Saturday, November 22, 2014

Airbus A330 MRTT for French air force

The French government has announced an order for twelve Airbus A330 multirole tanker and transport aircraft for its military services.

The first aircraft will be delivered in 2018, the second in 2019 and then two per year until the order is complete. The aircraft will replace obsolete Boeing C-135FR tankers in use since the 1960s.

Main task of the A330 MRTT is in-flight refueling of other aircraft. Air forces already using the A330 tanker-transport version, are those of the UK, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

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Friday, November 21, 2014

Kuwait Airways wants Boeing 777-300ER

Kuwait Airways has announced the intention to purchase 10 Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) aircraft.

Boeing responds that it "appreciates the start of a new partnership with Kuwait Airways", but first wants to finalise the deal before it will post the order on its Orders & Deliveries website.

Kuwait Airways currently flies fifteen widebody aircraft, including two 777-200ERs, one 747-400, four Airbus A340s, three A310s and five A300s.

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Delta orders 50 Airbus widebodies

The champagne glasses in Toulouse, Hamburg and other places with Airbus-plants can be filled. Delta Air Lines has placed a firm order for 50 new Airbus widebody aircraft: 25 A350-900 XWB and 25 A330-900neo aircraft.

The A330neo jets will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and the Trent XWB will power the A350 XWBs.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Airbus launches A330 Beluga

Airbus has launched the development and production of five new Beluga aircraft. The new Belugas will be based on the A330 with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.
The first of the five new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019. The existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, and will be progressively retired through to 2025.

Boeing starts ecoDemonstrator 787 tests

The ecoDemonstrator Boeing 787 has begun flights to test more than 25 new technologies aimed at improving aviation's environmental performance through every phase of flight. The Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program is intended to accelerate the testing, refinement and use of new technologies and methods that can improve efficiency and reduce noise. This new round of testing, using 787 Dreamliner ZA004, will evaluate software and connectivity technologies related to operational efficiency; remote sensors to reduce wiring; aerodynamic and flight control improvements for greater fuel efficiency, and icephobic wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation.

Airbus A350 XWB makes Asian tour

An Airbus A350-900 has taken off from Toulouse for an 11-day demo tour in Asia. Airbus is going to show its newest airliner in South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Asian Demo Tour follows the completion of the A350-900 flight test campaign which recently led to the EASA and FAA type certification. The tour is performed by test aircraft MSN5, which has a fully functional cabin (42 business class and 223 economy class seats).

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Airbus A350-900 receives FAA Type Certificate

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Type Certification for the Airbus A350-900 on 12 November. The certification follows the A350-900 Type Certification awarded by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 30 September.

The A350-900’s respective FAA and EASA certification awards come after Airbus successfully finished a stringent programme of certification trials. A fleet of five test A350-900 aircraft completed the certification flight test campaign, on time, in more than 2,600 flight test hours.

At the end of October 2014, the A350 XWB had won 750 orders from 39 customers worldwide.

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Air Canada orders extra Boeing 777-300ERs

Air Canada has ordered two additional 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes. The order was previously listed as unidentified on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.

Air Canada currently operates 23 777s, including 17 777-300ERs and six 777-200LRs (Long Range).

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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

787 Dreamliner to Museum of Flight

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is already ripe for the museum. The US aircraft manufacturer donates the third Dreamliner built to the Museum of Flight, located at nearby Boeing Field in Seattle, on Saturday 8 November.

The Museum organises a complete "Dreamliner Day" on Saturday around its newest treasure. The aircraft will be placed in the museum's Air Park, where it joins aircraft types like Concorde, Constellation, Boeing 747, Boeing 727, Boeing 737, an ex-presidential Boeing 707 and a Lockheed Super Constellation.

787s for American and Scoot take shape

More and more airlines start flying with Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Airlines which are going to fly the newest Boeing airliner soon, are American Airlines and Scoot from Singapore, as can be concluded from video's and pictures on Twitter.