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Thursday, June 28th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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The first ACJ320neo (new engine option) has entered final assembly in Hamburg, Germany, marking the start of a new era in Airbus Corporate Jets.
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Featuring the largest cabin in its class, the ACJ320neo is due to be delivered to Acropolis Aviation of the United Kingdom in the last quarter of 2018, together with a second aircraft, for Comlux of Switzerland.
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More than 300 A320neo Family airliners are already flying with carriers around the world, but deliveries of corporate jet versions are only just beginning.
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Like the airliner versions, the ACJ320neo Family features new-generation engines and Sharklets, which save around 15 percent in fuel and deliver a leap forward in range.
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The resulting ACJ320neo can fly 25 passengers 6,000 nm/11,100 km or 13 hours – enabling routes such as London to Beijing or Cape Town and Moscow to Los Angeles – while the ACJ319neo can fly eight passengers 6,700 nm/12,500 km or 15 hours.
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The hallmark of the ACJ320neo Family is a wider and taller cabin than that of traditional business jets, while having a similar ramp footprint and operating costs, and better residual value.
The differences in the ACJ320neo Family compared to airliner variants include a cargo hold that is reinforced to carry additional centre tanks (ACTs) for intercontinental range, built-in airstairs for airport autonomy, and a lower cabin altitude for passenger comfort.
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S7 Airlines has received its first new Airbus A321-200neo aircraft from Air Lease Corpor.
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This aircraft is the first of four Pratt & Whitney PW1133G-powered A321neos to be delivered in 2018 to S7 from ALC’s order book with Airbus.
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“The four new ALC A321neo aircraft bring a new level of operating efficiency and competitiveness to S7’s fleet,” said Alex Khatibi, Executive Vice President of Air Lease Corporation. “S7 is a highly regarded customer for ALC and this lease placement underlines our commitment to S7’s modernization and continued successful growth as a leading airline.”
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QantasLink’s first upgraded turboprop aircraft took to the skies with a refreshed cabin and greater comfort for the airline’s regional customers.
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The upgraded Q300 turboprop was unveiled on June 26, at QantasLink’s hangar facility at Tamworth Airport, the airline’s hub for regional aircraft maintenance. The program to upgrade the fleet of 45 Bombardier Q200, Q300 and Q400 aircraft is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
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The fleet upgrade is part of a multi-million dollar commitment to providing regional passengers with a better overall travel experience.
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The improved turboprop experience includes new ergonomic seat cushioning, leather upholstery, tablet device holders, a refreshed colour palette of greys and charcoals and new floor coverings.
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Each turboprop aircraft takes around 10 days to upgrade, with up to 13 engineers and project support staff working on each aircraft. The work is timed to coincide with scheduled maintenance and closely aligns the turboprop interiors with those in the QantasLink jet fleet.
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Norwegian has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with an upgraded cabin of new slimline seats that are specifically designed for more comfort on longer routes and will give taller passengers more personal space.
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Norwegian has more than 100 Boeing 737 MAX on order and will take delivery of 12 brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2018. The aircraft service Norwegian’s transatlantic routes to New York and Providence near Boston, from the UK and Ireland and as part of the airline’s fleet modernisation plan, the 737 MAX will replace older Boeing 737-800s on short-haul routes.
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On the one-year anniversary of launching nonstop transatlantic flights to smaller cities on the US East Coast, Norwegian has enhanced the passenger experience on its Boeing 737 MAX by introducing the brand new RECARO 3710C seat.
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The new slimmer 189 leather seats have 30” seat pitch and measures 16.8” wide and are designed to add space at knee-level giving customers additional comfort on Norwegian’s newest 737 MAX.
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Each seat weighs around 10kg - 1kg less than the older model, which reduces the weight of the aircraft by more than 200kg overall. The lower aircraft weight reduces fuel burn and Norwegian’s operating costs which allows the carrier to continue delivering affordable fares and an environmentally friendly service.
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Boeing and the U.S. Army celebrated a major CH-47F Block II program milestone with the loading of the first engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) helicopter into final assembly on June 27.
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The contract to develop the next-generation Chinook for the U.S. Army conventional and Special Operations Forces was awarded to Boeing in July 2017. The Block II program incorporates several upgrades to increase lift capability, including Advanced Chinook Rotor Blades, an upgraded fuselage, new fuel system, and new drivetrain. These updates greatly increase the commonality between U.S. Army and allied fleets, thus reducing maintenance costs.
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The first Block II aircraft is expected to be completed in 2019, with flight testing scheduled shortly thereafter. First delivery is expected in 2023. Eventually, the Army will upgrade more than 500 Chinooks to the new configuration.
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TAG Farnborough Airport has been awarded carbon neutral status, the first business aviation airport in the world to achieve this under Airport Carbon Accreditation run by Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE). To achieve carbon neutral status, an airport must have mapped its carbon emissions, reduced CO2 emissions under its direct control, engaged with others on the airport site to reduce their emissions and invested in responsible and credible programmes to offset residual carbon emissions.
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Over the past decade, TAG Farnborough Airport has reduced carbon emissions over which it has direct control by 42% or 2,183 tonnes (2008 carbon emissions: 5,242 tonnes) and over the past 5 years alone has invested over £1 million into energy efficiency projects.
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“As a world-class facility, TAG Farnborough Airport is committed to responsible and sustainable development through comprehensive management of our environmental impact. Whilst carbon neutrality is without a doubt an important milestone in our carbon reduction efforts, our work in this field by no means ends here and we will continue to identify new and innovative ways to improve our sustainable credentials,” said Miles Thomas, Environment Manager TAG Farnborough Airport.
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Airbus H125 and H130 helicopter customers will get a boost in their operations thanks to a significant reduction in direct maintenance costs for the Safran Arriel 2D engine, which equips both single engines.
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The two main improvements provided by Safran are the extension of 25% of the time between overhaul (TBO) to 5,000 hours for new and in-service helicopters, and the new three year/ 2,000 hours warranty conditions – replacing the previous two year/1,000 hours warranty – for all H125 and H130 helicopters delivered in 2018.
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H125 and H130 customers will also benefit from the removal of the calendar limitation, which until now required an engine inspection at a repair centre every 15 years, regardless of the number of hours logged. The robustness of the Arriel 2D eliminates the need for a calendar limit on modules 1, 2, 4 and 5, while for module 3, the engine’s condition can be restored during a periodic visit performed at a maintenance centre.
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PPG has begun preliminary windshield design work for the Antonov AN-132 multipurpose transport plane, following the execution of a memorandum of understanding.
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“PPG looks forward to working with Antonov to complete the windshield design for the AN-132 aircraft using innovative technology that offers reliable performance,” said Brent Wright, PPG global director, aerospace transparencies. “This is the first Antonov aircraft for which PPG will provide its transparencies expertise. We appreciate the opportunity to demonstrate our unique ability to work with our customers to address their challenges and bring product benefits that far exceed their expectations.”
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Once commercial terms are agreed to, PPG and Antonov will develop the final design and production schedule. Qualification of the two windshields is expected to be completed in 2019.
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The Antonov AN-132 multipurpose transport plane is a new generation of the AN-32 aircraft. The program is being implemented by the Antonov company in cooperation with the Saudi King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Taqnia Aeronautics Co. The first aircraft will be assembled in Ukraine, with series manufacturing transitioning to Saudi Arabia, with the involvement of Taqnia Aeronautics and KACST.
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With 415 votes for and 119 votes against, the U.K parliament has given the go-ahead for the construction of a third runway at the city’s busiest airport, Heathrow. However, this is just one more step in many phases that will have to be gone through before any construction work.
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The vote gives the green light to the construction of a new runway at the airport, but that is all. There is still a long way to go before it will be agreed what, exactly, can be built, and what increase in flight numbers will be permitted. There is still sufficiently strong opposition to the runway, not just from key British ministers such as Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, who was conspicuous through his absence from the vote, and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who immediately took to Twitter afterwards: “I will join the legal action brought by local authorities in opposition to Heathrow expansion.
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“The Government is pressing ahead with the wrong option, resulting in intolerable noise levels and worsening air quality.”
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There is considerable and understandable opposition to the new runway from residents in the location, many of whose homes have now been blighted.
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According to the airport’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye: “With the airport now running at 98% capacity, there is no room for growth and the UK faces losing valuable opportunities to other countries.”
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The airport will continue to increase passenger numbers for now, but only through carriers using larger planes for the existing number of slots.
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The third runway has the potential to increase the current 480,000 takeoffs and landings each year to around 740,000 – an increase of 54 per cent.
In terms of passenger numbers, the third runway could increase capacity to 130 million, a near 70 percent rise compared to the 78 million who passed through the airport in 2017.
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MEKCO Group has entered into a strategic partnership with Donica, as their dealer and authorized repair facility for In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity (IFEC) equipment sales & repairs.
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The partnership allows MEKCO to provide repair management, installations and distribution of Donica's product line including "plug & play" products (DMR, PRAM, QACVR) which are a replacement solution for legacy aircraft. These products increase output quality, storage of memory, potentially lower maintenance costs, lighter weight and longer in-service time.
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MEKCO Group's current capabilities will expand with this partnership to include installation and repair of W6000, and Smart LCD units. Additionally, MEKCO performs IFE & IFEC repairs, in-cabin electronics & electromechanical repairs as well as in-cabin interiors repair such as plastics, composites and panel adjustments.
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