Programmes – Page 53
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OpinionYears after cancellation, A380 freighter’s time may have come
FedEx’s crystal ball was clearly having an off-day when it churned out predictions for the Airbus A380 freighter 15 years ago. The US express cargo giant, once the launch operator of the A380F, expected to take delivery of the aircraft in 2008, enthused about a -900 stretched cargo variant, and forecast that passenger-to-freighter A380s would arrive by 2020.
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NewsRolls-Royce prepares to cut workforce as civil engine outlook slumps
Rolls-Royce is expecting to detail to its personnel, by the end of May, the impact on the size of its civil aerospace workforce as it adapts to the collapse in air transport demand. It expects to deliver just 250 widebody aircraft engines this year, compared with its previous estimate of ...
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NewsA380 finally lands freighter role with LHT modification
German maintenance specialist Lufthansa Technik is working on a conversion for an Airbus A380 as part of its effort to offer temporary passenger-to-cargo modification services. Lufthansa Technik has not identified the customer but states that it has been awarded the technical and engineering task to support the “operational change” for ...
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NewsIrkut announces death of key Superjet and MC-21 certification figure
Russian airframer Irkut has announced the death of senior civil aircraft certification figure Igor Vinogradov. Vinogradov had been instrumental in advancing certification of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 which Irkut subsequently absorbed into its product line through the establishment of a regional aircraft division. He was also active in the work ...
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NewsA350s become freighters through Airbus pallet-for-seat swap
Airbus is offering carriers a modification and regulatory support scheme to convert passenger A350s, A330s and A340s temporarily into main-deck freighters by swapping out seats and fitting pallets onto their floor tracks. Modification is provided to operators under an Airbus service bulletin which sets out not just the engineering work ...
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NewsSafran expects to build 1,000 CFM Leap engines this year
French aerospace specialist Safran is expecting to manufacture around 1,000 CFM International Leap engines this year, having delivered 40% fewer civil powerplants over the first quarter. It says it handed over 326 engines from the CFM56 and Leap range in the three-month period. These included 272 Leap engines, down 35%. ...
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NewsAirbus rekindles support from export credit agencies
Airbus believes the support of export credit agencies will be important to assist the funding of deliveries to customers during the air transport crisis. But the airframer is not intending to extend financing itself, unless particular circumstances warrant such a measure. Airbus chief financial officer Domink Asam, speaking on 29 ...
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NewsAirbus staying prepared for aggressive single-aisle rebound
Airbus is expecting the single-aisle market to recover faster than the long-haul sector, but the airframer is stressing that the pattern of deliveries is the most difficult part of its business to forecast. It has not offered any guidance in its newly-issued first-quarter financial statement. Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, ...
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NewsAirbus not expecting to review production levels before mid-year
Airbus is not expecting to review the cuts to its aircraft production rates until around mid-year, when the second-quarter impact of the air transport crisis becomes clearer. The manufacturer has made deep cuts to the output from its A320, A330 and A350 lines. Chief executive Guillaume Faury, speaking during a ...
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NewsAirbus concentrates on cash preservation as crisis starts to bite
Airbus’s first-quarter earnings in the commercial aircraft sector have fallen by more than 80% under the impact of fewer deliveries arising from the coronavirus crisis. The ariframer says it is maintaining a “strong focus” on cash containment after its “solid” start to the year rapidly deteriorated as the pandemic evolved. ...
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NewsComac makes first jet delivery after resuming production
Comac has delivered its 24th ARJ21 regional aircraft, the first aircraft to be delivered since the Chinese airframer resumed work following the coronavirus outbreak. The aircraft, registered B-604F, was delivered to Chengdu Airlines. Comac states that the aircraft is managed by lessor ICBC Financial Leasing. The aircraft is ...
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NewsAirbus furloughs over 3,000 UK wing-plant personnel
Airbus’s UK division is to furlough some 3,200 personnel at its wing-production plant in Broughton as part of measures to cope with the coronavirus crisis. The staggered furloughs – which will start over the next three weeks, and last for three weeks – affect the majority of production and production ...
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NewsEmbraer starts Boeing split proceedings but stays vague on future plans
Embraer has formally commenced arbitration proceedings following the decision by Boeing to terminate the companies’ $4.2 billion merger. But the Brazilian airframer has offered little insight into its response to the sudden collapse of the proposed commercial and military partnership, and the extent to which it had prepared for such ...
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AnalysisWhy Boeing’s jilting leaves Embraer bitter and frustrated
Embraer’s fierce reaction to prospective suitor Boeing’s decision to bale from their intended commercial partnership is hardly surprising, given that the Brazilian airframer stands to lose heavily from the split. While the tie-up proposal, unveiled in late 2017, might have given the impression of a hastily-shoehorned response to Airbus’s audacious ...
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NewsBoeing walks away from Embraer tie-up
Boeing has abandoned its plans for a tie-up with Embraer, exercising its right to terminate the agreement for joint commercial and military aviation ventures. The US airframer says its master transaction agreement with the Brazilian manufacturer had reached its initial termination date on 24 April. This was subject to extension ...
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NewsRolls-Royce to continue ground test of E-Fan X systems despite axing of programme
Rolls-Royce is to continue ground-test activities on the power generation system it was developing as its contribution to the Airbus E-Fan X, despite the programme’s cancellation before the hybrid-electric demonstrator ever flew.
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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 ...