Commercial Aviation News

The first BelugaXL has rolled out of the paintshop unveiling a special livery making it look like a Beluga Whale. The livery was one of six choices submitted to Airbus employees through a poll where 20,000 people participated. With 40% votes in favour, the smiley livery won.

Boeing majority stake in Embraer's commercial airplane business has been met my fierce backlash and outcry in Brazil. Read more below.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/boeing-embraer-deal-faces-political-backlash-in-brazil-1530892008

The first production A330neo aircraft visited South and North America during a worldwide route-proving flight test exercise designed to demonstrate to aviation authorities its compatibility with airports and readiness for airline operations.

This jetliner – an A330-900 version in the livery of TAP Air Portugal, the jetliner’s launch operator – is equipped with a three-class Airspace by Airbus cabin that offers more personal space for passengers, bigger luggage bins, the latest generation in-flight entertainment, wireless connectivity and full LED ambient lighting to reduce jetlag.

After a stopover in Lisbon, TAP Air Portugal’s home city (and future home of 21 A330neos currently on order by the airline), the A330-900 crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas where it paid visits to the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Recife, as well as Miami in the United States.

Following its Americas stopovers, the A330-900 returned to Europe, then continued toward Asia for the next phase of its route proving campaign, which includes ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards) flights and testing airport handling services. All told, its three-week flight test exercise will see the aircraft spend some 150 hours aloft as it visits 15 major airports across five continents.

Airbus has unveiled their newest model, the Airbus A220-300 which is formally the Bombardier CS300. This is the first tangible evidence to show their control over the Canadian CSeries program.

With the announcement of the renamed of the Bombardier CS300 to the Airbus A220-300, jetBlue has announced that it is making a substantial order for the plane, a 60 plane order (up to 120 aircraft) with planes due to arrive between 2020 and 2025. This is the target timeline for jetBlue phasing out their Embraer E190s.

Emirates reconfiguring their Boeing 777-200LRs

First Airbus A350for Philippine Airlines in a snapshot.

Moody's Investors Service is suggesting that jetBlue got a great deal in their new order for the 60 Airbus A220s. It is common for airlines to get large discount off from large orders. Typically the smaller the order the more closer to list price the airline may pay. The larger the order the plane manufacturer may feel inclined to give the customer something off of the purchase. Moody's thinks this is what happened with the jetBlue order and when it is done they estimate the order to be worth around 1.4 to 1.7 billion dollars or around 23 to 28 million per aircraft. That would represent a discount of close to 72 percent in the deal according to Moody's analysis.

Two of the first Boeing 777-9 planes are making steady progress in production. The first one will be a static ground test aircraft and the other is the first test aircraft that will fly. The below photo showcases one of the wings for the plane being prepped for systems installation. An integral part of the wings are the folding wingtips and they have arrived from their production site in St. Louis for the static airplane and the first flight-test article. The 777X will be able to fit in the same gate positions as the 77W (777-300ER) thanks to these folding tips.

Delivery flight of the Philippine Airlines Airbus A350 compliments Sam Chui.

It would appear that the first reused Airbus A380 (an ex. Singapore Airlines aircraft) acquired by HiFly has found a European operator. There is no word on who the operator is but it is known the company will utilize the aircraft on a wet lease basis for longhaul flights over the rest of the Summer period. The aircraft is configured with cabin fitting 471 seats.

Asia’s largest low-cost airline, AirAsia X, has placed a firm order for 55 Airbus A330neo (new engine option) jetliners – with deliveries of the newly-ordered aircraft scheduled to begin in 2018.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced recently that it has signed a firm order for four new CRJ900 regional jets with Uganda National Airlines Company. Based on the list price for the CRJ900 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$190 million.

“We congratulate the Government of Uganda for the revival of its national flag carrier, and are thrilled that the new airline has selected Bombardier and the CRJ900 regional jets for its upcoming debut,” said Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice President, Sales, Middle-East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Recognized for its superior economics and efficiency, the CRJ Series aircraft have enabled airlines worldwide to serve communities with better connectivity, and we look forward to supporting the development of Uganda’s regional air travel with these CRJ900 regional jets.”

China Airlines has revealed a special livery for their last Airbus A350 that they will take delivery on. Here we see the aircraft in a special 'carbon fiber' weaved livery...similar to that on one of the test certification A350s. B-18918 is going to be the registration on this one and is number (MSN 239) from Airbus.

Photo by Sam Chui

First Class on Saudia Airlines? Sam Chui reviews his experience flying from London (LHR) > Riyadh (RUH) on their Boeing 77W.

First Airbus A350-900 for Sichuan Airlines. Sichuan Airlines, the largest all Airbus fleet carrier in China, has taken delivery of its first A350-900 leased from AerCap in Toulouse, (8th August) becoming the first Chinese mainland operator via leasing to take delivery of the world’s newest and most efficient twin-engine widebody aircraft. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, Sichuan Airlines’ A350-900 aircraft features a comfortable two-class cabin layout of 331 seats: 28 business, and 303 economy. The airline will initially operate the new aircraft on its domestic routes, followed by its international “Panda Routes”.

Gulf Air is the first national carrier to fly the Airbus A320neo in the region. Gulf Air, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, took delivery of its first A320neo recently. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, made its maiden journey from Toulouse to Bahrain, landing at the Bahrain International Airport at 16:00 local time. The aircraft is the first of the 29 A320neo Family aircraft ordered during the 2016 Bahrain International Airshow. This delivery also makes Gulf Air the first Middle Eastern national carrier to fly the A320neo. Gulf Air currently operates 28 Airbus aircraft. The new addition complements the airline’s existing fleet and thanks to Airbus’ overall fleet commonality, the airline will benefit from low operating costs, optimum fuel efficiency and seamless, best-in-class passenger comfort of any single aisle aircraft.

How the Boeing 737 MAX 10 landing gear differs (or not) from the current MAX 8 and 9 variants.

The first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) took to the skies yesterday (Sept 17th), completing a maiden flight from the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France to the Airbus site in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft is now being prepared for cabin installation and painting in the airline’s special A380 livery.

The first Delta Airbus A220-100 has emerged from the paint shed. The aircraft will be the first landmark aircraft from Airbus which was the former Bombardier CSeries. The aircraft left final assembly line in Mirabel, Québec.