Archive for month: June, 2019

Bombardier has entered into a definitive agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries regarding the sale of the CRJ regional aircraft program for $550 million.

Under the agreement, announced on June 25, 2019, the Japanese manufacturer will acquire maintenance, support, upgrade, marketing and sales activities for the CRJ Series aircraft, also including service and support network activities located in Montreal and Toronto, as well as in Bridgeport, West Virginia, and Tucson, Arizona. Mitsubishi will also take over liabilities amounting to approximately $200 million.

Bombardier will keep the CRJ production facility in Mirabel, Québec, and should continue to supply components and spare parts and build CRJ aircraft from the current order book on behalf of Mitsubishi. According to the Canadian manufacturer, CRJ production is expected to conclude in the second half of 2020, following the delivery of the current backlog of aircraft.

The sale of the CRJ program means that in a little bit more than a year, Bombardier has almost completely withdrawn from commercial aviation industry. Indeed, on June 8, 2018, the company sold the majority of its shares in the CSeries program to Airbus, which since renamed the aircraft A220. In November 2018, Viking Air, which had previously acquired Bombardier’s Amphibious Aircraft program in 2016, took over the Q400 for $300 million.

On October 19, 2018, Bombardier sued Mitsubishi Aircraft in the United States, accusing the Japanese company of illegally acquiring some secret documents by hiring former employees of the Canadian plane maker. The Japanese manufacturer counterattacked with its own legal action accusing its Canadian competitor of wanting to delay or even prevent the development and certification of its regional aircraft, the MRJ.

Source: https://bit.ly/2ILYzTt

Image: Bombardier

“We are at the dawn of the third era of aviation,” proclaims Rolls-Royce as it announces the acquisition of Siemens’ electric and hybrid-electric aerospace propulsion business, marking a clear step further into making greener engines.

The eAircraft is Siemens’ business branch which is developing all-electric and hybrid electric propulsion solutions for the aerospace industry. Rolls-Royce expects to finalize the acquisition of eAircraft in “late 2019”, depending on acquiring needed approvals.

The company broke the news on June 18, 2019, with high hopes the move will help the company to jump ahead of the competition of what it sees as a future for aviation. “We believe that pure electric, or all-electric, propulsion will power smaller aircraft in the foreseeable future, while larger aircraft will rely upon hybrid electric solutions that combine electrification with evolutions of the gas turbine,” explains Paul Stein, Rolls-Royce Chief Technology Officer.

“Electrification is set to have as dramatic an impact on aviation as the replacement of piston engines by gas turbines,” Rob Watson, Director of Rolls-Royce Electrical believes. “We are at the dawn of the third era of aviation, which will bring a new class of quieter and cleaner air transport to the skies”.

Rolls-Royce already collaborated with eAircraft (as well as Airbus) working on the E-Fan X demonstrator project. However, in June 2019, Siemens ended the collaboration after achieving agreed goals, Airbus explained at the time, while Rolls-Royce maintains simply that it was a “business decision” on Siemens’ part.

E-Fan X is a complex hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator. In the test aircraft, one of four jet engines are replaced by a 2MW electric motor, roughly equivalent to that of 10 medium-sized cars, as Airbus explains it. “The electric propulsion unit is powered by a power-generation system and battery. When high power is required—at take-off, for example—the generator and battery supply energy together”. The first flight is expected for 2021.

Source: https://bit.ly/2Y8cR64

Image: Airbus

Three days after it was officially presented to the public at Paris Air Show, the A321XLR already racks up 191 orders.

Qantas was the first to place an order on June 19, 2019, for 36 A321XLR, including 26 as a reconversion of an existing order of A321neo. In total, the Australian company has an ongoing order of 45 A320neo, 28 A321LR and 36 A321XLR with Airbus.

On the same day, the youngest member of Airbus’ family has convinced another company. Indigo Partners group announced it would convert 18 of its previous A320neo order into A321XLR, and add another 32, for a total order of 50 of the new aircraft. Twenty of the A321XLRs should be allocated to Wizz Air, 18 to Frontier, and 12 to JetSMART. Including the latest deal, Indigo Partners has 636 aircraft on order with Airbus.

Finally, American Airlines also converted an existing order for 30 A321neo into A321 XLR and 20 additional orders. American, the largest Airbus operator in the world with 422 aircraft, has now ongoing orders for 65 A321neos and 50 A321XLRs from Airbus.

Airbus presented the A321 XLR, new version of the A321, on the first day of Paris Air Show, on June 17, 2019. This single-aisle aircraft with an extended range is able to operate many long-haul routes and is designed to appeal to low-cost airlines wishing to develop their business on the long haul.

In the first two days, it accumulated 27 orders from Air Lease Corporation, 4 from Middle East Airlines, 10 from Cebu Pacific and 14 from International Airlines Group. In total, 191 A321XLRs were ordered in the first three days of Paris Air Show.

Source: https://bit.ly/2x6h52l

Image: Airbus

Half a day after the opening of the Paris Air Show, Airbus already accumulates three orders for its aircraft, including the launch customer for its newly-launched A321XLR, the long-range version of its best-selling A321neo.

Air Lease Corporation reiterates its commitment to Airbus

Air Lease Corporation signed a letter of intent to purchase 100 Airbus aircraft during the Paris Air Show, on June 17, 2019.

This order includes 50 A220-300s and 27 of the newly-launched A321XLRs as well as an incremental order for an additional 23 A321neos.

The aircraft should be delivered between 2021 and 2026. This contract brings cumulative orders of Air Lease Corporation to 387 planes, making it Airbus’ third largest lessor customer. At list price, the order amounts to more than $10 billion.

Virgin Atlantic selects Airbus to renew its wide-body fleet

Virgin Atlantic has selected 14 A330-900s to replace its A330ceos from 2021, with options to further expand its fleet of wide-body aircraft. The firm order for eight aircraft and six additional on lease from Air Lease Corporation was signed at the Paris Air Show.

Virgin Atlantic currently operates a fleet of 40 wide-body aircraft and will soon take delivery of its first of 12 A350-1000s.

We’re so pleased to announce we’ve ordered 14 @Airbus A330neos, so we’re on our way to our cleanest and youngest fleet ever. ✈️❤️ pic.twitter.com/nAaqGMjBqm

— Virgin Atlantic (@VirginAtlantic) June 17, 2019

Airbus could expect more than 200 orders for its A321XLR this week, including from Norwegian and JetBlue Airways.

The A321XLR found its launch customer: Middle East Airlines

Middle East Airlines (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a firm order for four A321XLRs, thus becoming the launch airline customer of Airbus latest evolution of the A321neo family.

The agreement takes Middle East Airlines’ cumulative single-aisle orders with Airbus to 15 A321neo family aircraft, including 11 A321neos and 4 A321XLRs with deliveries starting in 2020. MEA will use the A321XLR to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia.

Source: https://bit.ly/2FwSqsv

Image: Virgin Atlantic

“American Airlines remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon“, the airline said in a statement. “We have been in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other regulatory authorities, and we are pleased with the progress to date.”

In April, American extended cancellations for the MAX through 19 August and has now decided to extend those cancellations through Sept. 3: “By extending the cancellations, our customers and team members can more reliably plan their upcoming travel on American. In total, approximately 115 flights per day will be cancelled through Sept. 3.

Our Reservations and Sales teams will continue to work closely with customers who are impacted by these cancellations.”

Frequently asked questions

Question: My flight was previously scheduled on a MAX. Will it be cancelled?
Answer: Not all flights that were previously scheduled on a MAX will be cancelled, as we plan to substitute other aircraft types. In total, approximately 115 flights will be cancelled per day.

Question: My flight wasn’t scheduled to be on a MAX. Why has it been cancelled?
Answer: A flight that was not scheduled as a MAX flight might be cancelled to enable our team to cover a MAX route with a different aircraft. Our goal is to minimise the impact to the smallest number of customers.

Question: How will customers know if they are impacted?
Answer: American’s Reservations team will contact affected customers directly by email or telephone. Customers who booked through a travel agent will be contacted by their agency directly.

Question: My flight was cancelled and I don’t want to rebook. Can I get a refund?
Answer: Yes. If a flight is cancelled and a customer chooses to not be rebooked, they may request a full refund by visiting aa.com/refunds.

Source: https://bit.ly/2WzFYT9

Image: American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX