Programmes
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NewsUnidentified A350-1000 deal in November takes Airbus net orders to 700
Orders for eight Airbus A350-1000s from an undisclosed customer during November helped push the airframer’s net total for the year to 700. Airbus’s figures for the month formally list an additional 30 A350-900s for IndiGo – taking its total to 60 of the type – and six A330-900s for Etihad ...
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NewsSafran tasks new UK centre with electric and composite research for future single-aisle
French aerospace firm Safran is internationalising its technology research operation by setting up a centre in the UK – its first outside of France – with a view to supporting next-generation single-aisle aircraft development.
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NewsAirbus prepares early for A350F certification after drawing lessons from A321XLR
Airbus has embarked on early preparation for A350F certification, intending to implement lessons drawn from the approval process for the A321XLR. The airframer is aiming to secure European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification for the freighter in the second quarter of 2027. But Airbus head of widebody programme development Guillaume ...
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NewsPD-8 engine tested for performance in torrential rain
United Engine has carried out further water-ingestion tests on the PD-8 engine for the Yakovlev SJ-100, to confirm its ability to withstand heavy rain. The tests were conducted on an outdoor rig near Rybinsk, where United Engine’s Saturn division has a facility. Three cycles of tests were involved covering various ...
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NewsAirbus expects main-deck cargo door fit for initial A350F test aircraft early next year
Airbus has yet to fit the main-deck cargo door to its initial A350F test aircraft but is expecting to take delivery of the assembly early next year. While much of the airframe for MSN700 – fuselage, wings, empennage and landing-gear – has been mated and rolled out, the cargo door ...
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In depthHit single: Airbus’s A320 finally leaves Boeing’s 737 in its wake
Airbus’s commercial aircraft chief, Christian Scherer, is quietly satisfied about the A320 family’s landmark achievement in overtaking the Boeing 737, its primary rival, in terms of deliveries.
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NewsEmirates presses for feasibility study of 777-10 as it orders 65 more 777-9s
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is pressing for a feasibility study into a further stretch of the Boeing 777X, a version provisionally named the 777-10. Emirates Group chief Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum disclosed that it would support a -10 study as the carrier signed for a further 65 777-9s. ...
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NewsIl-114-300 edges towards certification after propeller approved
Russia’s United Aircraft has secured certification of the propeller developed for the Ilyushin Il-114-300 regional transport. Federal aviation regulator Rosaviatsia granted approval for the Aerosila AV112-114 propeller on 14 November. Some 80 certification flights were conducted with the six-blade composite propeller, which has a diameter of 3.9m (12.8ft). The tests ...
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NewsFully-substituted MC-21 prototype flown to Zhukovsky for certification tests
United Aircraft has flown the latest, fully import-substituted Yakovlev MC-21 prototype to the test centre at Moscow Zhukovsky from Irkutsk, to join the certification fleet. The twinjet – which carried out its maiden flight towards the end of October – flew nonstop to Moscow, a sortie of 6h 15min. Operated ...
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NewsSJ-100’s domestic engines tested for resilience to water ingestion
United Aircraft has carried out water-ingestion tests on its initial import-substituted Yakovlev SJ-100, equipped with Aviadvigatel PD-8 powerplants. The aircraft, number 97023, carried out the runway pooled-water test at the Gromov institute at Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. It was accelerated through the standing pool – about 70m long and 12m wide ...
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NewsAirbus nears completion of first Qantas A350-1000 for long-range Project Sunrise routes
Airbus has rolled out the first ultra-long-range A350-1000 for Australian carrier Qantas’s Project Sunrise initiative. Project Sunrise envisions nonstop services to Australia’s east coast from London and New York. Airbus secured an agreement to supply Qantas with a version of the A350-1000 modified to carry out these specific long-range flights. ...
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NewsAirbus builds towards final destructive tests on Wing of Tomorrow demonstrator
Airbus has begun the first phase of load testing on a demonstrator wing developed under its Wing of Tomorrow programme that will eventually see the structure tested to destruction.
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NewsVertical discussing industrial partnerships to support VX4 commercialisation
Vertical Aerospace is holding talks with several prospective entities as it seeks a strategic industrial partner to support its commercialisation of the VX4 eVTOL. Speaking during a third-quarter briefing, chair Domhnal Slattery said that, with the imminent piloted transition test phase expected to be completed in a few weeks, “now ...
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NewsVertical shows off scalable VX4 cabin design days ahead of transition flight tests
Vertical Aerospace has unveiled the cabin design for its certification-standard VX4 eVTOL, days ahead of commencing transition flight testing of the prototype aircraft. It has shown off a four-seat cabin, but also an option for a six-seat layout, as well as a cockpit observer’s seat next to the pilot. The ...
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NewsRussia’s prototype TVRS-44 regional turboprop set to fly in mid-2026
Russian aerospace firm UZGA expects to build the first prototype of its TVRS-44 Ladoga regional turboprop by the end of the year. The twin-engined Ladoga is one of three UZGA aircraft programmes which have undergone a review by Russian certification authorities during a meeting at the federal government co-ordination centre. ...
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NewsAirbus freighter forecast highlights Asia demand as region’s carriers sign for A350F
Two recent Asia-Pacific agreements for the Airbus A350 freighter have reinforced Airbus’s confidence in the aircraft’s long-term prospects, despite the substantial turmoil endured by global trade in a year which has virtually been defined by escalating tariffs, retaliation, and geopolitical tension. Korean Air and Air China Cargo have newly disclosed ...
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NewsAirbus halves number of parked ‘gliders’ as it strives to meet year-end delivery target
Airbus has halved, the last three months, the number of engineless aircraft for which it has been forced to postpone delivery owing to a powerplant shortfall. The number of so-called ‘gliders’ had reached a peak of around 60 in June. Speaking during a third-quarter briefing on 29 October, Airbus chief ...
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NewsAirbus trims A220 production targets over supply and demand considerations
Airbus has lowered its target for A220 production rates, aiming for 12 aircraft per month next year rather than the previous 14. The airframer is attributing the decision, disclosed during a third-quarter briefing, to the “current balance between supply and demand”. Airbus, which took net orders for 36 A220s over ...
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NewsSecond import-substituted MC-21 prototype carries out maiden flight
United Aircraft has carried out the first flight of a second prototype import-substituted Yakovlev MC-21-310, advancing the type’s progress towards certification. The twinjet – numbered 006 and powered by Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines – lifted off from the airframer’s plant in Irkutsk on 28 October. United Aircraft says the aircraft will ...
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NewsUnited Aircraft tests Il-114-300’s navigation capabilities in mountainous Siberian terrain
Russia’s United Aircraft has undertaken a series of flight tests with the Ilyushin Il-114-300 turboprop in regions of high terrain in southern Siberia. The tests took place at Gorno-Altaisk airport, in the Altai republic which borders Mongolia and Kazakhstan. “Conducting tests in this region allows for the evaluation of the ...