Programmes – Page 18
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NewsPratt-powered MC-21 engines swapped to pursue PD-14 certification
Russian airframer Irkut is preparing to conduct test flights with an MC-21-300 whose engines are being swapped from foreign-built to domestically-built powerplants. The aircraft, number 73051, was originally an MC-21-300 variant fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines. But Russian state technology firm Rostec says the aircraft will be tested ...
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NewsChinese carriers help lift Airbus net orders by nearly 400 aircraft
Airbus has added nearly 400 net orders to its total for the year, following a strong July, and includes the large agreement for aircraft from four Chinese carriers. These Chinese operators are collectively taking 196 A321neos, plus 82 A320neos and 14 A319neos. Airbus also recorded 39 A321neo orders from LATAM, ...
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NewsAstro sells eVTOL developer Horizon to shareholders
Just over a year after acquiring Canadian eVTOL developer Horizon Aircraft, US investor Astro Aerospace is selling the company to a group of Astro shareholders. The purchasing shareholders will acquire Horizon in exchange for Astro public securities, but Astro will also take a fraction of the ownership of Horizon. Horizon, ...
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NewsEtihad Airways firms order for A350 freighters
Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways has confirmed its order for seven Airbus A350 freighters, cementing an agreement originally unveiled in mid-February. The airline already had orders for 20 A350-1000s, of which five have been delivered. Airbus says the freighters are “adding to” Etihad’s order for the -1000s. “This additional cargo ...
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NewsHorizon unveils half-scale prototype of Cavorite eVTOL
Canadian hybrid-electric aviation specialist Horizon Aircraft has unveiled a half-scale prototype of its proposed Cavorite X5 eVTOL aircraft. The 50% scale version is 4.5m (15ft) in length with a wingspan of 6.7m. Horizon says the eventual production aircraft will have capacity for a pilot and four passengers, and be powered ...
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NewsSSJ-New fuselage emerges from production line during transfer to Moscow test facilities
Russia’s United Aircraft has delivered a prototype fuselage for the Irkut ‘SSJ-New’, the updated version of the Superjet 100, to test facilities in Moscow. The SSJ-New revises the baseline aircraft design to feature a greater proportion of Russian-built components, as well as to incorporate evolutionary changes developed from Superjet operational ...
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NewsAirbus chief confident that engineless aircraft backlog will vanish by year-end
Airbus admits it had 26 aircraft still awaiting engines at the end of the first half, a tailback caused by supply-chain issues in the aerospace sector. But chief executive Guillaume Faury is confident that this backlog will diminish to zero by the end of the year. Speaking during a first-half ...
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NewsAirbus pushes back A320neo production-rate target over supply-chain concerns
Airbus has shifted the ramp-up target for A320neo production, pushing back the timeline for achieving 65 aircraft per month to early 2024. It amounts to a six-month deferral from its original aim to reach this rate in summer 2023. The airframer says it is making adjustments to its ramp-up trajectory, ...
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NewsATR picks NH Industries helicopters executive as new chief
Turboprop manufacturer ATR has named Airbus Helicopters executive Nathalie Tarnaud Laude as its new chief executive, succeeding Stefano Bortoli. Laude, who joined Airbus in 2005, is president of NH Industries and heads the venture’s NH90 military helicopter programme. She has also held senior roles at Airbus in the strategic, finance ...
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NewsAirbus exercising patience over Chinese certification for A220
Airbus does not envision a near-term certification of its A220 in China, but nevertheless expects eventual approval for the twinjet from Chinese regulators. The airframer recently obtained agreements from four Chinese carriers covering close to 300 single-aisle jets – all from the A320neo-family range. These included 100 for China Eastern ...
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NewsAmpaire nets order for up to 250 electric aircraft conversions
Electric propulsion start-up Ampaire has secured a launch order from air mobility firm WingTips for an initial 25 nine-seat Eco Caravans – a hybrid conversion of Cessna’s popular turboprop – in a deal that anticipates a huge follow-on deal for up to 225 aircraft.
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NewsComac hails ‘crucial victory’ as C919 completes flight tests
Comac’s in-development C919 narrowbody is a step closer to certification, following the completion of flight testing.
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NewsSix operators tentatively sign for nearly 250 of Ascendance’s Atea eVTOL
French aerospace start-up Ascendance Flight Technologies has disclosed letters of intent for 245 examples of its proposed hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, known as the Atea. The Atea is five-seat, low-carbon aircraft which will go into production in 2025. Ascendance says the tentative agreements have come from six operators in the USA, ...
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NewsE195-E2 demonstrates steep-approach capability with London City debut
Embraer’s re-engined E195-E2 twinjet has become the largest aircraft to touch down at London City airport, ahead of steep-approach certification towards the end of this year. The E195-E2 (PR-ZIQ) carried out the landing on runway 09 shortly before 11:00 on 22 July, having arrived from Farnborough where it had been ...
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NewsA350 freighter design should free cargo operators from ‘tail-tip’ worries
Among the design considerations for the Airbus A350 freighter is virtual elimination of the risk of ‘tail-tipping’ while the aircraft is parked. Tail-tipping is typically the consequence of a loading or unloading error on aircraft, either passenger or freighter, which creates sufficient aft shift in the centre-of-gravity to cause the ...
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NewsA350 freighter’s barrier wall to be supplied by Turkish Aerospace
Airbus has handed the supply contract for the A350 freighter’s barrier wall to Turkish Aerospace, under a sole-source agreement. The freighter design includes a rigid barrier wall separating the aircraft’s main cargo deck from the forward courier seating area which will be able to accommodate up to 11 seats. Turkish ...
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NewsAirbus reshapes A350 cabin to accommodate up to 30 more seats
Airbus is nearing introduction of a new interior configuration standard for the A350 which will permit 10-abreast economy seating and potentially add 30 seats to the aircraft’s accommodation. The densification change will allow the A350-1000 to carry “well over” 400 passengers in certain configurations, chief commercial officer Christian Scherer told ...
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NewsAirbus broadens Liebherr A350 remit to more complex 3D-printed component
Airbus is extending its sourcing of 3D-printed components for the A350 with an agreement for complex lower cargo door actuator valves. The valve will be produced by Germany’s Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg, the firm has disclosed at the Farnborough air show. Additive layer manufacturing will be employed to produce the part, which ...
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NewsKenya’s Astral turns to new E190 freighter to supplement cargo fleet
Kenyan-based carrier Astral Aviation is set to be an initial operator of Embraer 190 freighters, following cargo conversion from passenger operations. Lessor Nordic Aviation Capital has already tentatively secured up to 10 conversion slots for the regional jet modification, for delivery from 2024. The lessor’s own fleet of Embraer 190s ...
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NewsEasyJet firms follow-on A320neo commitment
UK low-cost carrier EasyJet has formalised its order for 56 A320neo family aircraft after securing shareholder approval earlier today.