Programmes
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NewsChina Eastern schedules C919 commercial debut on 28 May
China Eastern Airlines appears set to operate the first commercial flight of the Comac C919 twinjet in the coming days, some five months after taking delivery of the aircraft.
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Challenge Group lands investment package for 767 conversions
Maltese-based air freight and logistics specialist Challenge Group is receiving investment supporting its acquisition and cargo conversion of a batch of Boeing 767-300ERs. Investec Aviation Finance is providing just over €60 million ($64 million) for the purchase and modification of four 767s. Challenge Group operates carrier divisions in Israel – ...
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Russia’s SSJ-New edges towards serial production
Serial production of the Irkut SSJ-New, the domestically-modified variant of the Superjet 100, is scheduled to commence next year, Russian state technology corporation Rostec insists. Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov says prototypes of the SSJ-New are being assembled at the Irkut plant in Komsomolsk, while certification structural testing of an SSJ-New ...
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Rockton chief outlines lessor’s role in decarbonisation push
Swedish ‘boutique lessor’ Rockton is eyeing an emerging market for low-carbon aviation as it completes its transition from an investor in traditional regional turboprops.
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United Aircraft aims to build MC-21 engine nacelle plant in Voronezh
Russia’s United Aircraft is looking to establish a new production centre in Voronezh, specialising in engine nacelles for the Aviadvigatel PD-14 and PD-8 powerplants. These engines have been developed for the Irkut MC-21 and SSJ-New programmes. United Aircraft states that its Ilyushin division has reached an agreement with the government ...
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Il-114-300 set for high-speed flight tests following engine certification
United Engine’s Klimov division aims to produce several powerplants this year for Ilyushin Il-114-300 high-speed flight testing. Russian federal air transport authority Rosaviatsia has recently approved the Klimov TV7-117ST-01 engine for operation at altitudes of 6,000m (19,700ft) and speeds up to 297kt. This is the regime for the next planned ...
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Spin and stall characteristics modelled for Russia’s LMS-901 certification
Russian airframer UZGA’s LMS-901 Baikal has been undergoing high angle-of-attack and spin modelling at Moscow’s Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, as part of certification preparation. The Baikal is a single-engined utility aircraft intended for regional connectivity to remote areas, replacing older types such as the Antonov An-2. As part of its development, ...
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Sichuan Airlines receives first Chinese A330-300 converted freighter
Chinese operator Sichuan Airlines has taken delivery of the country’s first converted Airbus A330-300 freighter, through lessor CDB Aviation. The twinjet – powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines – was modified by the EFW joint venture and Shanghair Technologies Aerospace Company at a facility in Shanghai Pudong. “Introduction of this ...
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German start-up USC looks to operate A340s including converted freighters
German-based start-up operator USC is intending to operate Airbus A340 converted freighters, and has reached an agreement on the modification with the UK’s Avensis Aviation. USC is located in Frankfurt and aims to serve long-range routes with A340-300s and -600s from this summer. It is intending initially to conduct wet-lease ...
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Boeing seeks US approval for mini-suite installations on 737 Max
Boeing is seeking authorisation to fit mini-suites to its 737 Max range, similar to those already approved in other aircraft types. The airframer states that it is proposing to install up to 32 of the suites – each featuring its own privacy door – on the Max 7 up to ...
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Mammoth 777 conversions to feature personnel area behind cockpit
US aerospace firm Mammoth Freighters has detailed plans for a supernumerary personnel area behind the cockpit of its converted Boeing 777 cargo aircraft. The company, which is aiming to offer conversion of 777-200LR and -300ER twinjets, is seeking US FAA approval for the four-person zone. This will bring maximum occupancy ...
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Private customer to take single A330-800
Airbus recorded an order from a private customer for a single A330-800 in April, during an otherwise relatively quiet month of activity. The agreement marks the first A330neo order for this year, and a rare deal for the -800 variant. It brings to 12 the total number of A330-800s taken ...
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Ryanair settles for higher price to secure 737 Max 10 slots
Slot scarcity helped push Ryanair into reaching a deal with Boeing for 737 Max 10s, as group chief Michael O’Leary admits that the airline had to settle for a higher price than it sought. The airline is taking up to 300 Max 10s with deliveries set to begin in 2027. ...
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Supply-chain hitches ‘no excuse’ for aircraft delivery delays: Air Lease
US lessor Air Lease is not prepared to let airframers blame the supply chain for aircraft delivery delays, with executive chairman Steve Udvar-Hazy insisting that the manufacturers’ problems are “self-inflicted”. Speaking during a first-quarter briefing, Udvar-Hazy said Airbus and Boeing were increasing production rates across their single-aisle and long-haul ranges ...
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Seats among constraints backloading A350 deliveries
Airbus’s widebody delivery profile for the year will be heavily backloaded to the second half, with seat supply among the bottlenecks with which the airframer is having to cope. The manufacturer handed over just five A350s in the first three months of the year – to Starlux Airlines, Turkish Airlines, ...
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Airbus A350 freighter entry-into-service slips to 2026
Airbus has shifted the entry into service date for the A350 freighter into 2026, but is more broadly maintaining its industrial targets for other programmes. The airframer, which has disclosed first-quarter results, says the industrial planning for the freighter is being “slightly adjusted” as its initial milestones are reached. Chief ...
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MC-21 and Superjet roll out in United Aircraft’s new corporate livery
United Aircraft has rolled out an Irkut MC-21 and Superjet 100 in a unified corporate livery ahead of the MAKS Moscow air show. The updated livery follows a corporate branding change at United Aircraft. It will feature on the MC-21 – prototypes of which have previously carried an Irkut design ...
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Moscow institute ships CR929 wing-box parts for testing
Moscow Aviation Institute has manufactured and shipped components for a prototype wing-box intended for the proposed long-haul CRAIC CR929. The CR929 is joint Russian-Chinese project to develop a widebody twinjet. Moscow Aviation Institute says its experimental facility has produced the components – which took around two months – and shipped ...
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Airbus and Safran finalise acquisition of troubled strategic parts firm Aubert & Duval
Airbus and Safran have finalised the acquisition of specialist materials supplier Aubert & Duval, a year after disclosing that they were seeking to take over the loss-making firm in order to reinforce the aerospace supply chain. Previously owned by French minerals and metals company Eramet, the subsidiary specialises in strategic ...
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Hainan Airlines commits to 60 C919s, 40 ARJ21s
Hainan Airlines has disclosed commitments for 60 Comac C919 narrowbody aircraft and 40 ARJ21 regional jets meant for two airline units, providing an orderbook boost even as the airframer grapples with service entry delays.
