Airbus
The Airbus A350 XWB’s new engine – the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB – has successfully made its maiden flight aboard Airbus’ dedicated A380 “Flying-Test-Bed” aircraft. The aircraft took off from Airbus facilities in Toulouse and performed a flight of more than five hours during which the engine covered a wide range of power settings at altitudes up to 43,000ft. The aircraft handling qualities were evaluated from low speeds to Mach 0.9. The engine not only operated ...
Cebu Pacific, the largest low cost carrier from the Philippines, is set to become a new Airbus A330 operator. The airline has selected the aircraft for its new long haul services, which will begin in the third quarter of 2013. The carrier plans to acquire up to eight leased Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The long range capability of the A330 will enable Cebu Pacific to offer direct services from Manila to Australia, the Middle East, and ...
Norwegian, one of the largest low-cost airlines in Europe, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 100 A320neo aircraft. The agreement makes Norwegian the latest customer for the A320neo and also a new customer for Airbus. The new aircraft will support Norwegian’s growth and modernisation strategy. Norwegian (the brand name of Norwegian Air Shuttle AS) operates a network across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East, and is rapidly expanding its ...
Airbus delivered the 5000th A320 built to Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA). The aircraft was delivered from Airbus in Hamburg, Germany and is powered by International Aero Engines V2500 engines. MSN5000 marks a significant milestone for Airbus and the A320 Family going into 2012, as production rises from 38 to 40 per month during the first quarter of the year. MEA operates one of the most modern fleets in the region with four ...
Airbus has filed a patent for a downward-facing winglet device. The new wing tip device is being described as a wing extension that may be swept and may deform during flight. This flexible wing tip extension provides a drag reduction whilst decreasing the bending moment of the wing, particularly at the wing root. Aircraft performance might benefit during both steady flight and high-lift manoeuvres. Because of its flexible behaviour, the downward-facing winglet may provide a ...
Look what has arrived at Airbus Toulouse final assembly line! Is it an A320? No! An A330? No! An A380? Hm, let’s see… uhm, no! Is it Santa? Could be these days, but no! Hey, it’s the first front fuselage of the new A350 XWB! This first Airbus A350 XWB frame, a A350-900, (MSN 5000) will solely be used for static tests and unfortunately never will reach the sky.
Airbus announced today that the European plane maker delivered its 7,000th aircraft, an A321, to US Airways – the airline that operates the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world. This milestone comes just two years after the delivery of Airbus’ 6,000th aircraft. The 1,000th Airbus delivery was an A340-300 that went to Air France in 1993, nineteen years after the first Airbus aircraft was delivered – an A300B2 also to Air France, in ...
Airbus has started joining the first 21-metre long front fuselage section for the Airbus A350 XWB. This will be the first major section of the A350 XWB to enter the Final Assembly Line. The front fuselage is made up of the forward fuselage, manufactured by Premium AEROTEC in Germany and the nose section, already assembled at Airbus in Saint-Nazaire from components produced by Aerolia in France. This front fuselage is destined for the Airbus A350 ...
Airbus has completed the first flight of the “Sharklet” wing-tip devices on the Airbus A320 development aircraft (MSN 001). This milestone marks the start of the early flight-test campaign to capture data for fine-tuning the flight laws, as well as for certification and performance validation. Sharklets are around 2.5 metres tall and will replace the aircraft’s current wingtip fence. Offered as an option on new-build aircraft, Sharklets have been specially designed for the Airbus A320 ...
Airbus has completed installation of the first set of its “Sharklet” wing-tip devices on the A320 development aircraft (MSN 001). The flight-test campaign will be carried out in the coming weeks. These new wingtip devices are around 2.5 metres tall and will replace the aircraft’s current wingtip fence. Offered as an option on new-build aircraft, as well as being standard on the A320neo Family, Sharklets will also enhance the aircraft’s payload-range and take-off performance. The ...
Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 44 Airbus A320 aircraft, comprising of 30 A320neo and 14 A320 Family aircraft. The order makes Volaris the first airline to order the A320neo in Mexico. Engine selection will be announced by the airline at a later date. Since starting operations in 2006, Volaris has become one of the top three airlines in Mexico having quickly expanded their network throughout the country and into ...
Qatar Airways, has selected the A320neo as the reference aircraft for expanding its short to medium haul fleet and has increased its order for the A380. The agreement signed at the 2011 Dubai Airshow, is a firm contract for 50 A320neo aircraft and five additional A380s. “The A320neo promises to be a great aircraft which is why we have chosen it to form the backbone of our future single aisle expansion. Together with our increase ...
Spirit Airlines and Airbus signed today at the Dubai Airshow a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 75 single-aisle aircraft, comprising 45 A320neo and 30 A320s. The engine selection will be announced later. The new aircraft will be used on Spirit’s targeted growth markets in the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. The A320neo has over 95 percent airframe commonality making it an easy fit into existing fleets while offering up to 500 nautical miles (950 kilometres) ...
Twenty years after its maiden flight, Airbus announced the final end of A340 production! While new A340 aircraft are no longer to be built, Airbus will continue to fully support the current global fleet of A340s, as long as they are in operation. Four versions of the A340 were produced by Airbus: the A340-200, A340-300, A340-500 and A340-600. The A340-200 is the shortest version of the family and the only version with wingspan measuring greater ...
The vertical tail section for the first Thai Airways International (THAI) Airbus A380 has been painted with the airline’s orchid logo at Airbus facilities in Hamburg, Germany. The painting was completed last week, and the section is now being shipped to Toulouse, France. Assembly of the aircraft is set to begin later this month. THAI will become the ninth Airbus A380 operator when it takes delivery in the third quarter of 2012. Photo: Airbus S.A.S ...
Peach Aviation, Japan’s first low-cost carrier, has taken delivery of its first A320 through a leasing contract with GECAS. The Japanese carrier will lease 10 A320s. Peach Aviation’s A320 aircraft seats 180 passengers in a single-class layout and is powered by CFM International engines. Peach Aviation was established by All Nippon Airways (ANA), First Eastern Investment Group (First Eastern) in Hong Kong and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. The Osaka-based company will start operations from ...
Taiwan-based carrier EVA Air has unveiled a second generation of Hello Kitty jets. The brand-new Airbus A330-300 jetliner wears a special livery featuring legendary Japanese cartoon character and pop culture icon Hello Kitty. The unveiling was celebrated on Oct. 27 at a Happy Magic Party in a specially decorated Evergreen Aviation Technologies hangar adjacent to Taipei, Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport. EVA said, the airline is creating three new Hello Kitty Jets as a special encore ...
Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second largest airline, last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for four A380 aircraft. Transaero will become the launch customer for the A380 in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. The Russian carrier plans to start operations with the A380 on its long-range network of high density routes from Moscow. The aircraft will feature a three class cabin layout, seating about 700 passengers. Transaero will announce an engine selection ...
Airbus Military has successfully completed testing to demonstrate the A400M airlifter’s ability to operate on wet runways and taxiways without ingesting water into the engines. During tests at Istres, France, the aircraft travelled through troughs containing 2-6 cm of water at speeds of up to 90kt in take-off and landing configurations, including operations with reverse thrust. The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed ...
Airbus has completed installation of the first A350XWB Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine on the A380 “flying-testbed” aircraft (MSN 001). The aircraft and engine will be prepared for flight-tests commencing in the coming weeks. The Airbus A380 test plane also wears a dedicated painting “…flying the A350 XWB engine”. The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine is the largest Rolls-Royce turbofan with a 118-inch diameter fan. (The Trent 900 for the A380 has a fan-diameter of 116 inch.) ...
As you know from my previous post, the first Airbus A380 for China Southern Airlines has been delivered yesterday (MSN0031). The following video features the highlights of this very special delivery ceremony in Toulouse, France. China Southern Airlines has ordered a total of 5 A380 so far but Airbus sees a potential of probably up to 200 Chinese A380 orders over the coming years. China Southern becomes the 7th A380 operator after Korean Air, Lufthansa, ...
Tomorrow, 14 October, China Southern Airlines will become the first Chinese airline to receive the Airbus A380 (MSN0031). Later this month the aircraft will be deployed on domestic services in China, with the commercial flights to begin on 17 October between Beijing and Guangzhou. You can watch the A380 handover on a live webcast, beginning at 09:00 AM UTC (11:00 AM Paris time / 5:00 PM Beijing time) on http:/www.a380delivery.com/china-southern/ ...
