All Aircraft programmes articles – Page 57
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NewsAirbus and Rolls-Royce cancel E-Fan X hybrid-electric RJ100 experiment
Airbus and Rolls-Royce have axed the E-Fan X demonstrator programme, a year before the experimental hybrid-electric engine airliner was supposed to fly. The E-Fan X programme was launched to explore electric aviation and involved equipping a BAE Systems Avro RJ100 with a hybrid engine. But Airbus chief technology officer Grazia ...
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NewsMC-21 flight-testing resumes as Irkut adapts to new practices
Flight-testing of the Irkut MC-21 has resumed at Moscow’s Gromov institute after a temporary interruption to enable compliance with new requirements to counter the coronavirus outbreak. United Aircraft states that it is trying to “minimise the impact” of the situation on the twinjet’s test and certification programme. It says it ...
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NewsAirbus develops anti-spill cover to protect A350 centre pedestal
Airbus has developed a removable cover for A350 integrated control panels, designed to protect vital systems from inadvertent liquid spills in the cockpit, after two incidents which preceded uncommanded engine shutdown. The cover – which protects engine master levers, thumbwheels and rotary knobs – needs to be removed during critical ...
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NewsAirbus tests resin-transfer for A320neo spoiler production
Airbus partner Spirit AeroSystems has started manufacturing resin-transfer moulded spoilers for the A320neo family, applying the process for the first time to high-volume large aircraft structural components. Resin-transfer moulding involves clamping dry fibres in a mould before injecting resin, a process which results in a consistently accurate product, the airframer ...
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NewsA321XLR metal-cut commences as structures supplier list firms up
Airbus has cut the first metal for the initial A321XLR and completed selection of suppliers for the long-range aircraft’s key components. The A321XLR, an evolution of the A321neo, was unveiled at the Paris air show last year and is intended to operate across a range up to 4,700nm. Airbus has ...
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NewsAirbus engages ‘remote delivery’ initiative to transfer aircraft to customers
Airbus has started capitalising on communications technology and amended logistical procedures to enable delivery of aircraft remotely, allowing it to continue handing over jets to customers despite the restrictive measures imposed by the coronavirus crisis. Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines has received three Airbus A320neo-family jets through the remote process ...
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NewsRussian titanium giant cuts output as aircraft demand sinks
Falling demand for new aircraft has prompted the major Russian metals producer VSMPO-Avisma to cut the quantity of titanium output by about a third this year. The company is a key supplier to the aerospace industry – including Boeing and Airbus – providing the materials for such assemblies as landing-gear, ...
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NewsBig Japanese 787 suppliers suspend operations
Boeing’s Tier 1 manufacturers in Japan have suspended 787-related operations, following the US airframer’s factory closures in the USA due to the spread of the coronavirus. Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Subaru’s aerospace unit both announced the closure of their 787-related factory lines from 20 April until May. Kawasaki’s ...
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OpinionHailing the A310’s lasting legacy
Airbus invented the original widebody twinjet more than half a century ago, so it seems appropriate that a Toulouse product looks set to be the first of the breed to become extinct.
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NewsAirbus chief: Crisis likely to be ‘a long one’
Airbus is expecting to review its production rates every month after reducing its output by a third in response to the coronavirus impact. Chief executive Guillaume Faury, speaking on 8 April, was unable to estimate when rates would be restored but said he thought the crisis would “probably be a ...
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NewsAirbus records 15 A350 cancellations but reveals order for 10
Airbus has recorded cancellations of 15 A350s as well as four A330neos during March, although it secured a firm agreement for 10 A350s from an undisclosed customer. Six A350-1000s and four A350-900s from Latin America’s LATAM are part of the cancellation. Five A350-900s ordered by Kuwait Airways have also been ...
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NewsAirbus cuts aircraft production by a third as 60 jets stay undelivered
Airbus is cutting monthly production of single- and twin-aisle aircraft by about a third, slashing output of A320s to just 40 aircraft. It is taking monthly production of A350s down to six and A330s down to two. “With these new rates, Airbus preserves its ability to meet customer demand while ...
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Airline BusinessEnd looms for passenger A310s as Air Transat retires fleet
Operational airline fleet decline to single digits as Canadian airline calls time
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NewsA330-800 obtains ETOPS clearance beyond 180min
Airbus’s A330-800 has secured European approval for extended twin-engined operations (ETOPS) running beyond 180min. The clearance was granted on 2 April according to a certificate revision from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. EASA certified the A330-800 – the smaller member of the A330neo family – in mid-February. The aircraft ...
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NewsBoeing shuts down South Carolina 787 site due to coronavirus
Boeing will suspend production at its 787 facility in North Charleston, South Carolina on 8 April “until further notice” due to the spread of coronavirus.
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NewsAirbus suspends A220 and A320 assembly at Mobile
Airbus is temporarily suspending aircraft production at its US assembly line in Mobile for about three weeks, and is adapting activity at its German facilities in Bremen and Stade. The airframer assembles A320 and A220 jets at the Mobile plant. Airbus says it will “pause” production this week and expects ...
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NewsRolls-Royce shores up defences as airlines’ widebody engine activity drops
Rolls-Royce has disclosed that the primary impact of the coronavirus crisis on its civil aerospace business has been a reduction in widebody engine flying hours by 25% over the first quarter, including a 50% fall in March. It expects “further deterioration” during April, and beyond, given the increasing grounding of ...
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NewsBoeing acknowledges ‘realities’ of market after Avolon cuts Max order
Lessor Avolon’s cancellation of 75 Boeing 737 Max jets is set to provide a degree of relief to the US airframer as it rejigs the extensive backlog for the re-engined aircraft. But Boeing also acknowledges that the decision is the “right step” to “align with the realities of the marketplace”. ...
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NewsCrisis accelerates approval of A320 seat-bag cargo modification
European regulators have approved an interior modification for Airbus A320-family jets which enables seats to be converted into cargo-transport facilities, after an accelerated development effort in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The cargo seat-bag configuration has been developed by Baltic parts firm Colibri Aero and design specialist J&C Aero ...
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NewsAirbus uses dormant Spanish operation to build medical visors
Airbus has turned to medical equipment production at its otherwise-dormant Spanish facilities, manufacturing visor frames through 3D printing. Spain has been badly affected by the coronavirus crisis and Airbus aircraft production at its centres in the country has been temporarily suspended after the government brought in strict new containment measures. ...