Paris Air Show – Day 4 – Orders

Airbus

  • Mandala Airlines has signed a contract for 25 A320s and has become the first customer for the type from Indonesia. The A320s will be configured with 180 economy class seats.
  • Hong Kong Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Hong Kong, has become Airbus’ latest customer by signing a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for 51 Airbus aircraft, including 30 A320 Family aircraft, 20 A330s as well as 1 Airbus Corporate Jet. An engine choice will be made at a later date.
  • BAA Jet Management has placed a commitment for 1 Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ), becoming the first customer for the type to be based in Hong Kong with extensive business there and in mainland China. The order reinforces the Airbus ACJ Family’s leadership of top-of-the-line corporate jet sales in Asia.
    BAA Jet Management’s Airbus ACJ will operate from Shenzen, near Hong Kong, and will be the first to be based, and registered, in the People’s Republic of China. It will also be the first authorised for charter under the new Chinese CCAR Part 135 rules.
  • Colombia’s national flag carrier Avianca has signed a firm contract for 19 additional Airbus aircraft of which 14 A320 Family aircraft and 5 A330-200s. This additional order converts options.
  • Tiger Airways, Singapore’s fast growing low-fare carrier, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an additional 30 Airbus A320s and 20 options. Tiger Airways currently operates a fleet of nine A320s, with 11 more to be delivered by 2010. With the latest order, Tiger Airways’ fleet has the ability to grow to 70 Airbus aircraft.

Boeing
0 orders announced today

Engines
0 orders announced today

The A330-200 steps up to its new role as a flying petrol station


The latest derivative of Airbus’ popular A330 is making its world debut at the 2007 Paris Air Show, but this twin-engine widebody is not surrounded by the glamour normally associated with the rollout of a new jetliner.

Painted in the subdued grey colours of the Royal Australian Air Force, the plane marketed by Airbus as the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport or MRTT, is now the first KC-30B aerial tanker version designed for the in-flight refuelling of military aircraft.

The KC-30B is fitted with a large deployable boom installed under the tail, along with two underwing pods – all of which are capable of transferring large volumes of fuel. Such “flying petrol stations” are vital to military operations, allowing fighter jets and other aircraft to be refuelled while in the air, thereby avoiding the need to return to their base of operations for a top-off.

Australia has ordered five KC-30B militarised versions of the A330-200. In addition, three similar tanker aircraft are being acquired by the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom has designed the A330-200 for its Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme. The KC-30 also is being proposed to the U.S. Air Force, which plans to modernise its ageing fleet of aerial tankers.

Paris Air Show – Day 3 – Orders

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Airbus

  • Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 12 Airbus wide-body aircraft including the newest model in its freighter product range, the A330-200F. The order is for 5 A330-200s, 4 A340-600s and 3 A330-200Fs.
  • The Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has placed a firm order for 22 Airbus A350 XWB
  • Kingfisher Airlines, the carrier headquartered in Mumbai, India has agreed to purchase up to 50 aircraft from Airbus. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Dr Vijay Mallya, UB Group Chairman, the parent company of Kingfisher Airlines and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. The agreement is for 15 A350-800 XWBs in addition to the five converted from their original order for the A350, 10 A330-200s, 5 A340-500s and 20 A320 Family aircraft.
  • Afriqiyah Airways has placed a firm order with Airbus for the purchase of 5 A320s. In addition, this young and dynamic airline from Libya has selected the A350 XWB for its long-term expansion plan, signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of 6 A350 XWBs
  • Ural Airlines, one of the leading Russian airlines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the purchase of 5 Airbus A320 aircraft as part of the modernisation of its medium range fleet.
  • A subsidiary of Aircastle Limited has signed a contract to acquire 15 A330-200F aircraft, the newest freighter from Airbus and the latest member of the highly successful A330/A340 family
  • Libyan Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of 4 A350s, 4 A330-200s and 7 A320s, thus modernising its fleet with the newest technology aircraft.
  • CIT Aerospace, a business unit of CIT Group Inc., a leading global provider of commercial and consumer finance solutions, has signed a firm contract for 7 A350 XWBs, firming up on its prior commitment for five A350s and simultaneously increasing its order.
    CIT has also signed a firm contract for 25 additional A320 Family aircraft.
  • MNG Airlines, the largest Turkish cargo operator, has placed a firm order with Airbus for 2 A330-200Fs, plus one option. This follows the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in January this year, following the industrial launch of the A330 Freighter.
  • Flyington Freighters, the Reddy family’s air freight company have ordered an additional 6 Airbus A330-200F

Boeing

  • The AIR FRANCE-KLM Group has placed orders for 9 777-300ERs and 7 Next-Generation 737-700s.

Engines

  • Etihad Airways has placed a repeat order for Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines to power four additional Airbus A340-600 aircraft.
  • India’s Kingfisher Airlines has ordered two versions of the Rolls-Royce Trent to power 25 new Airbus widebody airliners. The order consists of 20 firm A350 XWB-800 twinjets, which are offered with the Trent XWB, and five A340-500s, for which the Trent 500 is the sole engine.
  • Rolls-Royce confirmed that the Trent XWB will power the 7 Airbus A350 XWBs ordered by US leasing company, CIT
  • Aeroflot selected Rolls-Royce engines for iots new 22 Airbus A350 XWB.

Paris Air Show – Day 2 – Orders

Overview about orders that have been made on day 2 of the 47th International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget.

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Airbus

  • Intrepid Aviation Group has purchased 20 A330-200Fs, the newest freighter model offered by Airbus. This is the largest order received for this aircraft so far. Intrepid’s order has deliveries starting in 2010 and running through 2012. The aircraft will be leased by Intrepid to its cargo customers worldwide. Intrepid also stated interest in a possible future A330-300F model. Airbus will prove this -300F idea.
  • Fly Asian Express (FAX) has signed a contract for the purchase of 15 A330-300s, increasing its initial commitment by five aircraft. This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for 10 A330s in April 2007. The first new A330 will be delivered to FAX, the operating company for AirAsiaX, the world’s newest long haul, low cost airline during the third quarter of 2008.
  • Thai Airways International has placed a firm order for 8 additional A330-300s, taking another significant step in its long-term Airbus fleet development plan. The new A330-300s will provide extra capacity on Thai Airways International’s extensive regional network from 2008 onwards. Furthermore Thai reconfirms its A380 order of 6, delivery of first one in 2010.
  • An unnamed private buyer ordered 1 A380 for personal use as a private jet for him and his entourage. Airbus didn’t want to publish his identity but he’s not from Europe or the US.
  • Russian airline Aeroflot has signed a contract to buy 5 Airbus A321 planes. Aeroflot also said its fleet included 27 Airbus A320 planes and that it planned to raise that number to 55 by 2010. It gave no further details.

Boeing

  • International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) will expand its fleet with a new order for 50 additional 787 Dreamliners. ILFC will take delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner in 2010, with additional airplanes arriving through 2017. Today’s order also includes 10 Next-Generation 737s, which extends ILFC’s delivery stream through 2012.
    In addition, Boeing and ILFC disclosed an order booked earlier this year exercising options for two 787-8 Dreamliners and one 777-300ER (Extended Range) for delivery in early 2009, which was previously listed on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries Web site and attributed to an unidentified customer.

Engines

  • Colombia’s Avianca has chosen Rolls-Royce Trent engines for up to 30 widebody jets from Airbus and Boeing. The potential value of the contract to Rolls-Royce is $1.1 billion at catalogue prices. In addition, all the engines will be supported by Rolls-Royce under 10-year TotalCare service agreements. The order – the first for the Trent in Latin America consists of Trent 1000 engines for ten firm plus ten option Boeing 787s, and Trent 700s to power five firm and five option A330s.
  • Aeroflot has become the latest customer for the Rolls-Royce Trent engine series. The Russian flag carrier has selected the Trent 700 to power its new fleet of 10 leased Airbus A330-200s. The order includes a long term TotalCare services agreement.
  • AerCap Holdings N.V. signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to power ten of the new A330 aircraft that it ordered earlier this year from Airbus with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.
  • Intrepid has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 700 for 17 of its 20 newly ordered A330-200Fs. No selection has been made yet for the remaining 3, whether PW4000 or again Trent 700.
  • Fly Asian Express (FAX) has choosen Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines to power its newly purchased 15 A330-300

Airbus first to receive certification for on-board mobile phone system

Airbus is first to receive airworthiness certification for a cell-phone system on board an aircraft. On 18th June 2007, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved Airbus’ GSM on-board system.

The EASA airworthiness certification comes after successful tests were carried out by Airbus earlier this year and confirms the GSM on-board system’s compatibility in the aircraft environment.

With this approval, Airbus has made a major step towards airline operation of the OnAir service that will enable passengers to use their BlackBerry-type devices and mobile phones during flights in Europe. They will be able to make and receive calls in addition to being able to send and receive emails and text messages. Cabin crew can easily manage the service and have the option of selecting a “voice-off” mode which only allows SMS text messaging and email services.

OnAir, a joint venture between Airbus and SITA, will act as the service provider for a range of connectivity services. Initially the service will be available on Airbus’ Single Aisle Family for short-haul flights in Western Europe.

“This certification is Airbus’ first response to the growing market demand for on-board connectivity”, said Rainer von Borstel, Airbus Senior Vice President, Cabin & Cargo Customisation. “It paves the way for the subsequent worldwide deployment of cell phone services and internet based services across all Airbus aircraft types,” he added.

A380 Flight Test Team awarded prestigious Flight Award

The Airbus A380 Flight Test Team has received a prestigious Flight Award, recognizing the person or team that have displayed world-class professionalism in the manufacturing sector of propulsion, systems or avionics.

“Rarely has a team of this type worked in such intense publicity as the winners of this category. The kind of work they were doing inherently carries with it the risk of things going wrong – sometimes indeed, dangerously wrong. It is routinely performed against the most pressing of schedules, but is highly reliant on weather conditions, the co-operation of numerous airports and regulatory authorities, and the correct performance of hundreds of supporting individuals”, indicated Flight, explaining the selection. “Within two weeks of flying their aircraft for the first time ever, they took it to its maximum altitude and speed, and to the extremes of its manoeuvring range. By the time they finished the programme – on schedule – they had landed in 40 knots crosswinds and carried out accelerate-stop tests in a 575 tonne aircraft from more than 300 kilometres per hour. In short, the programme was a model of its kind. “

During the yearly Flight Award ceremony at the Pavillon d’Armenonville, Paris, on Monday 18th June, the representatives of the A380 Flight Test Team gratefully accepted the award. Claude Lelaie, Senior Vice President Flight Division, said “We accept this on behalf of the full A380 Flight Test and Engineering Team. We were only able to achieve this because of continuous and limitless efforts made by the team to make this the greatest aircraft, in all aspects. Our job was made easier by the excellent aircraft that we have had to bring to certification and maturity. From the very first flights we recognised its remarkable aerodynamic excellence, its excellent handling characteristics and outstanding performance.”

Commenting on the award, Airbus President and CEO, Louis Gallois, added: “It is an honor to be selected for this award by Flight’s own Award committee, as Flight has an excellent reputation in the industry. It is important for the whole of Airbus that the efforts made by the A380 Flight Test Team are rewarded in such a way.”

Since its maiden flight in April 2005, the A380, with 5 development aircraft flying, has now made over 1100 flights and more than 3700 flight hours.

Paris Air Show – Day 1 – Orders

Day 1 of the 47th International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget is over. Many orders have been made. Let’s give you an overview about the hottest news today.

Airbus

  • Qatar Airways orders 80 A350 XWBs and additional 3 A380s
  • Emirates Airline orders 8 additional Airbus A380s
  • Jazeera Airways orders 30 Airbus A320
  • US Airways agrees to buy 92 Airbus aircraft for the airline’s future fleet renewal; The 92 total firm orders are comprised of 22 A350-800s, 10 A330-200s and 60 A320-family aircraft – a mix of A319s, A320s and A321s. Airline increased order for 2 more A350 XWB from 20 to 22.
  • Aircraft financer GECAS orders 60 A320 Family aircraft
  • ALAFCO, the Kuwait-based international Aviation Lease and Finance Company, has signed a firm contract for 12 A350 XWBs. In addition, ALAFCO has also ordered 7 A320s
  • S7 Group, the managing company of S7 Airlines, orders 25 Airbus A320
  • Air France has signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) for the purchase of 2 additional A380s and 18 A320 Family aircraft
  • Tunisian carrier Nouvelair has signed a contract for the purchase of 2 A320s

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Boeing

  • GECAS orders for 6 Boeing 777 Freighters
  • Jakarta-based Lion Air orderes additional 40 737-900ER (Extended Range)

Embraer

  • Embraer has signed a contract with Germany’s Lufthansa for 30 firm orders of the EMBRAER 190 jet, with the option to take any member of the E-Jets family. The first Lufthansa EMBRAER 190 is scheduled for delivery in January 2009. The existing firm orders for 15 EMBRAER 170 and 15 EMBRAER 195 jets placed by SWISS have been cancelled.
  • Embraer has signed with Japan Airlines (JAL) to deliver 10 EMBRAER 170 jets, with options to acquire another 5 aircraft. The aircraft will be fitted with a single-class interior and the first delivery is scheduled in 2008.

Engines

  • US Airways choose Rolls-Royce for their new ordered Airbus A350 XWB
  • China Eastern Airlines choose Rolls-Royce V2500 engines to power 30 Airbus A320
  • Rolls-Royce announced that International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 to power up to five additional Airbus A330s it is adding to its fleet
  • UK low-cost airline, Flyglobespan, has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 to power the two Boeing 787 Dreamliners it is leasing from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC)
  • Rolls-Royce announced the largest-ever firm engine order for its civil aerospace business in an order with Qatar Airways worth $5.6 billion at list prices, which includes a Total Care long term services agreement. The order is for Trent XWB engines to power Qatar’s new fleet of 80 Airbus A350 XWB

Paris Air Show Opens

The 47th International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget opens from 18 – 24 June. For public visitors world’s biggest Air Show will be opened from 22 – 24 June.

Paris Air Show07

This year’s Paris Air Show will bring together almost 2,000 exhibitors in a packed exhibition space: apart from the essential Rotonde housing aircraft manufacturers and Hall 1/2 with, as usual, the Western European national pavilions, Hall 4/5 will for the first time welcome large international companies (such as Rolls Royce, UTC, Goodrich, etc.) and will include an area dedicated to SMEs grouped according to European region (for example South West France, Hamburg and Andalusia, as well as national pavilions for the rest of the world). Hall 3 traditionally remains the American pavilion, while Hall 6 will be housing the Business & Technology Forum this year.

This Show will present the world’s newest aircraft, including the Airbus A380, the Boeing 777, Bell AG’s BA609 (on show and flying for the first time at an exhibition), Ukrainian and Russian aircraft, Embraer’s and Bombardier’s regional aircraft to name just a few. Business aviation will of course be represented by Dassault and its Falcon 7X, as well as by Gulfstream, Raytheon, Piaggio, Pilatus, etc. Military aviation will play a significant role with the Rafale, the A330 MRTT, the F-18 and F-16, the MiG-29 OVT, while the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers will also be present: Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, etc. The space sector will be well represented with large delegations from ESA and French space agency CNES as well as French manufacturers and Russian players in this sector.

Links
Exhibitors and Aircraft Lists
http://www.paris-air-show.com

Giant ad on Gatwick Airport causes stir

Passengers landing at Gatwick airport are being greeted by a giant naked pole dancer. The 9,000 sq m (100,000 sq ft) image is painted on grassland under the incoming flight path.

naked pole dancer

The advertisement is nearly invisible from the ground but can be seen from air. A Tandridge District Council spokeswoman said the ad was painted on the field without proper permission and that the council would take legal action if it was not removed.

Sports Media Gaming Ltd., the company behind the ad, said the council had no grounds for removing it. “I think they’re unsure about their own regulations to be honest,” director Stephen Pearson said. “We’re not going to remove it all.”

The Council to Protect Rural England said that the display was “a tacky advert which set a nasty precedent”.

This isn’t the first time that the company’s ads have appeared near the airport. In 2005, an ad for Lynx deodorant featuring a man fondling two naked women was washed off a nearby field after Unilever PLC decided to pull it, Pearson said.

// Comment: And I thought so prude are only the Americans. Come on, it’s just a drawing! It’s ridiculous.

EasyJet unveils ecoJet design

EasyJet has unveiled its design of a new short haul aircraft of the future, featuring rear-mounted engines, ultra light weight materials and forward facing wings.

easyJet ecoJet

The easyJet ecoJet would comprise the latest research by airframe and engine manufacturers around the world, all of which can be incorporated into an aircraft that could be in operation by 2015.

To succeed easyJet says the aircraft would need to be 25% quieter and would emit 50% less CO2 and 75% less NOx per passenger km than today’s newest aircraft.

Andy Harrison, easyJet chief executive, said: “The aircraft example we have unveiled today represents the next major step forward in airframe and engine technology. The lightweight structure and open-rotor engines are based on technologies that are being developed right now by the major manufacturers. The easyJet ecoJet is realistic and it is achievable.”

A key feature of the aircraft would be rear mounted, open-rotor engines that offer greater propulsive efficiency and are particularly suited for short-haul flights. A lighter airframe, similar to the current Boeing 787, would also be used alongside wings that face slightly forwards to reduce the wind drag caused by the fuselage on aircraft today.

“If the easyJet ecoJet were to be made available today we would order hundreds of them for fleet replacement and to achieve the ‘green growth’ that our industry has committed to,” Andy Harrison said.

Read more: https://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/easyjet_ecojet.html