Programmes – Page 45
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NewsTitan A321LR is first with Airbus’s line-fit wireless IFE system
Airbus has delivered its first aircraft, an A321LR to Titan Airways, fitted with a line-fit in-flight entertainment system based on wireless communications architecture. The system features embedded servers and routers, wi-fi access points, and a software platform. Airbus says the open-software architecture provides airlines with the flexibility to source their ...
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NewsIl-114-300’s first lift-off marks second Russian maiden flight in two days
United Aircraft’s modernised Ilyushin Il-114-300 has carried out its maiden flight, a day after the first flight of the Russian-powered version of the Irkut MC-21. The twin-engined Il-114-300 lifted off from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airfield on 16 December, says state technology firm Rostec. Three crew members – two pilots and a ...
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NewsAirbus explores self-contained fuel-cell propulsors for zero-emission aircraft
Airbus is preparing a patent application for a distributed pod-based configuration for a hydrogen fuel-cell powerplants, which it is exploring as a possibility to overcome the problems of scaling up the technology to large transport aircraft. While smaller propeller-driven aircraft, up to around 20 seats, can take advantage of standard ...
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AnalysisAfter landmark ARJ21 deliveries, Comac hopes to break fresh ground in new year
Having secured relative success in the domestic market for its ARJ21 regional jet programme, Chinese airframer Comac will inevitably turn its attention to its C919 narrowbody, as it hopes to complete certification and delivery in the new year.
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NewsFedEx takes first line-built ATR 72-600 Freighter
ATR has handed over the first of 30 factory-built ATR 72-600 Freighters to launch customer FedEx Express, with the twin-turboprop to make its commercial debut on European routes in the coming weeks.
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NewsMC-21 with Russian-built PD-14 engines carries out maiden flight
Irkut has carried out the maiden flight of the MC-21-310, the version of the twinjet powered by Russian-built Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. The flight – with aircraft number 73055 – took place from Irkutsk aviation plant’s airfield on 15 December and lasted about 1h 25min. It was crewed by two test ...
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NewsRolls-Royce continues Trent XWB blade-wear tests
Rolls-Royce has completed inspections of high-cycle Trent XWB-84 engines for premature wear on intermediate-pressure compressor blades, but has yet to fully determine the cause.
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News‘Sledgehammer’ sanctions on Comac will harm US more: think-tank
A senior advisor at a US think-tank has criticised potential sanctions against Chinese airframer Comac as being more detrimental to the US aerospace industry than their intended target, China.
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NewsUK risks friction as it drops tariffs on Boeing jets in bid to end WTO spat
Boeing and Airbus’s long-running transatlantic dispute over government subsidies to their civil aircraft development industries has taken a new turn following the UK government’s unilateral decision to suspend tariffs on the US airframer’s aircraft imports. The UK’s Department for International Trade says it has opted for an “independent approach” to ...
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NewsGulf Air appears to cancel long-dormant A220 order
Middle Eastern carrier Gulf Air appears to have cancelled the 10 Airbus A220-100 it ordered nearly a decade ago. Gulf Air had signed for the aircraft in mid-2011, when it was still known as the Bombardier CSeries, two years before its first flight. But doubts over the delivery have persisted ...
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NewsRyanair orders 75 more Boeing 737 Max jets
European low-cost carrier Ryanair has ordered 75 more Boeing 737 Max aircraft, lifting its firm commitments to the type to 210.
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NewsEASA certifies ATR 72-600 freighter
ATR has obtained European approval for the manufacturer’s purpose-built freighter, based on the ATR 72-600 airframe. The manufacturer, which launched the programme in 2017 based on an order from cargo operator FedEx, stared flying the first example of the -600F in September. It has since shown off the initial turboprop ...
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NewsComac C919 enters final flight test stage
Comac has received the type inspection authorisation for its C919 narrowbody programme, paving the way for final flight testing and certification.
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NewsMC-21-310 still on track for year-end first flight: minister
Irkut’s first domestically-powered MC-21 twinjet is still on course to conduct its first flight by the end of this year, according to the Russian trade minister. Denis Maturov made the claim during a formal visit to the assembly plant in Irkutsk on 27 November. He was briefed on the MC-21-310, ...
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NewsChina orders 737 Classic checks after cracks found on landing gear beam
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has issued a safety bulletin urging operators of Boeing 737-300/400/500 aircraft to have the main landing gear checked.
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NewsEmbraer to allow ERJ-145 operators to install HEPA filters
Embraer has issued a service bulletin allowing operators of its 50-seat ERJ-145 regional jet to install high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, with the first kits to be delivered by next month. The Brazilian airframer, which took five and a half months to develop the kit, adds that it is completing ...
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NewsEmbraer solicits partners for potential turboprop but rules out alternative powertrain
Embraer is likely to base any future turboprop airliner on the fuselage of its current E-Jet models and use conventional engines rather than any alternative propulsion system, the head of its commercial aviation unit indicates.
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NewsEASA expects to revoke 737 Max grounding in mid-January
Europe’s air safety regulator expects to publish a final airworthiness directive on modification of the Boeing 737 Max in mid-January, which will mark the formal revocation of the grounding order imposed on the twinjet. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has published, on 24 November, a proposed directive on the ...
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NewsChinese bank CDB’s Irish lessor orders cargo conversion of A330s
China Development Bank’s Irish leasing subsidiary CDB Aviation has ordered freighter conversion of a pair of Airbus A330-300s for operation in early 2022. The two aircraft will undergo cargo conversion at the Dresden-based EFW facility next year. CDB Aviation says the agreement to take the aircraft marks its “first entry” ...
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NewsChina in no hurry to return 737 Max to service
China’s civil aviation authorities have reiterated comments made a month ago that there was “no set timetable” to lift the grounding of Boeing 737 Max. In comments reported by state broadcaster CCTV on 19 November, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) restated three key rules it laid out in ...