Updating the whereabouts of the now-rapidly-growing 787 fleet has become a regular feature of this blog, and after a week out of the country it's definitely time to get oriented. So, let's get this show on the road.

Test Fleet
ZA001 is in paint hangar 45-04 going through restoration before it heads to the 40-24 building this weekend. ZA002 wrapped up the wing fix on November 16th and was moved to the 40-24 building for systems restore on the same day. ZA003 has remained in 40-24 (red rudder) where it is undergoing the wing fix. ZA004 is at ATS, where it has been since September 8th. ZA005 has left ATS and joined ZA006 on the flight line. ZY998 (fatigue) was moved from the 40-24 building to the flight line on November 16th and to the Circus Tent on November 17th. ZY997 (static) hasn't moved an inch since April 25, 2008, but also completed its wing fix on the 16th.

Production Fleet
A half-painted ZA100/LN7 has been joined on the flight line by ZA101/LN8. ZA102/LN9 did not pass go, did not collect $200 and went straight to ATS for the wing fix on November 15th. ZA103/LN10, ZA104/LN11, ZA105/LN12 and ZA115/LN13 are in the factory being assembled, with wings and horizontal stabilizer for ZA116/LN14 in the house as well.

Photo Credit AirShowFan

This last daily wrap up from Dubai is a tad belated due to some late network issues. We also had to record this one a bit earlier on Tuesday because of some time constraints, so we didn't get the full skinny on the orders announced during the day. That being said, I'm back safe and sound on the East Coast! Thanks everyone for a very memorable week!

DOHA -- Though I hold an economy class ticket on all legs of my journey to and from Dubai, Qatar Airways provided me with a look inside their Premium Terminal for First and Business Class passengers transiting through Doha.

The terminal is separated into three primary areas, first class and business class and security screening and staff waiting area. Once I got off the Airbus A320 (A7-ADJ) in Doha and I boarded a people mover specially fitted with lounge seating for a trip to the terminal that takes less than a minute. Upon arrival I passed through security and made by way up the main escalators of the spacious naturally lit terminal.

One thing you won't find in the Premium Terminal are loud speaker boarding announcements. When you first check into the terminal, a staff member notes your attire so they can find you individually when it's time for your next flight. When it gets a bit busier, staff members will roam the area to make personalized group announcements starting 45 minutes before your departing flight.

It becomes immediately clear that Qatar Airways has spared no expense for its premium customers, with showers and beds (for use up to 6-hours) for both classes. First Class lives up to its name with an area for spa treatments, a jaccuzzi and a sauna. Access to the spa is actually the only area of the terminal that is not included in the cost of the ticket and passengers can select from a menu of indulgent options during their layover.

Small things like play areas for little children and families, as well as a room with Playstation 3 terminals are all available to pass the time (for kids of all ages). The terminal also features twin male and female prayer rooms for Muslim passengers, an indication of airline's cultural heritage.

The First Class area can accomodate around 125 passengers and the Business Class area was expanded four months ago to accomodate up to 600 passengers. During peak evening hours, both room are very commonly filled to capacity. Both areas have business centers, free wi-fi terminal wide (thank you!), as well as buffets to fuel up before or after a long flight - which I'm doing as I write.

I want to thank Qatar Airways for the opportunity to visit their Premium Terminal. It's good incentive to try and return one day as a premium passenger. A guy can dream, right? In the mean time, I'm perfectly content with whatever class I fly...as long as I'm in the sky.

(More pictures later)

DUBAI -- Cessna handed over the keys of the first Middle Eastern Citation X fitted with elliptical winglets to Wallan Aviation here at the Dubai Air Show.

Saad Wallan, chairman of Wallan Aviation says the aircraft, with its range extending blended winglets, allows for non-stop travel between Riyadh and London at the Citation X's signature high-speed cruise at Mach .92.  

The newly introduced winglets add a 15kt boost in cruise speed and 545kg more payload at hot and high airports, as well as a 280 km (150nm) increase in range.

Along with a reduced time to climb, Cessna says the winglets also reduce fuel consumption by 4-5% for long range missions.

With Sunday's delivery to Wallan, the aircraft will immediately enter service following the show.

Wallan Aviation operates a fleet of Cessna aircraft and is the company's authorized sales representative and authorized Citation Service Center in the Middle East.

The US Federal Aviation Administration certified the retrofit of the winglet for the Citation X in June and includes the replacement of the existing anti-collision and position light system with LED versions.

As a previous order holder for the super midsize Columbus business jet that was cancelled by Cessna in July, Wallan says that even with the downturn that sidelined the new aircraft, his company has found a silver lining that has made the substitution of the Citation X ideal.

Wallan says that his company has benefitted from the downturn, in that previous operators of large-cabin BBJ and Gulfstream aircraft have opted for a smaller aircraft like the Citation X for their travel needs.

Wallan says that the dust has now settled following the sharp downturn in business jet travel, adding that the Dubai Air Show represents a barometer for the industry.

"We have a lot of faith in this show to show us the direction," says Wallan.

DUBAI -- Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth outlined development milestones for the company's 787 and 747-8 programs today in Dubai.

The company announced earlier today the completion of the installation of the wing fix on its 787 static aircraft - ZY997 - and ZA002, the second of six flight test aircraft.

Tinseth says restoration operations are underway to refit access doors, systems, seals and fasteners on ZA001 and ZA002 in preparation for flight, while ZY997 is being refitted with strain gauges and instrumentation required for testing.

The company reaffirmed its plan to test the design of the modification on the static airframe later this month, and plans to fly ZA001 by the close of 2009.

Meanwhile, Tinseth announced that RC501, the first 747-8F which recently moved to the paint hangar is 98% complete, with the second and third 747-8F flight test aircraft 93% and 86% completed, respectively.

In addition, Tinseth says has passed 87% of engineering released on the company's new 747-8 Intercontinental passenger jet and has completed the critical design review phase.

DUBAI -- A few hours before Ethiopian Airlines announced its order for 12 Airbus A350-900 aircraft yesterday, I had a chance to sit down with CEO Girma Wake to discuss his airline's plans for global expansion with its three new aircraft types, the A350, 777-200LR and 787.

I started off by asking Mr. Wake about the role of his newly purchased A350 and how it will fit in along side the 787 and 777-200LR.

"These are complementary [aircraft] for us," wake says. "The 777-200LR has a very good range and especially from the Addis Ababa Airport, its very difficult with the altitude."

"We are at 8,000 feet above sea level. It's very difficult to get full benefits of engine performance. With the 200LR we get very good advantage with performance. Secondly, we have been growing the last five years -- 20% year over year -- and that necessitates an airplane that can take over 300 passengers. And the airplanes that we have today, the 767 carry about 270 passengers and the load requires we go over 300 [passengers] and that is why we picked the 777-200LR and we expect that the 787 to do the mid-range for us. The A350 will also help us operate the long range with that older fleet. Both of them can serve on the same route."

I asked Mr. Wake directly about his airline's order for the 787 and Ethiopian's role as the African launch customer of the type and whether or not the title still held.

"Yes, that is still the case," he replied. "We are taking all of the airplanes that we have ordered."

Wake says his airline's first 787 is now expected in mid-2011, which is around the same time Ethiopian will be "taking most of our 777s." He also revealed that two of the 10 787s on order would be 787-9s which would be delivered "sometime in 2013'.

With the performance of the 787 an open question until flight testing begins, I asked Mr. Wake about the prospect of early aircraft being delivered to the airline overweight.

"There is an overweight situation. We are not very happy that it is over weight," says Wake.

"But even considering the fact that it is overweight, we believe that for our mid-range routes, it is still a very attractive airplane like Europe to Africa [and] within Africa. And if we can leave the Far East and the American operation to the 777 and the A350, the 787 will definitely be a very good replacement for us for the 767 and 757 routes. It will still be a lot better."

Wake says that Boeing is trying to "come up with various solutions" to meet contractual range, payload and fuel consumption targets for the 787-9, adding that "If they come up with a solution, we will take the -9.  If they don't come up with a solution we will keep the -8, we have that in our contract. In any case, initially only two -9s were contracted for us, but if it does not work we can still go with -8, but we'll take all the [orders]."
 
I then asked Wake about the introduction of the A350 and his airline's plans for the new long-range widebody set to arrive in 2017.

"We have plans to dry lease some A350s before that if we see that demand is picking up, the new sectors that will come up gradually will be Brazil - Sao Paulo- more points in the USA, we want to fly to Canada and we want to expand to more points in the far east like Shanghai, Kulala Lumpur, so on and so forth," says Wake.

Wake made a point of saying that Ethiopian Airlines will double in the next five years growing 20% year-over-year. Currently Ethiopian moves 3 million passengers per year.

I concluded the interview asking about his shift as a long-time Boeing customer to a split fleet with the purchase of 12 A350-900s. Wake addressed the decision in this way: 

"We had a very small fleet before. Diversification when you only have 30 airplanes is not a bad thing to do, but when you have 50-plus [aircraft], you can still accommodate it. Diversification is not cheap. So, if you have the right quantity you can still do that and we believe now we have the right number of airplanes in our system that we can diversify, he says.

"And secondly," Wake adds. "I believe it is always better to put your eggs different baskets. Putting them all in one basket could be a problem. So, and we see the airplane also, the A350, when it was originally planned it was not as good. The new revised A350, at least on paper, is very good."

Photo Credit Airbus