cabin is a first for any Middle East airline, featuring 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout. The airline is planning to upgrade the entire interior cabins of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

Something like the emergency automatic landing software that some business jets and turboprops have.

Airbus highlights of 2022.

Last production Boeing 747.

Last departure of a production 747 from the factory.

...and they did this before leaving. 'Queen of the Skies'

https://twitter.com/flightaware/status/1620881990047399936?s=20&t=q4w8RYTzNeC2Bf0BKVYd6Q

Qatar Airways and Airbus are pleased to have reached an amicable and mutually agreeable settlement in relation to their legal dispute over A350 surface degradation and the grounding of A350 aircraft. A repair project is now underway and both parties look forward to getting these aircraft safely back in the air. The details of the settlement are confidential and the parties will now proceed to discontinue their legal claims. The settlement agreement is not an admission of liability for either party. This agreement will enable Qatar Airways and Airbus to move forward and work together as partners.

Delta Air Lines has firmed up an order for a dozen more A220-300 aircraft, bringing the airline’s total firm order for A220s to 119 aircraft - 45 A220-100s and 74 A220-300s. Throughout the years, Delta has reordered the A220 four times and is today the largest A220 customer and operator. "These 12 additional A220 aircraft will help power our increasingly streamlined fleet while also providing our customers with the elevated in-flight experience they’ve come to expect from Delta," said Kristen Bojko, Vice President of Fleet, Delta Air Lines. "Delta Air Lines was the U.S. launch customer for the A220 and this fourth reorder in just four years by a leading carrier as Delta is a most gratifying endorsement,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. "The aircraft is currently connecting Delta passengers on more than 100 routes at 25 percent* less fuel and CO2 emissions. If you want to connect today and tomorrow, you can’t do any better!"

Uzbekistan Airways, the national carrier of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has placed a firm order with Airbus for 12 A320neo Family aircraft (eight A320neo and four A321neo). The new aircraft will join the carrier’s current fleet of 17 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The choice of the engines will be made by the airline at a later stage. The A320neo Family aircraft will feature the new Airbus Airspace cabin, bringing premium comfort to the single aisle market. The airline is planning to operate its new aircraft to further develop its domestic and international route network. "The contract signed with Airbus is a new step in our fleet modernization strategy aimed at offering our passengers the most modern and comfortable aircraft. At the same time these new fuel efficient A320neo Family aircraft will help us to further expand and strengthen our footprint in Central Asia as well as develop our domestic and international network", said Ilhom Makhkamov, Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Airways.

German Airline Condor Flugdienst GmbH has taken delivery of its first A330-900 widebody aircraft out of an order of 16 A330neo aircraft. The A330neo will replace previous generation aircraft in their fleet to reduce Condor’s operating costs as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 25 percent. Condor’s A330neo will offer unrivalled passenger comfort and will accommodate 310 passengers, featuring 30 seats in Business, 64 seats in Premium Economy and 216 seats in Economy class.

Embraer (NYSE: ERJ, B3: EMB3) has secured a new firm order for 15 new E195-E2 aircraft from an undisclosed customer. The order is valued at US$1.17 billion at list price and will be added to the Q4 2022 backlog.

Carbon brakes is coming to the commercial world faster than you think. American Airlines is working with Safran Landing Systems to provide brakes from their Boeing 737NG planes. In December, American enlisted Safran’s services to provide lighter, more efficient carbon brakes for 300 of its Boeing 737NG fleet. Nicolas Potier, Safran’s executive vice president for wheels and brakes, reports that a task force has now been assembled for entry into service readiness, and to monitor the progress of the upgrade plan, which has been defined in close collaboration with the airline. “American Airlines’ wheels and brakes repair shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been supplied with all the necessary tooling and on-site training to ensure state-of-the-art maintenance practices on Safran products,” says Potier.

Latvian airline airBaltic has successfully returned the last of its Q400 turboprops bringing to an end its service of the type of more than 12 years to the airline. The aircraft was returned to lessor Nordic Aviation Capital. The move now means the airline operates only the Airbus A220. The Q400 operated more than 222 thousand flights all across the Europe with its turboprop fleet transporting millions in the process.

airBaltic announced an internal, company-wide initiative, aimed at exploring and generating ideas for the wide variety of practical use-cases of the previously announced SpaceX’s Starlink in-flight internet connectivity. airBaltic will work with SpaceX to achieve the required STC approval and is expected to begin installing the product on the entire airBaltic Airbus A220-300 fleet this year. Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic commented: “Last month, we announced that we are partnering up with the USA-based Starlink to gradually equip our whole fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft with a free-of-charge, high-speed, and unlimited internet connectivity. This will make airBaltic the first airline in Europe to introduce the modern in-flight connectivity, provided by Starlink.The Starlink product and its unmatched qualities provide almost endless opportunities for airBaltic. Therefore, this month, we have launched an internal initiative among all teams to brainstorm and come up with different ways to bring benefits – be it from an individual passenger point of view or company-wide. The initiative is launched as part of airBaltic’s ideaHub, an already established internal innovation and idea generation system, with one main aim in mind – to improve our passenger service and drive further efficiency within the company."

https://www.jetforums.net/threads/n...nic-truss-braced-wing-aircraft-unveiled.4544/

The Tata Group-owned Air India has announced its commitment to order 250 Airbus aircraft to boost its domestic and international operations. The commitment includes 140 A320neo and 70 A321neo single-aisle aircraft as well as 34 A350-1000 and six A350-900 wide-body jets that will mark a new era for the country as the all-new, long-range aircraft celebrates its debut in the Indian market. The order aims to both modernise and expand the airline’s fleet with the objective of creating a larger and premium full-service carrier that will cater to the growing travel demand in the region. Deliveries are set to commence with the first A350-900 arriving by late-2023. "Airbus has been a longstanding partner of Air India, and these new aircraft will play an important part in delivering Vihaan.AI, Air India’s comprehensive transformation and growth strategy," said Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD, Air India. "A core element of this transformation is the significant expansion of our network, both domestically and internationally, coupled with the elevation of our on-ground and onboard product to world-class standards. This order marks the start of a new chapter for both Airbus and Air India."

A new flag carrier has emerged from the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh Air is the name of the new airline. A statement did not say or suggest when the new airline would start. "The new national carrier will leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, enabling Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism," a statement seen on the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 website said. "Riyadh Air aims to enhance customers’ journey while connecting them to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030 through offering an exceptional experience with authentic, warm Saudi hospitality at its heart."

Future of commercial aircraft interiors and seating.

Riyadh Air is expected to launch with an all Boeing fleet eventually having as many as 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Riyadh Air said it will purchase 39 highly efficient 787-9s, with options for an additional 33 787-9s.