Bombardier CSeries finally takes off

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The world’s newest commercial aircraft is being delivered on Thursday.

After years of delay and billions of dollars in budget overruns, Canadian manufacturer Bombardier will hand over the first CSeries aircraft to launch customer Swiss International Air Lines at a ceremony in Montreal.

The airline, widely known as SWISS, has ordered 30 CSeries aircraft. The airplane being delivered on Thursday is a 125-seat CS100, the smaller of the CSeries family.

The bigger aircraft, the CS300 with a seating capacity of up to 150, is expected to be certified soon. Air Baltic is the launch customer of that airplane.

“SWISS is proud to be the first airline to take title of the CSeries. The aircraft performed exceptionally well during its acceptance flight, as expected,” said Thomas Kluhr, chief executive officer of SWISS.

“Along with the CS300 aircraft that we’ve also ordered, the CSeries fleet will allow us to perfectly tailor our capacity to demand on various European routes, while providing an excellent travel experience for our passengers.”

Fred Cromer (right), president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, called it the first “right-sized aircraft in the 100- to 150-seat market segment in nearly 30 years.”

“Today is a significant moment for Bombardier, SWISS and their employees – many of whom have dedicated years to designing, building, marketing and defining the flight network for the C Series aircraft,” Cromer added.

The maiden commercial flight of the CS100 will take passengers from Zurich to Paris on July 15. SWISS will gradually replace its Avro RJ100 fleet with the CSeries aircraft. The airline is a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

In all, Bombardier has won 370 firm orders and 252 options and purchase rights for the CSeries aircraft. Delta Air Lines Inc. is the biggest customer, with an order for up to 125 aircraft.

“A new aircraft program like the CSeries comes around once in a lifetime and it’s a proud achievement that belongs to many,” said Rob Dewar, vice-president of the program.

All photos are by Abdul Latheef

 

 

Emirates announces world’s longest flight

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Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Boeing 777-200, Buisness, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dubai, Dubai Airport, Emirates, Longest Flight, News, Panama, Panama Canal, Panama City, Qantas, Sydney, UAE

Emirates is set to launch the world’s longest non-stop flight, from Dubai to Panama City, in February.

The flight from the Gulf emirate to the capital of Panama will last 17 hours and 35 minutes, the airline said Thursday.

Currently Australian carrier Qantas holds the record for the longest flight, one that links Sydney with Dallas in just under 17 hours.

The daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR in a 3-class layout — eight in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy, the company said.

“Panama City will be our first destination gateway in Central America, providing a convenient option for our passengers travelling from or through our global hub in Dubai and onward to destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the northern part of South America,” said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.

“We’re also pleased to be the only commercial airline to offer a daily, first-class service to travellers on what will be the world’s longest non-stop flight.”

Flight EK251 will depart Dubai at 08:05 and arrive in Panama City at 16:40 daily. The return flight, EK252, will leave Panama City at 22:10, arriving in Dubai at 22:55 the next day.

“It is gratifying to see how diplomatic efforts focused on generating development and prosperity for Panama materialize,” said Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, vice-president of Panama.

“New doors to the country will open with a direct connection to the Middle East — a strong and thriving region with great synergies to both Panama and Latin America.”

Emirates has 235 aircraft in its all wide-body fleet. The airline flies to 147 destinations in 81 countries.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Tocumen International Airport.

Boeing MAX big winner on Day Two of Paris Air Show

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In its Current Market Outlook released last week, Boeing forecast that the world will need almost 27,000 single-aisle airplanes over the coming two decades.

On Tuesday, at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourge, the American manufacturer announced the biggest order of the show so far – for 100 737 MAX 8s from aircraft leaser AerCap.

“This order complements our existing order book in the single-aisle category and is in line with our customer needs and our fleet strategy of leasing the most-in-demand and technologically advanced equipment,” said AerCap CEO Aengus Kelly.

“We see significant market appetite for this aircraft type from our diverse customer base spanning approximately 90 countries around the world,”

The 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737 family. It is under development. Boeing said Tuesday assembly of the first 737 MAX had begun as scheduled in May.

“The 737 MAX 8 will give AerCap’s customers a unique advantage in the heart of the single-aisle market,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner.

A global leader in aircraft leasing, AerCap has 1,800 aircraft that are owned, managed, or under contract to purchase.

In other news:

Minsheng Financial Leasing signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing for the purchase of 30 737s, a mix of Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX airplanes.

Ruili Airlines announced that the airline has committed to purchase 30 737 MAXs.

Korean Air announced the airline’s intention to purchase 30 737 MAXs and two 777-300ER jetliners, with options for an additional 20 737 MAXs.

SMBC Aviation Capital ordered 10 737 MAX 8s.  

Korean Air signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to acquire up to 50 A321neo aircraft.

Cebu Pacific Air ordered 16 ATR72 -600 from ATR, an Airbus subsidiary.

Peach Aviation ordered three Airbus A320s. 

Images are courtesy of Boeing and Airbus.

The stars of the Paris Air Show 2015

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A350XWB, A380, Airbus, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Airshow, Aviation, Boeing, Bombardier, Buisness, Canada, CS100, CS300, CSeries, Dreamliner, Embraer, Le Bourget, News, Paris, Tourism, Travel

Some of the aircraft that will be on static/flying display at the Paris Air Show next week.

The Bombardier CS300

The Bombardier CS100

The Airbus A350 XWB

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

The Bell 429 WLG

The Embraer ERJ135

 Images are courtesy of Bombardier, Qatar Airways, Boeing, Bell and Embraer.

New Emirates A380: Sorry, no First Class

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All of the 13 airlines currently flying the Airbus A380 use aircraft with a three-class configuration, featuring First-, Business- and Economy-class cabins.

The world’s largest operator of the superjumbo is planning to change that with the introduction of a two-class A380 later this year.

Emirates is launching a daily service from Dubai to Copenhagen in December, using what it says is the world’s first two-class configured A380, which can carry up to 615 passengers.

But the down side is the new A380 will not have a First-Class cabin. Instead, it will have 58 seats in the Business Class and 557 in the Economy Class.

Emirates began flying to the Danish capital about four years ago, using an Airbus A330. A few months later, the airline switched to the bigger Boeing 777.

Tim Clark and Thomas Woldbye announce the A380 service.

“Today, based on strong load factors, we are happy to further up-gauge the route to our iconic double-decker, the A380,” said president Tim Clark.

As of December, the airline will offer more than 8,600 seats a week between Copenhagen and Dubai.

Emirates also noted that the aircraft would be more environmentally efficient than others, producing the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre of all commercial airplanes.

“Emirates is making history with this aircraft, its fuel efficiency is better than most modern small passenger cars in terms of fuel economy per passenger kilometre, allowing us to reduce emissions without compromising on comfort,” said Clark.

Meanwhile, the airport says it is investing heavily to make its infrastructure A380-compatible.

Copenhagen will be the first in Scandinavia to offer a scheduled A380 service.

“The increased capacity will hopefully stimulate more trade and tourism between Denmark and countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports.

Emirates has 59 A380s in its fleet, operating from Dubai to more than 30 destinations worldwide. The airline has ordered a total of 140 superjumbos.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Copenhagen Airport.

Air Europa orders 14 Boeing 787-9s

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787-8, 787-9, Air Europa, Aircraft, Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Aviation, Boeing, Buisness, Dreamliner, Globalia, Madrid, News, Spain

As it continues its transition to an all-Boeing long-haul fleet, Spanish airline Air Europa has ordered 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, valued at $3.6 billion.

Boeing said Thursday the order was booked in December and was previously attributed to an unidentified customer.

In all, the airline has ordered 22 787-8s and 787-9s.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (from my collection).

“Since its beginning, Air Europa has always operated the most contemporary airplanes available to the market. With the steps we are taking, we will become an airline with the most modern fleet in the world,” said Juan Jose Hidalgo, president of Globalia, the parent company of Air Europa.

“We have always looked for the best quality and comfort for our passengers and the Boeing 787 meets our needs because it is faster, quieter and more comfortable as well as being more efficient and more respectful to the environment.”

The first Dreamliners will start arriving in 2016.

The airplanes will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

The deal with Rolls-Royce also includes a long term service support, the British engine maker said.

“We have plans to further expand our long-haul service and the Trent 1000 will deliver excellent economics through its performance and support service,” Hidalgo said.

The airline already has eight Trent 1000-powered 787-8s on order that will enter service in 2016.

Rolls-Royce said its engines powered the 787 test flight in 2009, the first 787-8 to enter service in late 2011 and the first 787-9 to enter service last year.

The first 787 was delivered to the launch customer All Nippon Airways in September 2011.

Boeing has won orders for 1,071 Dreamliners and delivered 228 so far. In addition to ANA, major customers include AerCap, Etihad Airways, Air New Zealand, Air Canada and Air India.

Air Europa is one of Spain’s largest airlines, serving more than 40 destinations.

Images are courtesy of Air Europa and Rolls-Royce.

Finnair, South African set high environmental standard

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The organization that represents global airlines says Finnair and South African Airways have become the first carriers to complete the highest level of its environmental assessment program.

The International Air Transport Association said Tuesday they completed State 2 of the IATA Environmental Assessment, or IEnvA, program, aimed at improving an airline’s environmental management.

“This ensures that an airline has implemented all of the IEnvA program standards, identified and mitigated its significant environmental impacts, and has set performance targets,” IATA said.

“Stage 2 also certifies that an airline has developed processes for monitoring and reviewing its performance against its environmental targets and objectives.”

Meanwhile, Icelandair, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines completed IEnvA Stage 1, joining Air Transat, Kenya Airways, LATAM, LATAM Cargo and Malaysia Airlines.

Five years ago, the industry agreed to cut net carbon emissions by 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2050.

“This certification is proof of our commitment to environmental leadership within the aviation industry,” says Pekka Vauramo, Finnair’s CEO.

“Environmental sustainability is at the core of Finnair’s operations and we are continuously working to improve our environmental performance.”

There was no immediate comment from South African Airways.

Images are courtesy of IATA, Finnair and South African Airways.

Boeing, Embraer in biofuel initiative

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Boeing is partnering with Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer to advance sustainable aviation biofuel development in the largest country in South America.

They will conduct joint research at a centre in Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park in Sao Paulo, Boeing announced today.

The two companies will also fund and co-ordinate biofuel research with other Brazilian instiutions.

“Boeing is working aggressively around the world to expand the supply of sustainable aviation biofuel and reduce aviation’s carbon emissions,” said Julie Felgar, managing director of environmental strategy and integration at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Boeing’s global initiatives include a project in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where it has partnered with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and others to produce aviation biofuel.

“Embraer is committed in supporting the development of sustainable biofuels for aviation and the joint efforts with Boeing will undoubtedly contribute to the company continuing to be in the forefront of research in this area,” said Mauro Kern, executive vice-president of engineering and technology at Embraer.

Boeing’s experts have concluded that when produced sustainably, aviation biofuel emits 50 to 80 per cent lower carbon emissions through its lifecycle than petroleum jet fuel.

The fuel was approved for use in airplanes in 2011. Since then, Boeing says, it has been used on more than 1,500 passenger flights.