Commercial Aviation News

Air France has received its first A220-300 from an order for 60 aircraft of the type, the largest A220 order from a European carrier. The aircraft was delivered from Airbus’ final assembly line in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada and officially unveiled to the public during a ceremony held at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle Airport. The A220 is the most efficient and flexible aircraft in the 100 to 150 seat market segment today. The renewal of the Air France single-aisle fleet with this latest generation aircraft will increase efficiency along with customer comfort and support Air France to meet its environmental goals and sustainability objectives. The first Air France A220-300 will be operated on its medium-haul network from the 2021 winter season. Currently, Air France operates a fleet of 136 Airbus aircraft. Air France is also renewing its long-haul fleet, and has already taken delivery of 11 A350s out of an order of 38.

The 32nd Airbus A220-300 has been delivered to AirBaltic. The airline is taking delivery of A220s at a rapid rate. his one is registered YL-ABF.

New seats take off on Wizz Air's new Airbus A321neo. Recaro Aircraft Seating SL3710 economy style seats are fitted onboard the type. 146 shipsets will be delivered to Wizz Air through to 2027. "The SL3710 is a natural fit on Wizz Air’s new Airbus A321neo, since the main goal is to conserve weight and extend the life cycle of the seat without sacrificing comfort," said Mark Hiller, CEO and Shareholder at Recaro Aircraft Seating. "The cornerstone of our partnership with Wizz Air is our ability to provide quick and effective support, which is only possible due to our global network of customer service teams."

A new Alitalia is born. This airline will become ITA (Italy Air Transport).

On Saturday 23 October, Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways operated its most sustainable flight ever which involved a 72% reduction of carbon emissions. London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight was reported to have avoided the production of 64 tonnes of co2. "These are noteworthy savings,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group. “When Etihad committed to achieve net zero, it was acknowledged that it was only possible if the airline worked collaboratively and positively with our industry partners. That is exactly what Etihad has done with the Sustainable Flight. Of equal importance, Etihad, Boeing and its partners – airports, ANSP, and suppliers – used the flight to learn where further improvements could be made."

jetBlue's trans-Atlantic service started with a bang. However, if you haven't flown it then you wont necessarily know what the experience might be like. Sam Chui recently did this leg from JFK to LHR on the Mint-equipped Airbus A321LR of jetBlue.

Sam Chui interviews Sir Tim Clark, the President of Emirates Airlines on the future of the carrier.

General Electric is to focus solely on its aviation side of its business. By that we mean it will be moving its side arm businesses in the areas of healthcare and energy by 2024. The conglomerate is expected to spin off GE Healthcare in early 2023 but will retain a 19.9 percent stake; divestiture of GE’s energy segment will occur a year later.

5G is causing a stir in the aviation industry and not in a good way. For many of the American (United States) airlines they have asked the White House to delay 5G cellular expansion. It is no secret that 5G has been affecting aircraft especially d=fears of altimeter interference. Cell companies in the U.S want to use newly available radio frequencies for their 5G networks. However, those frequencies encroach on frequencies used by aircraft altimeters which is what is sparking safety concerns by aviation operations.

Boeing 777X lands in Dubai for the Dubai air Show.

If you thought the GE9X powerplant that is fitted on the Boeing 777X is huge then you should see the Rolls Royce Ultrafan that RR is developing to power the next generation of commercial airliners. Being that this new engine is for next gen aircraft it makes sense that it is being built with techniques and methodologies that are high tech as well. ITP Aero has used 3D printing to manufacture a Tail Bearing Housing (TBH) component for the first Rolls-Royce UltraFan demonstrator engine. Whether they will continue to 3D Print for this part down the road for future Ultrafan engines is not known.

GE Aviation delivered its last CF6-80E1 production engine to China Airlines. "China Airlines and GE Aviation have worked together for many years, and we are privileged to deliver the final CF6-80E1 engine to them," CF6 General Manager at GE Aviation, Mike Kauffman, announced in a statement.

Alaska Airlines seems to have removed their order for 30 A320NEO. Alaska Airlines has long had a fleet largely comprising of Boeing 737 aircraft and it seemed odd that they would go for and Airbus order. In fact this order appeared to have been inherited when the airline acquired Virgin America.

Airbus market forecast out to 2040.

In the next 20 years, Airbus forecasts demand for air transport to progressively shift from fleet growth to the accelerated retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft, resulting in a need for some 39,000 new-build passenger and freighter aircraft, 15,250 of these for replacement. As a consequence, by 2040 the vast majority of commercial aircraft in operation will be of the latest generation, up from some 13% today, considerably improving the CO2 efficiency of the world’s commercial aircraft fleets. The economic benefits of aviation extend beyond the sector, contributing around 4% to annual global GDP and sustaining some 90 million jobs worldwide.

While having lost nearly two years of growth over the COVID period, passenger traffic has demonstrated its resilience and is set to reconnect to an annual growth of 3.9% per year, driven by expanding economies and commerce around the globe including tourism. The middle classes, who are the likeliest to fly, will grow in number by two billion people to 63% of the world’s population. The fastest traffic growth will be in Asia with domestic China becoming the largest market. The demand for new aircraft will include around 29,700 Small aircraft like the A220 and A320 Families, as well as about 5,300 in the Medium aircraft category such as the A321XLR and the A330neo. In the Large segment, covered by the A350, a need for some 4,000 deliveries is expected by 2040. Cargo demand, boosted by e-commerce, is driven by an expected growth in express freight of 4.7% per year and a general cargo (representing about 75% of the market) growth of 2.7%. Overall, over the next 20 years there will be a need for some 2,440 freighters, of which 880 will be new-build.

Quick decaling of the 50th anniversary on the Etihad A350-1000 A6-XWB.

New Airbus order...

Are airlines a risky investment?

777X arrives in FRA.

Collins Aerospace has completed the purchase of FlightAware, the flight tracking software company. "Across the industry we serve, we are focused on helping our customers turn data into value, enabling them to increase efficiency and reduce cost while improving the sustainability of their operations," said Collins Aerospace president Stephen Timm. "With FlightAware onboard, our new Connected Aviation Solutions business unit combines the best of Collins’ aircraft systems with established data networks and connectivity solutions, together with the recognized leader in data collection and analytics. We are well-positioned to launch a new generation of smarter digital solutions."

With International Airlines Group (IAG) expressing interest in acquiring Spanish carrier Air Europa it seems that a UK watchdog regulator has started an inquiry into the process. Initially the inquiry will be about two months.

https://www.reuters.com/article/air...vestigates-iags-air-europa-deal-idUKKBN2I70GH