F_I_2014_02_18_24_downmagaz.com

FLIGHTINTERNATIONALightglobal.com

18-24 FEBRUARY 2014

HELI-EXPOWHOS GAINING UPLIFT AHEAD OF INDUSTRY SHOW? SPECIAL REPORT

DEFENDING IDEASOfcial warns R&D vital to keeping USAs innovation edge against threat from Russia and China 32

AFTER COLUMBUS Five years on, Cessna considers returning to large-cabin market as core sectors struggle 33

SINGAPORE REPORT

WAR OVER WIDEBODIESBig two trade blows on twin-aisle strategy

3.40

FIN_180214_301.indd 1 13/02/2014 10:17

Y O U R F L I G H T I S O U R M I S S I O N

A E R O S PA C E E V O

CA105413_AerospaceMetal_197x267_Flight.indd 1 07.11.13 10:42

FIN_180214_302.indd 302 13/02/2014 08:47

18-24 February 2014 | Flight International | 3ightglobal.com

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

18-24 FEBRUARY 2014

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

18-24 FEBRUARY 2014

HELI-EXPOWHOS GAINING UPLIFT AHEAD OF INDUSTRY SHOW? SPECIAL REPORT

DEFENDING IDEASOfcial warns R&D vital to keeping USAs innovation edge against threat from Russia and China 32

AFTER COLUMBUS Five years on, Cessna considers returning to large-cabin market as core sectors struggle 33

SINGAPORE REPORT

WAR OVER WIDEBODIESBig two trade blows on twin-aisle strategy

I S S N 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 2 6 6

0 83.40

FIN_180214_301.indd 1 13/02/2014 10:17

Billy

Pix,

Bell working closely with partner Boeing to nalise export sales campaigns for its V-22 Osprey P22. A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster at the Singapore air show P24

AIR TRANSPORT 30 Windshear led to Fokker 100 hard landing.

Evacuation of Virgin A330 highlights poor procedure. Mubadala outlines engines of growth

31 ILFC and Libyan Airlines join A350 buyers upsizing to -900. Lufthansa brings forward 747-8 delivery schedule

DEFENCE 32 Research or regress, US Department of

Defense ofcial warns

BUSINESS AVIATION33 Struggling Cessna looks at return to

large-cabin sector. Pilatus enhances PC-12 NG to boost sales

NEWS FOCUS 35 No sea change in core values and safety

focus at Bristow Group

REGULARS7 Comment 51 Straight & Level53 Letters56 Classied 59 Jobs 63 Working Week

NEWS THIS WEEK 8 Algerian Hercules crashes, killing 779 Big two clash over widebody strategy.

Qatar delays A380 delivery to avoid Doha overload

10 Voyager drama halts ight operations. USAF unlikely to escape budget cuts

12 Certication clears AW189 for launch. Boeing rejigs 787 deal with Alenia Aermacchi

15 ESA launches next stage of Ariane 6

SINGAPORE SPECIAL REPORT 16 Rivals vie for F-16 upgrades 17 Engines key to 757 successor studies 18 Promising data as GTF and Leap get a

reality check20 Saab sure on 340s maritime pedigree.21 New name spurs search for A400M,

A330 export deals. Twelfth and nal M-346 delivery for Singapore

22 Bell tees up export deals for Osprey23 Third CSeries will y within weeks.

C919 nears nal assembly24 A splash of colour: Singapore photo spread29 IAI reveals heavy fuel Super Heron.

Seoul close to $1.2bn Global Hawk deal

COVER STORY16 Boeing and Airbus clash over

widebody strategy As Toulouse lauds the simplicity of its approach to the 200-400 seat sector, Seattle points to its products sales success

FEATURES36 CIVIL HELICOPTERS Lift, thrust and

power plays With the rotorcraft industry preparing to gather for Heli-Expo 2014 in Anaheim, California, all four major Western manufacturers hope to exploit newfound momentum with revitalised product ranges

VOLUME 185 NUMBER 5427

PIC OF THE WEEK YOUR PHOTOGRAPH HEREThis picture, posted by the USAF, shows an airman defrosting a Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules at Bagram Aireld, Afghanistan. A de-icer truck uses red uid and water to remove ice from the aircraft. Open a gallery in ightglobal.coms AirSpace community for a chance to feature here

USAF

/Kay

la N

ewm

an

ightglobal.com/imageoftheday

Billy

Pix

COVER IMAGEThe cover shows an Airbus A350-900 making its air show debut at last weeks Singapore air show. Picture by BillyPix. See show report P16

NEXT WEEK COMMERCIAL ENGINES While modern design technologies beat the open rotor noise problem, Rolls-Royce likes the look of composites and MTU sees its future in the PW1000G

Rolls

-Roy

ce

Flight_CFM_25x180.indd 1 19/07/2012 17:51

Download the new Commercial Engines Reportnow updated for 2014 with enhanced data and in-depth market analysis

THE WEEK ON THE WEBightglobal.com

ightglobal.com

CONTENTS

Flightglobal reaches up to 1.3 million visitors from 220 countries viewing 7.1 million pages each month

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Vote at ightglobal.com/poll

Find all these items at ightglobal.com/wotw

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

For a full list of reader services, editorial and advertising contacts see P55

EDITORIAL +44 20 8652 3842 [email protected] DISPLAY ADVERTISING +44 20 8652 3315 [email protected] CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING +44 20 8652 4897 [email protected] RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING +44 20 8652 4900 [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS +44 1444 475 682 [email protected] REPRINTS +44 20 8652 [email protected] FLIGHT DAILY NEWS +44 20 8652 [email protected]

Total votes: 5,453This week, we ask: Will Boeing launch a clean-sheet successor to the 757? Yes, in the next two years Yes, but not until 2016 or later No too small a potential market

Last week, we asked: 747-8? You said:

The best is yet to come

36%Will struggle on for a

few more yearsProduction will end within 18 months

32% 32%

HIGH FLIERSThe top ve stories for the week just gone:1 PICTURES: Airbus A350 arrives at Singapore show2 BA yet to decide on fate of 747 damaged in Johannesburg3 SINGAPORE: Boeing still playing 777X name game4 SINGAPORE: Amedeo rms up 20 A380s5 SINGAPORE: Production system key to Boeings 757 successor

On his Ariel View blog, Arie Egozi says linking simulators to a network could be a winning combination when it comes to preparing air forces for warfare. He uses the Israeli air

forces new Rangeless Helicopter Training and Safety System (HTS) to illustrate his point. During a ground-based demonstration late last year, HTS replicated the ring of helicopter-mount-ed weapons towards moving

targets. The action was monitored in real time from a control building. The system is designed to allow advanced joint forces training by utilising network interoperability with the Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation system and combat training centres, he says. David Learmount asks whether Norwegian Air Shuttles decision to set up a transatlantic operation with its registration and corporate headquarters in Ireland, will have any safety implications.

Flightglobals Singapore bureau team of Greg Waldron, Mavis Toh, Ellis Taylor, and Firdaus Hashim were joined by other staff members from London and Washington DC at the city states biennial air show, where they produced a show report (P16), print and interactive dailies, coverage for our Singapore landing page and doz-ens of stories for our premium news service on the Flightglobal dashboard. Meanwhile, Washington DC-based reporter Jon Hemmerdinger travelled up the East Coast to New York to cover a Cowen Group defence conference (P32).

IN THIS ISSUECompanies listedADAT ............................................................30AerCap ..........................................................8AeroVironment ...............................................8AgustaWestland .................................7, 12, 35AIG ................................................................8Airborne Technologies ..................................20Airbus ....................................................16, 31Airbus Defence & Space ..............................15Airbus Helicopters ....................................7, 35Air Costa ......................................................16Alenia Aermacchi ...................................12, 21Amedeo .......................................................16Aspen Avionics.............................................33AgustaWestland ...........................................12ATR ..............................................................16Beechcraft ...................................................33Bel Air ..........................................................40Bell Helicopter .........................................7, 22BOC Aviation ................................................16Boeing ...................7, 8, 12, 16, 21, 31, 32, 33Bond Offshore Helicopters ...........................35Bombardier .......................................8, 12, 23Bristow Group ..............................................35CEPA ............................................................63Cessna ........................................................33CFM International ........................................17CHC Helicopter ............................................35Comac .........................................................23Cougar Helicopters ......................................35Eastern Airways ............................................35Elbit Systems ...............................................29Embaer ........................................................16Era Group ....................................................40European Space Agency ..............................15Experia Events .............................................16Finmeccanica ..............................................12Fokker..........................................................30Garmin ........................................................33General Electric ...........................................17Gulf Helicopters ...........................................40Honeywell ....................................................33Israel Aerospace Industries ..........................29ILFC .........................................................8, 31Jeppesen .....................................................33LCI ...............................................................35Libyan Airlines ..............................................31Lder Aviao ...............................................35Lockheed Martin ......................................8, 16Lufthansa ....................................................31Met Ofce ....................................................57Milestone Aviation........................................35Mitsubishi ....................................................23Mubadala ....................................................30NASA ...........................................................15NHS .............................................................35Northrop Grumman ......................................16Parkwater Aviation .......................................33Pilatus .........................................................33Pratt & Whitney ......................................16, 33Qantas ...........................................................8Quest Aircraft ...............................................33Raytheon .....................................................32Rockwell Collins ...........................................33Rolls-Royce ....................................................8Saab ...........................................................20Sikorsky ...................................................7, 35Skyworld Aviation .........................................56SpaceX ........................................................15Spokane Turbine Centre ...............................33SR Technics..................................................30Tim Leacock.................................................56Turkish Aerospace Industries ................7, 8, 49Urban Aeronautics ...................................7, 49Virgin Atlantic ..............................................30Williams International ..................................33

4 | Flight International | 18-24 February 2014Flightglobal_Media_Banner_Oct2013_AM193.indd 1 13-10-24 1:58 PM

FIN_180214_003-004.indd 4 13/02/2014 19:06

HIGH ACHIEVER

Pub/Issue Flight International_September 24, 2013 Size Bleed: 10 3/4 x 7 7/8 Trim: 7 3/4 x 10 1/2 Live: 7 1/8 x 9 11/16

File Name PPG_Flight_International

Client PPG Industries

Superior achievement in aircraft aesthetics, performance, and environmental benets from PPG.

Bringing innovation to the surface.

www.ppg.com

PAINTS - COATINGS - OPTICAL PRODUCTS - SILICAS - GLASS - FIBRE GLASS

Our new high-solids, chromate-free DESOTHANEfi HD basecoat/clearcoat coatings system keeps aircraft looking good today and for years to come. Our basecoat colour is applied in one coat instead of the typical two to three, saving material, weight and application time. Our clearcoat provides extended service life with improved colour and gloss retention, better buffability and a smoother surface that is easier to clean. PPG also offers vibrant new colour options in livery design with ANDAROfi special-effect pigments, which reect nearly 90 percent of visible light. And AEROCRON chrome-free electrocoat primer features superior corrosion protection and reduces primer weight for enhanced aircraft fuel economy. Visit www.bringinginnovation.com/aerospace.aspx to learn more about our industry-leading aerospace transparencies, coatings, sealants, packaging and chemical management services.

Andaro and the PPG logo are registered trademarks and Bringing innovation to the surface is a trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.Desothane is a registered trademark and Aerocron is a trademark of PRC-DeSoto International, Inc. 2013 PPG Industries, Inc.

FIN_180214_005.indd 5 13/02/2014 08:48

CLIENT: EADSPRODUCT: NoneJOB#: AD_HOCSPACE: 1/1 p 4CBLEED: 203 mm x 273 mmTRIM: 197 mm x 267 mmSAFETY: 191 mm x 261 mmGUTTER: NonePUBS: Flight InternationalISSUE: NoneTRAFFIC: NoneART BUYER: NoneACCOUNT: NoneRETOUCH: NonePRODUCTION: NoneART DIRECTOR: NoneCOPYWRITER: None

This advertisement was prepared by Imperial Trading Company

FontsHelvetica Neue (67 Medium Condensed), Franklin Gothic Medium (Regular)Graphic Name Color Space Eff. Res.

Filename: FlightInternational_02182014.indd

Proof #: 1 Path:

COMMENT


See Feature P36

Launches aplenty, but still thinking to doHelicopters are one of the quiet success stories in the aviation industry. The airline buying spree of the last few years gets the attention, but helicopter sales have been at least keeping pace.

Rising demand for aircraft with vertical take-off ca -pability so critical to the booming and runway-inde-pendent oil and gas industry has fed a wave of new product launches since 2011, culminating with Bell Helicopters short light single announcement at the Paris air show.

There are still a few gaps in the industrys collective portfolio. Sikorsky may need to nd a niche between the S-72D and S-92. Bell Helicopter must eventually devel -op a true replacement for the 412EPI. Airbus Helicopters

has yet to fully dene the X6 and X9 projects that will follow the X4 and the E175 into service by 2020.

All the big airframers, including AgustaWestland with the AW169, are dabbling in high-speed propul -sion, with uncertain prospects for its feasibility and vi-ability. Meanwhile, a range of new starts, typied by the Urban Aeronautics AirMule, seek to redene verti -cal lift capability with ducted fan propulsion.

All of these interests and trends collide next week at the Heli-Expo convention in Anaheim, California. The industry may be ready to take a breather from new product announcements. But then again, it has a lot of catching up to do.

Flightglobal will be covering all the news from Heli-Expo next week, with a full report from the show in our 4 March issue ightglobal.com

A chance to do it rightA new 757 would give Boeing the opportunity to ll an obvious gap in its range. But it would also allow the airframer to rectify errors it made with its last clean-sheet design, the 787

Rex

Fea

ture

s

Learning from your mistakes

See Show Report P17

Getting an aviation industry executive to comment meaningfully on the record about a possible new product years ahead of a potential launch is not an easy task. The scripted response to such queries is a series of banalities always prexed with the disclaimer: Of course, were always looking at everything.

So when a Boeing executive at a major industry event concedes the company is in the early stages of studying something new, it deserves to be noticed.

The comment about a possible 757 replacement at the Singapore air show by chief salesman John Wojick inches the airframer further down the road of addressing a glaring market gap in the 200-250-seat range between the 737 Max and 787-8 for a medium-haul airliner.

It also allows Boeing to tackle the 737 Max 9s com -petitive weakness against the Airbus A321neo and cre-ates a template for the replacement of the Max family. The bottom line is that no aircraft in the market today can replace the 4,000nm (7,400km) capability of the 757, and that gap creates an opportunity for the airframer.

It is still offering plenty of disclaimers. There is, for instance, no timeline on making a decision about the 757 replacement. Boeing also has plenty already on its developmental agenda until at least 2022, with the 737 Max family, the 787-10 and the 777-9X and the 777-8X still to deliver into service.

That allows at least three years to study a range of technical decisions about the next project.

Above all, Boeing faces a credibility test on any new aircraft that follows the 787

The 757 replacement if realised would be the rst clean-sheet aircraft launched by Boeing since the 787 in 2003. It raises a range of technical questions: Will the airframer consider a twin-aisle design? How much will composite structures be adaptable to the high-frequency, sub-250-seat market of the future? Will a new centreline engine be required to support the project?

Above all, the company faces a critical credibility test on any new clean-sheet aircraft that follows the 787. It is not surprising Boeing talked about ways to minimise production cost almost in the same breath as disclosing early studies of a 757 replacement. Echoes of the Aircraft Creation Process Strategy cannot be ignored. Launched in the late-1990s and led by Walt Gillette, that focused on minimising production costs. Its conclusions helped form the 787 development strat -egy, including the now-discarded outsourcing model.

The 757 replacement opportunity may give Boeing a chance to do things right, and make up for the mistakes of the past decade.

FIN_180214_007.indd 7 2014-02-13 18:05

THIS WEEK

ightglobal.com8 | Flight International | 18-24 February 2014

For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multimedia content visit ightglobal.com/wotw

Military authorities have con-rmed that there was a sole survivor among the 74 passen-gers and four crew on board an Algerian air force Lockheed Mar-tin C-130 Hercules transport that crashed in poor weather on ap-proach to Constantine airport on 11 February.

The aircraft, registered 7T-WHM, was ying a transport ser-vice from Tamanrasset in the far south of Algeria to Constantine via Ouargla. Contact was lost at 11:37 local time, in the mountainous northeastern province of Oum el-Bouaghi. The defence ministry says adverse weather conditions prevailed in the region, including lightning and snow.

The crew were in radio contact with Constantine approach con-trol, and had been expected to land on runway 34, at an aireld eleva-tion of 2,320ft (706m). The runway

ACCIDENT DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON

Algerian Hercules crashes, killing 77Air force transport hits mountain in poor weather, beyond the point at which published ILS descent procedure begins

Rex

Feat

ures

The C-130 is considered safe, with few lost in its long service life

DEFENCE DOWNTURN LOOMS AT ROLLS-ROYCEPROPULSION Rolls-Royces aero engines division turned in modest growth for 2013, with sales rising 4% to 9.25 billion ($15.4 billion) and underlying prot before nancing gaining 13% to 1.28 billion. Military engine sales were up 7% to 2.59 billion, outpacing the 3% gain to 6.66 billion in the larger civil unit, but sharply declining de-fence budgets are set to take a toll; while the civil order book grew 22% to 60.3 billion during the year, the defence backlog slumped 21% to barely 4 billion. For 2014, Rolls-Royce expects modest growth in revenue and good growth in prot from civil engines, but 15-20% reductions in revenue and prot in defence.

BOMBARDIER FORECASTS 280 DELIVERIES IN 2014MANUFACTURING Bombardier is forecasting a small hike in 2014 in its aerospace earnings margin to 5%, up from the 4.5% it achieved in 2013, when aerospace division earnings rose by 7% to $418 mil-lion on revenues up by more than 9% to $9.4 billion. Bombardier delivered 238 aircraft last year and took net orders for 388, includ-ing 81 commercial airframes. This year, it expects to deliver 80 com-mercial aircraft and around 200 business jets.

AERCAP TO END ILFC OWNERSHIP UNCERTAINTYLEASING AerCap shareholders have approved the Amsterdam-based lessors proposed acquisition of ILFC, for $5 billion in cash and shares and the assumption of $21 billion in debt. The deal, ex-pected to close in the second quarter, will end some ve years of uncertainty surrounding ILFCs ownership by long-time parent AIG, the insurance group that has been divesting non-core assets since it was effectively nationalised by the US government following the 2008 nancial crisis. A 2013 agreement to sell 90% of ILFC to a consortium of Chinese nanciers for $4.75 billion fell through.

AUSTRALIA EDGES TOWARD END OF QANTAS CAP AIRLINES Qantas has welcomed indications from Australian treas-urer Joe Hockney that he supports a repeal of the countrys legal limit of 49% ownership of the ag carrier. Hockey told reporters that the Qantas Sale Act imposes a costly restriction: If Australia wants to place regulatory handcuffs on Qantas, then we need to accept that that will come at a cost to taxpayers. Frankly, its not something that I am willingly prepared to do I dont like the idea of putting tax-payers money or taxpayers support behind Qantas.

THE PEACE EAGLE HAS LANDEDDELIVERY Following a roughly seven-year programme delay, the Turkish air force has taken delivery of its rst of four Boeing 737-based airborne early warning and control system aircraft. Ordered in 2003, the Peace Eagle eet will be operated from Konya air base, where a rst example arrived in early February. Boeing and Turkish Aerospace Industries will hand over another two modied 737s this year, with the last to follow during 2015.

LOCKHEED GETS ONBOARD GLOBAL OBSERVERUAV AeroVironment has teamed up with Lockheed Martin to seek international customers for the liquid hydrogen-powered Global Observer, an unmanned air vehicle designed to y for up to a week at altitudes above 60,000ft (18,300m). The US Department of Defense in 2012 closed a demonstration programme, with a rst prototype having crashed the previous year. AeroVironment opted to continue development activities, and has built a second example.

BRIEFING

has an instrument landing system that was advised serviceable at the time. The aircraft struck Mount Fortas, about 25km (16 miles) south of Constantine. That is be-yond the point at which the pub-lished ILS descent procedure be-gins. Images of the crash scene show the aircrafts tail section rela-tively intact on the hillside.

A stretched-fuselage C-130H-30 delivered in 1982, the aircraft was one of 16 H-model Hercules in the Algerian eet be-fore the accident, says Flightglob-als Ascend Online database. Ac-cording to Ascend, there have been 416 serious accidents in-volving C-130s since the type en-tered service with the US Air Force in the 1950s. More than 2,500 have been built, and con-sidering the variety of roles per-formed, the aircraft is considered very safe.

ENGINES

R-R pact to power C-130J until 2025Rolls-Royce and Lockheed Martin have signed an agreement worth up to $1 billion covering the supply of around 600 AE2100 turboprops for the C-130J tactical transport. The pact, which R-R says supports US and

international contract requirements until 2018, also conrms the engine as the C-130Js only propulsion sys-tem choice until 2025. The AE2100 will also be used with Lockheeds planned civilian-variant LM-100J.

FIN_180214_008-009.indd 8 2014-02-13 19:21

THIS WEEK


Voyager drama halts ight operationsTHIS WEEK P10

Qatar Airways has pushed back its rst three Airbus A380 deliveries from April, May and June to the middle of this year to avoid overloading its new Doha airport when it opens in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the airline is aiming to display no fewer than four airliners an A380, an A320, an A350, and a 787 at this years Farnborough air show.

The opening of the new Hamad International airport delayed by over a year due to wrangles over completion contracts with suppliers is expected to take place in the second quarter. Says Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker: Qatar Airways would prefer to have a soft opening to not put too much load on new systems and gradually ramp up the use of the airport. Doha and Qatar Airways want the new airport to be operational when they host this years IATA annual general meet-ing in June.

A irbus and Boeing crossed swords during the Singa-pore air show over their con-trasting strategies in the wide-body sector, with each questioning the others logic for product development. In prod-uct strategy briengs in at the show, Airbus argued for simplic-ity while Boeing pointed to its even spread of aircraft across the 200-400 seat sector.

Airbuss new generation wide-body products comprise four models the A380 superjumbo and three variants of the A350 twinjet. Its only in-production widebody twinjet is the A330.

Boeing is developing a multi-product line-up comprising three variants of 787, two 777X models and the 747-8I. It currently has the big twinjet sector to itself with the 777-300ER (and ultra-long range -200LR), which will eventually be succeeded by the 777X family.

Boeing has been waxing eloquent about how impressive their widebody product line is. Well, actually it looks like a bit of a dogs breakfast to me, says Airbus chief operating ofcer for custom-ers John Leahy.

This industry needs simplici-ty. [Boeing] has eight different models competing with four of ours. Those eight different models

represent four aircraft families different cockpits, different en-gines, different support. Thats not reasonable today, he adds.

However Boeing highlights its sales success in the widebody sector. Were pleased with how were positioned with our wide-body product offering from 200 to 400 seats we have a complete line of 787s and 777s in the mar-ketplace. From orders, to deliver-ies, to backlog, we lead the com-petition, says Boeings marketing vice president Randy Tinseth.

The competition is frustrated. The A350 looks too little, too late to the market place, he adds.

Scott Fancher, who is Boeings general manager of airplane de-velopment, made a sideways swipe at the smallest A350 vari-ant, saying that while Airbus has gained some pretty good trac-

tion with the A350-1000 and -900, the A350-800 has not had the strongest traction out there.

The future of the A350-800 has been subject to speculation amid a shrinking backlog as customers migrate to the larger variants (see Air Transport P31). Airbus is un-derstood to be evaluating wheth-er to address that market segment with a re-engined A330.

There has also been speculation surrounding Airbuss strategy with product development be-yond the 369-seat A350-1000, fol-lowing Boeings launch in Dubai of the larger 777X family backed by 259 commitments. Chief exec-utive Fabrice Brgier left the door open to the prospect of an even larger A350 sized to compete with the 777X, but for now he is attrib-uting Boeings decision to stretch its twinjet to the competitive

strength of A350-1000: The 777X has to be slightly bigger because it could not compete against the A350-1000, he says.

So they were in the sweet spot [with the 777-300ER] which was 360 passengers in three classes and we just took over this sweet spot. So we believe the A350-1000 and A380 should be more than sufcient.

However, in the long run we are improving our product. So we have no short-term/mid-term plan to do that [a stretch], but we could well envisage additional members of the A350 family.

Boeing holds a 55% share of the widebody twin backlog with orders for 312 777s, 66 777Xs and 913 787s a total of 1,291 aircraft. Airbuss backlog stands at 1,072 aircraft (258 A330s and 814 A350s).

Max

Kin

gsle

y-Jon

es/F

light

glob

al

Max

Kin

gsle

y-Jon

es/F

light

glob

al

Qatar will bring its first A380 to the Farnborough air show

The 350-900 is one of three variants of the twinjet

COVER STORY MAX KINGSLEY-JONES SINGAPORE

Big two clash over widebody strategyAirbus lauds the simplicity of its approach to the 200-400 seat sector, while Boeing points to its products sales success

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE

Qatar delays A380s to ease in Doha

FIN_180214_008-009.indd 9 13/02/2014 19:03

THIS WEEK



The UK Royal Air Force has temporarily suspended operations with its new eet of Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transports, after one its current six examples was involved in an unexplained ight incident.

A Voyager aircraft suffered an in-ight issue on 9 February and as a precaution diverted to an aireld in Turkey, the Ministry of Defence says.

AirTanker, which provides the Voyager eet, describes the incident as having involved an unscheduled change of ight level, which occurred while the transport was above Turkey en route to Afghanistan.

The aircraft landed safely at Incirlik air base, with nine crew members and 189 passengers aboard. A few passengers

received minor injuries during the incident, the MoD says, with affected personnel own back to the UK using a Lockheed TriStar from the RAFs 216 Sqn.

The safety of all our aircrews and passengers is our paramount concern, therefore, it has been

decided to temporarily pause military-registered Voyager ying while a full investigation is com-pleted, the MoD says. This deci-sion was made by the Air Ofcer Commanding the RAFs 2 Group organisation, who holds so-called duty holder status with respon-

sibility for the safety of the ser-vices air transport eet.

A resumption of operations is expected only once the factors behind the incident have been determined, and consideration given to any potential ight safety implications.

Flown by the RAFs 10 and 101 squadrons from its Brize Norton transport hub in Oxfordshire, the Voyager is replacing the UKs retired Vickers VC10s and re-maining TriStars. Under current plans, the latter model is due to be removed from use on 31 March.

AirTanker, which also current-ly operates one unmodied A330 on the UK civil aircraft register, says it is working closely with the RAF, Ministry of Defence and investigators in accordance with normal procedures.

Some of the US Air Forces most venerable aircraft could head to the boneyard in scal year 2015 as the victims of pro-jected military funding cuts, budget analysts predict.

Fairchild Republic A-10 ground-attack, Lockheed U-2 and Beechcraft MC-12 surveillance and McDonnell Douglas KC-10 tanker aircraft are likely be re-tired next year, says Mackenzie Eaglen from public policy group the American Enterprise Insti-tute. I expect all of those to be near entirely retired, or most of the eets, she says.

The Department of Defense has so far avoided having to make widespread aircraft retirements because Congressional spending bills in scal years 2013 and 2014 largely mitigated the effects of se-questration cuts, Eaglen notes. But wider budget reductions expected in coming years are likely to force it to retire entire aircraft eets.

Speaking at a defence confer-ence in New York City on 6 Febru-ary, Eaglen noted that the US Air Force completely folded to po-litical pressure against a desire to retire its Northrop Grumman Block 30-variant RQ-4 Global

Hawks. They are not going to ght it, she says. According to air force gures, the unmanned air vehicle costs $6,710 to operate per hour, versus $2,400 for the U-2.

Todd Harrison from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the sheer size of Lockheed Martins F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme also makes it a target for possible cuts, but not cancellation.

Eaglen notes that the FY2014 budget bill elevated the USAFs $7 billion combat rescue helicop-ter programme, which calls for 112 aircraft over 14 years, to a

special interest item. This was a veiled Congressional request for the DoD to also include funding in next years budget proposal, which the White House plans to release on 4 March. Sikorsky, with partner Lockheed, is the only bidder for the requirement, with a CRH-60 development of the UH-60M Black Hawk.

Harrison cautions that Wash-ingtons current budget cycle dif-fers from those of the Korea and Vietnam war eras, as troop levels were roughly at through the spending boom of the 2000s. See Defence P32

INCIDENT CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

Voyager drama halts ight operationsUnscheduled change of ight level en route to Afghanistan leads to temporary suspension of RAFs tanker/transports

The modified A330 is replacing the UKs VC10 and TriStar fleets

Crow

n Co

pyrig

ht

USAF eet unlikely to escape budget cuts in 2015FINANCE JON HEMMERDINGER NEW YORK

The KC-10 tanker (left) was introduced into service in 1981, while the A-10 was first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991

USAF

FIN_180214_010.indd 10 2014-02-13 18:08

DEPARTURE TIME: 00:00:01 DEPARTURE DATE: 01/01/2014 DESTINATION: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

BOARDING PASS

DEPARTURE TIME: 00:00:01

DEPARTURE DATE: 01/01/2014

DESTINATION:AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

WELCOME ON BOARD

We design helicopters with the highest levels of quality, safety and availability to ensure mission success. Lets build the future together, inspired by Airbus excellence.Enjoy your ight.

VISIT US AT HELI-EXPO25-27 February 2014 - Anaheim, CA - USAAirbus Helicopters Booth # 523

AirbusHeli-LaunchAD-FlightInt-197x267.indd 1 05/02/2014 14:21FIN_180214_011.indd 11 13/02/2014 08:50

AgustaWestland has gained certication for its 8.3t AW189, paving the way for deliv-ery of the rst two helicopters to launch customer Bristow Group in the coming days.

The super-medium, twin-en-gined rotorcraft achieved EASA approval on 7 February, and will make its debut in an offshore transport conguration.

The 16-seat AW189 was un-veiled at the Paris air show just under three years ago and has

gained strong sales in the offshore segment. It was also successful in the UKs search and rescue contest, where it will enter service with Bristow Helicopters from 2015.

Although most of the General Electric CT7-powered helicopters will be assembled in Vergiate, Italy, AgustaWestlands factory in Yeo-vil, UK, will produce the 11 aircraft destined for the UK SAR contract. Yeovil will then serve as the assem-bly site for all SAR-congured AW189s globally.

Boeing has ordered further 787 sections from Italys Alenia Aermacchi after restructuring its contract with the Italian rm.

Alenia Aermacchi says the re-vised agreement sets up a new performance-based business ar-rangement, although it does not disclose specic details.

The agreement will drive im-proved operational performance for the company, as well as the 787 programme, it says.

Boeing has conrmed orders for additional shipsets from Alenia Aermacchi. The Italian rm manu-factures the 787s central and aft fuselage sections 44 and 46, as well as the horizontal stabiliser.

Alenia sealed its participation in the 787 project in 2005 but en-countered production issues with the stabiliser around 2010. In the third quarter of 2011, par-ent Finmeccanica took a 753 million charge against its 787 in-volvement: 161 million against likely non-compliance penalties relating to substandard work on fuselage barrels and whorizontal stabilisers, and 592 million to

reect reassessment of total pro-gramme costs.

These issues were subsequent-ly addressed and Alenia has re-mained a partner on the pro-gramme. In November 2013, chief executive Alessandro Pansa told Flight International: We are receiving congratulations from Boeing on the way we xed the business and are delivering the shipsets we are responsible for.

That improvement, added Pansa, was a crucial validation of Alenias capabilities. With the 787 problem xed, he explained, those capabilities represent more opportunities.

ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

AW189 is cleared to go into service EASA certication gives green light for deliveries of rst two examples to offshore transport operator Bristow Group

AEROSTRUCTURES DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Boeing rejigs 787 deal with Alenia Aermacchi

Agus

taW

estla

nd

Bristow will operate super-medium twin under UK SAR contract

Boei

ng

Earlier issues now resolved

THIS WEEK



FIN_180214_012.indd 12 13/02/2014 18:29

$JXVWD:HVWODQGLVDZRUOGRISHRSOHXQLWHGE\DJUHDWVWUHQJWKSDVVLRQ

3DVVLRQIRUWHFKQRORJ\LQQRYDWLRQIRUZDUGWKLQNLQJGHOLYHU\DQGDERYHDOORXUFXVWRPHUV

3DVVLRQLVWKHHQHUJ\EHKLQGWKHSHRSOHWKDWNHHSRXUURWRUFUDIWLQVNLHVWKHZRUOGRYHU

/($,1*7+()8785(

(YHU\WKLQJZHGR:HGRZLWKSDVVLRQ

$JXVWD:SDVVLRQ

3DVVLRQDERYHDO

3DVVLRQVNLHVWKH

/($,1

DJXVWDZHVWODQGFRP

9LVWXVDWWKH+HOL([SRERRWK

FIN_180214_013.indd 13 13/02/2014 08:59

FIN_180214_014.indd 14 13/02/2014 09:13

THIS WEEKRivals vie for F-16 upgradesSHOW REPORT P16

Weve taken our best-in-class sunlight readable pushbutton switch and made it even better.

Our LOGIC Series of switches and indicatorsoffer over 600,000 mix-and-match combinations of internal electronics. Components including

SHOW REPORT


For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multi-media content visit ightglobal.com/wotw

Lockheed Martins aeronautics chief has played down specu-lation that possible funding con-cerns related to US F-16 upgrades will compromise its international improvement offerings for the popular type, as its rival looks to eat into its market dominance.

Orlando Carvalho, executive vice-president of Lockheed Mar-tin Aeronautics, says that if the combat avionics programmed ex-tension suite (CAPES) effort be-comes a casualty of the US gov-ernments 2015 budget request, it will not hurt his companys inter-national F-16 upgrade offering.

Carvalho says Lockheed has a deal with Northrop Grumman to provide its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) at a xed rate for in-ternational customers.

A major element in CAPES and other F-16 upgrades is the addi-tion of an active electronically scanned array radar. The radar that Lockheed selected for the US Air Forces CAPES programme is Northrops SABR. The other op-tion is the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar.

Regionally, BAE Systems and Raytheon won a competition to upgrade South Koreas F-16s,

while Lockheed and Northrop were tapped to upgrade Tai-wans, which was closely tied to the US decision.

Carvalho says development work can continue even if the USA axes the production element of the programme.

Raytheon, meanwhile, is con-dent that the upgrade architecture developed for South Korea will allow it to compete international-ly. Raytheons vice-president of international strategy and busi-ness development, Jim Hvizd, claims its offer with BAE pro-

viding an avionics upgrade is orders of magnitude cheaper than the rival package.

Singapore is also planning to enhance its F-16C/D Block 52 ghters. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notied Con-gress in December that the Singa-porean government has requested a possible $2.4 billion deal to mod-ify its 60-strong eet of F-16s.

However, it is not clear how much Singapore wants a competi-tion. The F-16 upgrade was an-nounced two years ago as a sole-source contract to Lockheed.

a

Making its international air show debut, the Airbus A350 XWB dominated headlines as the fourth edition of the Singapore air show got under way at Changi Exhibition Centre. The order tally may have failed to live up to the blockbuster haul boasted by Novembers Dubai air show, but there were plenty of hot topics, including the scramble to meet Singapores expected need for Lockheed Martin F-16 upgrades. Organiser Experia Events claimed a record roster of exhibitors, but admitted it was forced to turn down Airbuss request to bring the company A380 after running out of static park tarmac. Report by Andrew Doyle, Firdaus Hashim, Craig Hoyle, Max Kingsley-Jones, Dominic Perry, Mark Pilling, Ellis Taylor, Mavis Toh, Greg Waldron and Ghim-Lay Yeo. Photography by BillyPix

SINGAPORE 2014

Late Air Costa deal lifts show

The pre-show hype focused on the arrival of the Airbus A350 and its rivalry with Boeings 787, but neither type won any new commitments and overall, the order buzz was decidedly low key.

It was always going to be im-possible for Singapore to match last Novembers record-breaking Dubai air show. However, it took until the third day for a large, brand-new order to emerge as In-dian start-up Air Costa committed to take up to 100 Embraer E2 re-gional jets. It ordered 25 E-190 E2s and 25 E-195 E2s and placed op-tions for the same number.

The largest deals up to that point involved previous commit-ments from lessor Amedeo (for-merly Doric Lease) for 20 Airbus A380s and low-cost carrier Vi-etJet Air for up to 100 Airbus A320neos and A320ceos. Both deals were rmed.

Meanwhile, ATR scored a major success as Dubai Aerospace Enterprise ordered 20 ATR 72-600s while BOC Aviation selected Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans for 15 A320neo orders.

Flightglobals order tracker shows total commitments of 197 aircraft and 102 options. The 2012 show had a total of 285 orders.

ORDERS PROGRAMMES

Rivals vie for F-16 upgradesUncertainty over US cuts does not affect Lockheeds plans as Raytheon eyes market

Singapore plans to modernise its fleet of 60 F-16s

FIN_180214_016-017.indd 16 2014-02-13 17:43


SINGAPORE 2014SHOW REPORT

Promising data as GTF and Leap get a reality checkSHOW REPORT P18

Powerplants and production systems are key elements in Boeings evaluation of a new aircraft to address the market niche previously occupied by the 757 narrowbody.

The manufacturer has long been studying the potential for a 200-300 seater with a range of 4,000-5,000nm (7,400-9,250km). Such an aircraft would t between the top of its single-aisle product line currently occupied by the 737-900ER/Max 9 and the bottom end of its 787 widebody family. This segment was left vacant when Boeing ended production of the 757 narrowbody in 2004 after just over 1,000 deliveries.

Boeings senior vice-president global sales John Wojick says the project is in the study and customer requirement phase and the company has an awful lot of discussions to go with our customers.

Sources indicate that the tim-ing of any new mid-sized airliner would see service entry after the last of Boeings recently launched programmes, the 777X, deliveries of which begin in 2020.

Observers believe the requisite engine is likely to be in the 30,000-50,000lb (133-222kN) thrust bracket, with potential suppliers including existing nar-rowbody powerplant specialists CFM International and Pratt & Whitney, along with Rolls-Royce.

Wojick says the studies have not yet reached the stage where Boeing has entered detailed dis-cussions with engine suppliers about the propulsion technology that could be adopted for any new 200-300 seater.

We did hear about Boeings plans. I think the timing is in the early 2020s, says Dave Brantner, president of P&Ws Commercial Engines division.

He adds that P&W has a technology road map to ad-vance the next-generation geared turbofan (GTF).

Sufce to say that the GTF platform is scalable; we are work-

ing on the technologies that can scale us to provide for any future platform. Of course, when they come along, we evaluate the busi-ness case and make sure our tech-nology is ready.

General Electric/Snecma part-nership CFM says it has rst re-fusal over its shareholders on engine programmes with up to 50,000lb thrust, although any nal decision would be discussed at the partner compa-ny level.

Were working with [Boeing], were talking about it... its just a study at this point. If it ends up needing an engine in the thrust

class where CFM plays, we will be there to contribute, says CFM executive vice-president Chaker Chahrour.

Rolls-Royce was the launch engine supplier on the 757, and its RB211 powered a large num-ber of the aircraft delivered. The company says it talks to airframe manufacturers all the time about a variety of projects, but declines to comment about whether these have included Boeings 757 suc-cessor project.

Boeings marketing vice-presi-dent Randy Tinseth says that while the existing Airbus A320 and 737 narrowbody families cover a big part of the 757s mar-ket there is that 5% that we saw with the 757 that was really game-changing.

Key to the 757s popularity was its relatively long range, which enabled it to y transatlantic routes. There are airlines that really like that capa-bility across the North Atlantic, and the A321 cant do that

and nor can the 737 Max 9, adds Tinseth.

Tinseth says that Boeing is in the early stages of dening the aircraft to succeed the 757, and central to those studies is how it will be built.

Were trying to gure out what that transition airplane looks like, what is the market size and what technologies do you need to incorporate, he says.

A key aspect of the studies is what the production system looks like to make sure you can have cost that makes sense in the market too. Cost of production is critical for this type of aircraft, explains Tinseth, as it will be aimed a relatively small market niche. This means it is important the aircraft can be built prota-bly at low rates of output com-pared with the broader single-aisle families being produced at up to 50 aircraft a month.

He adds: Were working through that and its going to take us a while.

a

Del

ta A

ir Li

nes

We did hear about Boeings plans. I think the timing is in the early 2020sDAVE BRANTNER President of P&Ws Commercial Engines division

MID-MARKET AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

A321neo 737 Max 9 757-200 757-300 787-8

Passengers 185 180 200 243 242Range (nm) 3,700 3,600 3,900 3,400 7,850MTOW (t) 89 88* 116 124 228Engine thrust (lb) 33,000 28,000 43,500 43,500 70,000*estimated SOURCE: Manufacturers

NARROWBODY

Engines key to 757 successor studies Tentative indications point to post-2020 timeline for long-range single-aisle, but Boeing dismisses talk of imminent launch

Boeing delivered over 1,000 757s during the twinjets 22

years of production

FIN_180214_016-017.indd 17 2014-02-13 17:43




Now we are putting our money where our mouth is [with the GTF order], says Martin. We believe in this engine. It will deliver on time. Customers want it. They like the fuel efciency and its environmental character-istics. BOC Aviation selected Leaps for a batch of 10 A320neos ordered last year, he adds.

The PW1500G, a smaller PW1100G variant, was certicated last February by Transport Canada and is now powering two Bombar-dier CSeries ight-test aircraft.

P&W is working with Airbus

for the rst A320neo ight pow-ered by the PW1100G in the third quarter, says Brantner.

The Leap-1C conguration for the Comac C919 will be the rst of CFMs new family of engines to enter ight testing on joint-venture partner General Electrics Boeing 747 ying testbed in May. The Leap-1B for Boeings Max will enter ight testing in mid-June with the Leap-1A for the A320neo following in September.

As both manufacturers wind up their test engine programmes and the massive supply chains to build them, the orderbooks are bulging. P&W has racked up over 5,000 commitments, including options, for its GTF from more than 50 airlines and lessors.

CFM now has 6,000 Leaps on order. To be at that level so early in a programme is unprecedent-ed, says Chahrour. Additional reporting by Stephen Trimble in Washington DC

CFM ran its rst Leap in Sep-tember last year and has achieved 274 starts, 310h and over 400 cy-cles on the rst engine, says CFM executive vice-president Chaker Chahrour. A further four test en-gines will join the certication programme between now and the end of March, with a total of 20 on test by year-end.

HITTING THE MARKCFM describes the early results of the Leap tests as fantastic. Ac-cording to Chahrour: The engine went to full power just a couple of hours after we broke it in, and went to over 33,000lb-thrust [147kN] on the second day of testing.

The positive test results are leading both manufacturers to be condent in their offerings. This engine, when built to specica-tion, will deliver the performance we promised customers, says Chahrour of the Leap.

Brantner is equally strident about the GTF: We are going to hit our mark at entry into ser-vice any improvements will be extra value.

At the Singapore show, P&W announced its latest GTF custom-er with BOC Aviation selecting the engine for 15 of its A320neo orders, plus another 17 options. Robert Martin, managing director of BOC Aviation, says the Chi-nese-owned lessor had been working on the project with P&W since 2010 when Airbus was con-sidering whether to have one or two engine manufacturers.

BOC Aviation was fairly vo-ciferous with Airbus about the need for an engine choice on the A320neo, he says. It already of-fers in-production A320ceos with either CFM56s or Interna-tional Aero Engines V2500s on its eet of 91 A320s.

We believe in this engine. It will deliver on time. Customerswant it. They like the fuel efciencyROBERT MARTINManaging director, BOC Aviation

Pratt & Whitney and CFM In-ternational are gearing up the test programmes for their new en-gine offerings to equip the next generation of narrowbody airlin-ers that promise double-digit fuel consumption improvements over current-generation powerplants.

As data from testing begins to ow, the claims and counter-claims over the performance of Pratt & Whitneys PW1000G geared turbofan and CFMs Leap is turning from words and PowerPoints to facts and gures.

We have now tested 31 GTF engines since initiating testing in September 2010, says David Brantner, president of P&W Com-mercial Engines. The engine fam-ily has accumulated over 7,600h and 17,000 cycles of full testing, including 850h of ight time.

Brantner says the PW1100G that will power the Airbus A320neo is meeting its targets and validating P&Ws efciency claims. We are seeing fuel burn really hit its mark, he says. This is the rst time in Pratt & Whitneys history we have an engine doing this well.

Chahrour is confident of the Leaps test results

PROPULSION

Promising data as GTF and Leap get a reality checkWords and PowerPoints turn to facts and gures with Pratt & Whitney and CFM posting positive test results

PW1000G engines have

accumulated over

and

cycles, including

of ight time

7,600h17,000 850h

FIN_180214_018.indd 18 2014-02-13 17:35

BELLHELICOPTER.COM

The Bell 429WLG with retractable landing gear offers impressive range, speed and a smooth ride. With a spacious and quiet cabin, the Bell 429WLG will get you to your destination in comfort and style.

Visit us at HELI-EXPO, Booth 4536

2

014

BE

LL H

ELIC

OP

TE

R T

EX

TR

ON

IN

C.

Client: Bell HelicopterJob #: 0243-6101Pub: Flight GlobalContact: Marcus CreelEmail: [email protected]

Trim Size: 7.75" x 10.5"Bleed Size: 8" x 7.5"Live Area: n/aDesigner: Evan VeederDate Created: 1-22-2014

SETTING THE STANDARD FOR SMART BUSINESS

FIN_180214_019.indd 19 13/02/2014 09:17




MODIFICATION

Boeing eyes $10bn potential market in surveillance nicheBoeing believes there is a $10 billion business opportunity in the niche mar-ket for mid-sized intelligence, surveil-lance and reconnaissance aircraft.

Speaking at the show, company executives Fred Smith and Dave Cutter expressed their optimism about the market for the companys developmental maritime surveillance aircraft: a Bombardier Challenger 605

business jet specially adapted for the new role. Canadas Field Aviation is modifying a demonstrator of the sys-tem using a Challenger 604.

Smith says using a jet for the maritime surveillance mission is ideal because such aircraft can y higher which can make sensors more effective and also faster than turboprop rivals. Speed is

crucial in certain missions, such as search and rescue, he adds.

Representing the top end of the maritime ISR market, the US Navy brought one of its Boeing 737-based P-8 surveillance aircraft to Singapore. Operated by its VP-16 squadron from Kadena air base in Okinawa, Japan, the aircraft is replacing the services Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions.

is expected to be a European op-erator of the Pilatus PC-9, says chief sales ofcer Marcus Gurt-ner, with capability trials due to be conducted during June. Other candidate platforms for

the Scar system include twin-turboprops, plus helicopters and UAVs, and further payload options, such as a radar and self-protection equipment, could follow.

Saab is condent of making a rst sale of its 340-based maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) later this year, with its demonstrator having been own for potential customers during the show.

The response has been really good, says Richard Hjelmberg, head of marketing and sales for the maritime surveillance area at Saab Asia-Pacic. Potential cus-tomers see the size of the cabin and the growth potential, and like the concept of using an adapted commercial aircraft.

In its baseline conguration, the 340 MSA has one mission station installed within its cabin, with an operator in charge of an electro-optical/infrared sensor and other mission equipment. We also have an option for a second operator, depending on communication requirements, Hjelmberg says. Such an addi-tion would enable a customer to use the aircraft in an airborne command and control role.

Also exhibited at last years Paris and Dubai shows, the 340 MSA is being pitched to air force, coastguard and govern-ment operators.

SURVEILLANCE

Saab sure on 340s maritime pedigreeFirst customer expected to be conrmed this year, as the adapted commercial aircraft attracts interest for MSA role

Airborne Technologies left its mark on the show by unveil-ing its self-contained aerial re-connaissance or Scar pod, which the Austrian company is offering as a means of adapting aircraft for special mission tasks without an expensive modica-tion bill.

The pod can be integrated with a host aircraft by using an exter-nal hardpoint, with an onboard operator to receive sensor output on a ruggedised tablet device via a wi- connection.

Constructed of carbonbre, the scalable pod can be equipped with either a 10in (25cm) or 15in-diameter electro-optical/infrared camera installation, plus commu-nications and signals intelligence sensors. It also contains a moving map system and high-denition data storage, and a rechargeable battery capable of supporting op-erations lasting up to 10h. The complete pod installation weighs up to 160kg (353lb) for the larger system.

The companys rst customer

RECONNAISSANCE

Pod is budget option for special mission tasks

We expect a rst customer this year, says Hjelmberg. We have strong interest all around the world, but theres a cluster of ve or six countries here in Asia.

The company, which also of-fers a dedicated maritime patrol aircraft development of the Saab 2000 regional airliner, claims that a 340 MSA could be delivered for

the same cost of a special mis-sion-adapted Beechcraft King Air 350. Deliveries of refurbished air-craft adapted for the MSA role could start within 12 months of a contract being signed.

Separately, Saab Asia-Pacic chef executive Dan Endstedt says talks are ongoing with Thailand for six additional Gripen C/D ghters. He says he hopes the deal happens soon.

The Royal Thai Air Force al-ready operates 12 Gripens and two Saab 340 airborne early warning and control system aircraft, plus a further two of the latter type in a transport conguration.

The MSA is being pitched to potential customers in the region

Twin turboprops could also be utilised as a Scar platform

Airb

orne

Tec

hnol

ogie

s

FIN_180214_020-021.indd 20 13/02/2014 13:45



Bell tees up export deals for OspreySHOW REPORT P22

Airbus Defence & Space made its rst high-prole appear-ance at an international show since emerging from a rebranding activity last month, by revealing a target to close fresh sales of its A400M tactical transport and A330 tanker this year.

Commercial director Christian Scherer says the company hopes to announce a fresh export deal for the A400M within the com-ing months. Our target is to have at least one new customer secured this year, he says, with Airbus now running at least two pretty advanced campaigns around the world.

Malaysia is the European pro-grammes current lone interna-tional buyer, and will next year accept its rst of four examples.

Scherer also expects India to sign a contract for six A330 tank-ers soon. Airbus has extended the validity of its bid beyond the end of the current nancial year in April, he says, adding: It real-ly doesnt matter whether its within the next month, or the next six months. But it was a rm no comment when it came to discussing the status of Singa-

pores Boeing KC-135 replace-ment need.

Meanwhile, the heat was turned up on an already sim-mering rivalry between two Eu-ropean military airlift manufac-turers during the show, with ofcials exchanging broadsides over the merits of their respec-tive products.

Launching a new offensive with the companys C-27J Spartan, Giovanni Timossi, Ale-nia Aermacchis vice-president of international sales for Asia and Oceania, claimed that the type is superior to any competi-tor, in all categories. He went on to attack the capabilities of the Airbus Defence & Space- produced C295, saying it fell short of the Italian design in

both performance and opera-tional capability.

Responding to the comments, Scherer described them as an emotional outburst by a frustrat-ed competitor.

Pointing to the more than 160 C212 and CN235/C295-series aircraft in operation throughout Asia versus a current zero for the Spartan he adds: The mar-ket has spoken, overwhelming-ly. Australia will receive 10 of the latter type before the end of 2015.

The war of words erupted as the rivals draw close to submit-ting bids to supply their candi-dates to the Indian air force, as replacements for its current Avro HS 748 transports. Re-sponses are likely to be tabled in early March, when both compa-nies should also reveal which Indian partners they would work with in producing the new-generation eet.

A Portuguese air force C295 that visited the show ew on to New Zealand, where it will be used to conduct a maritime pa-trol demonstration for the coun-trys military.

Our target is to have at least one new customer secured this yearCHRISTIAN SCHERER Commercial director, Airbus Defence & Space

Singapores new-generation advanced jet trainer eet will be complete within weeks, with Alenia Aermacchi poised to de-liver its last of 12 M-346 aircraft.

Ten examples have already been handed over to the Repub-lic of Singapore Air Force, along with associated ground-based training equipment and an ini-tial package of logistics support, the European manufacturer says. The remainder will follow in March, it adds.

Operations with Singapores rst M-346s began at Cazaux air base in France in February 2013, with its rst student pilot having entered training the fol-lowing month.

Singapore ordered its M-346 eet in 2010 as replacements for aged Douglas A-4 Skyhawk train-ers. Alenia Aermacchi is teamed with Boeing and ST Aerospace to deliver the programme.

The twin-engined type has also been sold to Israel and Italy, and selected by Poland.

STRATEGY

New name spurs search for A400M, A330 export dealsDespite rebranding, erce rivalry with Alenia Aermacchi for airlifter market still stands

TRAINERS

Twelfth and nal M-346 delivery for Singapore

PROGRAMME

Unsold C-17s remain priority for airframerBoeing is placing a priority on nding customers for the 15 C-17 strategic transports it is building without conrmed or-ders. [The C-17s] are not without a lot of focus in the company, says Chris Raymond, vice-presi-dent of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Any time youre in a position where youre protecting things at risk, you pay a lot of at-tention to it.

Raymond says Boeing is en-gaged with ve or six countries about the remaining aircraft. Of these, two to four are not pres-ently users of the type. He re-mains condent that it will be able to sell the outstanding jets.

A Portuguese air force C295 was present at the show on its way to demonstrations in New Zealand

FIN_180214_020-021.indd 21 13/02/2014 13:45




Bell is working closely with its partner Boeing to nalise a number of export sales cam-paigns for its V-22 Osprey, even as it continues development ac-tivities on its V-280 Valor third-generation tiltrotor.

There are targets of opportu-nity that we are continuing to pursue, says Bell chief execu-tive John Garrison. Once we se-cure the rst [foreign military sales] contract, I think others will follow thereafter.

Israel is currently the leading candidate for the rst export order, having formally requested the acquisition of six aircraft via the US Defense Security Coop-eration Agency.

Japan too, has expressed an interest in purchasing the tiltro-tor, with media reports indicat-ing a requirement for 17 exam-ples. Conversations with potential customers from all over the globe are continuing, says Garrison, citing possibilities in the Middle East and Europe.

Garrison believes the Osprey highlighted its capabilities in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. It was the rst aircraft to arrive to perform hu-manitarian assistance, having deployed some 1,300nm (2,400km) from Okinawa, Japan and then operated from unsur-faced airelds, says Garrison.

Several MV-22s operated by the US Marine Corps VMM-262 squadron in the disaster relief ef-

fort were at the show to perform demonstration ights.

In addition to the overseas

opportunities, Bell hopes the USMC will commit to an addi-tional 23 MV-22s above current multi-year deal, which includ-ing orders for the US Air Force totals 100 airframes. Beyond this, it is eyeing a third multi-year agreement covering around another 100 tiltrotors, including 46 for the US Navy as replace-ments for the services Northrop Grumman C-2A Greyhound eet.

Meanwhile, work continues on the V-280 for the US Army-led Joint Multi-Role technology demonstrator programme for its Future Vertical-Lift requirement.

Garrison anticipates the ser-vice reducing the current short-list of four bidders to just two proposals in around June or July this year.

Assuming it is on the shortlist a Boeing-Sikorsky team is like-ly to be the other down-selected Bell is targeting late 2017 for rst ight of the General Electric-powered aircraft.

And the manufacturer is al-ready eyeing opportunities for the V-280 outside of its own home market.

We believe this programme will have a tremendous opportu-nity for foreign military sales it is like the [Lockheed Martin] Joint Strike Fighter for rotor-craft, says Garrison.

Relentless pursuit of rst-ight victoryBell is targeting maiden ight of its two new civil programmes the 525 Relentless and the Short Light Single (SLS) this year, but is still uncertain which will reach the mile-stone rst.

Its going to be tight, says Bell chief executive John Garrison, they are both neck and neck. Theres a little internal competitive rivalry as to who ies rst.

Although launched in 2012, the Relentless is a more complex clean-sheet design whereas the SLS, un-veiled last summer, uses existing

transmission components simplify-ing its development.

Assembly of the rst three 525 ight-test articles is underway at Bells Amarillo, Texas facility, says Garrison, with work on a total of ve prototypes due to have commenced by year-end.

He says the manufacturer is making great progress with the design of the Turbomeca Arrius 2R-powered SLS and will unveil a full-size mock-up and a new name for the helicopter at the forthcom-ing HAI show in Anaheim, California.

DEVELOPMENT

Bell tees up export deals for Osprey

Boeing seeks lift from Apache, Chinook sales to IndiaBoeing says it expects to sign contracts soon covering Indias planned purchase of its AH-64E Apache and CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

New Delhi is currently in nal signature routing with the Ministry of Defence for both its planned helicopter acquisitions, says Leanne Caret, Boeings vice-president, vertical lift.

We anticipate a contract for

the Chinooks in the rst half of the year, and the Apaches in the second half, she adds.

Boeing has held its prices for the planned 22-aircraft Apache buy and 15-unit Chinook sale since submitting nal offers in 2010 and 2009, respectively, Caret says.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacic region, Indonesia moved to acquire the AH-64E last year,

while Boeing is actively cam-paigning to offer the same type to Malaysia.

And Caret hints at further likely developments for the AH-64 programme, which deliv-ered its 2,000th production air-craft last year.

Referring to long-term plans for an Advanced Apache, she notes: there will be more tech-nologies that will come.

PROGRAMME

Israel and Japan have expressed interest in tiltrotor purchase, as manufacturer continues V-280 development for US Army

ROTORCRAFT

USMC MV-22s provided disaster relief in the Philippines

FIN_180214_022-023.indd 22 13/02/2014 13:43


SINGAPORE 2014SHOW REPORTA Splash of colour

SHOW REPORT P24

Mitsubishi Aircraft has un-veiled pictures of the rst fuselage join on the MRJ, as it strives to convince sceptics that the jet remains on track for a maiden ight in the second quar-ter of 2015.

The pictures show aircraft 10001 with its main fuselage large-ly complete and bearing the air-framers red, black and gold livery.

In addition, Mitsubishi has begun assembly of the rst ground-test aircraft.

We are here to show our pro-gress in the production of our test aircraft. This is very important to our airline customers and so we will do that, says its head of sales, Yugo Fukuhara.

The tail will be delivered in the next few months, says Fukuhara, with the regional jets wings scheduled to arrive in April. These will be mated with the fuselage before delivery of the prototypes Pratt & Whitney

PW1200G geared-turbofan en-gines later the same month.

Mitsubishi vice-president of corporate planning and business strategy Hitoshi Iwasa remains condent that the 88-seat MRJ90 will keep to its revised 2015 rst-ight target.

Meanwhile, the manufacturer has yet to decide whether to launch a stretched 100-seat vari-ant of the MRJ. In a presentation at Singapore, it listed the MRJ100X as part of its plan for the MRJ fam-ily, alongside the MRJ90 and 76-seat MRJ70, but says it has no timeline for the variant.

Chinese airframer Comac is aiming to nish nal assem-bly of its rst ight-test C919 by year-end.

Dang Tiehong, Comac deputy general manager for sales and marketing, says aircraft engineer-ing data has been distributed to suppliers who are tasked with de-livering the structures to Shanghai for nal assembly later this year.

Most of the C919s systems have also passed the critical de-sign review and manufacturing is ongoing, he says.

We aim to nish airframe as-sembly of the rst test aircraft by year-end, and next year to start assembly of the systems, says Dang.

Comac is still working to-wards an end-2015 target for

the twinjets maiden sortie.Dang says it is likely to assem-

ble a total of eight test aircraft ve for ight tests and three for ground trials.

The airframer has also re-duced the amount of composite material used on the narrow-body to keep costs under control and the development schedule on track.

Its initial aim was for compos-ites to account for around 15% of the jets construction, but this has now been trimmed to less than 10%.

We brought down the use of composites to bring down costs and time, and also because of safety, as the composites maturi-ty must be able to meet our needs, he says.

We are here to showour progress in the production of our test aircraftYUGO FUKUHARA Mitsubishi Aircraft head of sales

C919 nears nal assembly in push for 2015 debutNARROWBODY

Bombardier is preparing to take to the skies with its third ying prototype for its develop-mental CSeries programme within weeks.

And, says Bombardier Com-mercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone, it is making progress with its certication campaign: Our curve is tracking to meet the 2,400h of ight tests, he says.

However, he will not disclose the number of hours the two ex-isting ight-test articles have so far accumulated, but praises its performance so far.

When we look at the test pro-

gramme in terms of ground, rig and real ight hours, the great thing is were very pleased, says Arcamone. As of now weve found no major issues... it is behaving exactly how we pre-dicted it to behave.

It was another quiet show for CSeries deals, with the only announcement covering an exist-ing unidentied customer who has ordered an additional three CS300s. However, that does take the manufacturers CSeries rm order backlog past the 200-aircraft mark. Firm commit-ments now total 201, it says.

DEVELOPMENT

Third CSeries will y within weeksDespite programme delays, Bombardier remains pleased with the progress and performance of its new narrowbody

PROGRAMME

Mitsubishi attempts to silence MRJ doubters

The regional jets tail and wings will be joined later this year

Arcamone says the twinjet is behaving as predicted

Mits

ubis

hi A

ircra

ft

FIN_180214_022-023.indd 23 13/02/2014 13:43



A SPLASH OF COLOURA heady display of advanced airpower highlighted the superb training and discipline of the regions ghter pilots. Singapores Black Knights and South Koreas Black Eagles dazzled with a series of manoeuvres while the Airbus A350-900 performed for the rst time at an air show

Billy

Pix

FIN_180214_024-025.indd 24 13/02/2014 13:38


(Clockwise from main) South Koreas Black Eagles show off with T-50s; US Air Force C-17 marches across the sky, Airbus A350 makes show debut; Singapores Black Knights wow the crowd; a Black Knights F-16

lights up the sky, Australian Super Hornet brings the noise, Irkut banking on Yak-130 trainer; Indonesias Jupiter display team shows precision, US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor a rst in Singapore

FIN_180214_024-025.indd 25 13/02/2014 13:39



(Clockwise from main) Gulfstream G650, Cirrus SR-22, Pilatus PC-12; Airbus Helicopters AS350; US Air Force C-17; Republic of Singapore Air Force G550 AEW; Saab 340 MSA; RSAF AS332M Super Puma; KC-130J; US Marine Corps KC-BOJ

FIN_180214_026-027.indd 26 13/02/2014 13:33


FIN_180214_026-027.indd 27 13/02/2014 13:33

WHAT IS MY MARKET SHARE BY CAPACITY AND FREQUENCY? WHO ARE MY COMPETITORS IN EACH OF MY MARKETS?

WHO WOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE CODESHARE PARTNERS? WHO FLIES WHAT AIRCRAFT AND HOW OFTEN ON EVERY SCHEDULED ROUTE IN THE WORLD?

The only business decision tool that combines schedule frequency, seat counts and capacity on an interactive route map!

FIN_180214_028.indd 28 13/02/2014 09:22



Evacuation of Virgin A330 highlights poor procedureAIR TRANSPORT P30

Israel Aerospace Industries un-veiled a signicant enhance-ment to one of its market-leading unmanned air vehicle designs at the show on 11 February.

Speaking as the covers were taken off the Super Heron HF, company chief executive Joseph Weiss said the latest iteration of the medium-altitude, long-endur-ance type will build on its unri-valled success. More than 250,000 ight hours have already been amassed by Heron-series aircraft, totalling some hun-dreds of airframes, he adds.

The new model differs from earlier examples primarily through the use of a heavy-fuel en-gine with an output of more than 200hp (149kW). While this has required the companys engineers to alter the Herons fuselage by widening and slightly lengthening

the structure, Weiss says the new powerplant delivers signicant benets. In addition to diesel fuel being less ammable than tradi-tional aviation gasoline, the in-creased output enables a faster climb rate and a top speed in excess of 150kt (277km/h).

The Super Heron HF rede-nes standards for unmanned systems: it is faster, stronger and smarter, Weiss says.

Also including winglets, the HF package of enhancements is being offered to new Heron customers, while elements of the work will also be available as upgrades for in-service aircraft. Weiss says de-velopment work started around 18 months ago, and that the new model is practically operation-al, following the results of a ight-test campaign launched in October 2013.

Elbit Systems is poised to build on its sales performance with the Hermes 900 unmanned air vehicle, according to chief execu-tive Bezhalel Machlis.

We expect to sign an eighth contract soon, says Machlis, who notes that the medium-alti-tude, long-endurance type a ightworthy example of which was on show on a dedicated stand inside the exhibition hall has only been on the market for less than three years.

The Hermes 900 is a vehicle that can carry many of the sys-tems that Elbit has, Machlis says, with these including elec-tro-optical/infrared sensors and

communications and electronic intelligence equipment. We con-trol all of this technology, and can tailor a specic solution for a specic need.

Elbit secured orders for the Hermes 900 from three customers last year, including a repeat buy from launch user Israel. The pending deal is understood to be a follow-on sale with another pre-vious customer. We believe it is the most advanced UAV of its type, adds Machlis.

Describing the Asia-Pacic area as very important to his com-pany, Machlis says: There is a lot of interest in our systems from the whole region.

SALES

Hermes building a brand name in the Asia-Pacic

UNMANNED SYSTEMS

IAI reveals heavy fuel Super HeronEnhanced variant of UAV adds winglets and new engine

South Korea is on the verge of signing a letter of acceptance for four Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30(I) unmanned air vehicles, with company executives revealing that they are awaiting Seouls conrmation of the acquisition.

In late 2012 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notied Congress of the possible $1.2 billion deal with South Korea. Although the aircraft model involved in the pending transaction is described as a Block 30, the Congressional noti-

cation specically mentioned the Raytheon Enhanced Integrat-ed Sensor Suite, which is stand-ard equipment on the earlier Block 20 version of the high-alti-tude, long-endurance type.

If nalised, a Global Hawk sale would allow South Korea to

maintain persistent surveillance deep into the territory of its res-tive neighbour, North Korea.

Meanwhile, Northrop is con-dent Japan will obtain three Global Hawks, and says a foreign military sales document is being drawn up for Australias perusal.

Seoul set to close on $1.2bn Global Hawk dealAGREEMENT

Machlis says the eighth contract for the type is expected soon

Top speed is now above 150kt

FIN_180214_029.indd 29 13/02/2014 13:29

AIR TRANSPORT


Check out our collection of online dynamic aircraft proles for the latest news, images and information on civil and military programmes at ightglobal.com/proles

UK investigators believe passengers need better reminders on evacuation proce-dures, following an inquiry into a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 event at London Gatwick.

These include stressing the im-portance of leaving hand baggage and clearer visual information on the use of slides.

Shortly after departure the A330, bound for Orlando on 16 April 2012, returned to Gatwick after the crew received a series of cargo hold smoke warnings later determined to be spurious.

After bringing the aircraft to a halt the crew, unaware of the false nature of the warnings, ordered an evacuation. All eight doors were opened although the escape slide from the rearmost right-hand door failed to deploy properly, which rendered the exit unusable.

The aircraft was transporting 304 passengers and 13 crew, and the UK Air Accidents Investiga-tion Branch says the evacuation was completed in 109s. Most oc-cupants, it states, were out within 60s and the small number who left late might have been crew checking the cabins were clear.

Analysis of the evacuation shows that over three-quarters of those on board evacuated from the left-hand exits, and the in-quiry says the ow from these exits was much quicker than that from the right-hand doors.

On the right side a number of people sat down in the doorway before descending the slide, says the AAIB.

Some people fell to the ground at the bottom of the slide and others slowed their own evacuation because they were carrying hand baggage.

Two passengers suffered bone fractures during the evacuation,

prompting investigators to classi-fy the event as an accident even though the A330 was not signi-cantly damaged.

A number of passengers stated they took their hand baggage with them, says the AAIB. Others commented that passengers retrieving hand baggage from overhead lockers delayed the evacuation.

It has recommended that brief-ings emphasise the importance of not taking cabin baggage and that the European Aviation Safety Agency develops standards for visual information on using escape exits.

INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Windshear led to Fokker 100 hard landingAustralian investigators have determined that windshear caused a Fokker 100s descent rate to increase just before touchdown at Nifty, resulting in a hard land-ing that damaged the airframe.

The impact of more than 4.2g wrinkled skin panels forward and aft of the centre section and deformed several structural beams, while the undercarriage suffered compression damage.

After receiving a windshear caution at 5nm, while starting a straight-in approach to runway 12, the crew of the Network Avia-tion aircraft selected full ap, then increased airspeed to 133kt and deployed the rear-mounted speed-brake as a precaution.

The pilots adjusted the air-speed in the nal stages of the ap-proach to keep the twinjet stable.But while descending from 80ft to 30ft the Fokkers airspeed fell from 133kt to 110kt in the space of 3s, and its descent rate rose to 1,000ft/min. Although the aircraft had been ying into a 10kt head-wind at 300ft, it was subject to a 32kt tailwind as it contacted the runway, some 300m (980ft) short of the normal touchdown point.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators state that the aircraft bounced before settling some 450m along the runway and coming to a halt. None of the 33 occupants were injured.

Convective weather in the vi-cinity of Nifty in western Austral-ia was conducive to the formation of dry microbursts, the inquiry says. It is almost certain that the aircrafts ightpath on short nal coincided with the strong outow of a dry microburst to create performance-decreasing winds-hear, it adds.

The jet was equipped with a re-active windshear warning system, but the late onset meant it did not have time to generate an alert.

The operator has implemented several safety measures since the event on 19 October 2012.

INQUIRY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Evacuation of Virgin A330 highlights poor procedureFlow to emergency exits held up by passengers retrieving baggage from overhead lockers

Mubadala outlines engines of growthMR0 MURDO MORRISON LONDON

Mubadala is to focus on propulsion as part of a revamp of the Abu Dhabi invest-ment groups aero engine mainte-nance, repair and overhaul activities, that will see it build a new engine shop for the General Electric GEnx and Rolls-Royce Trent XWB in Al Ain.

Airframe and component work will remain part of the portfolio of its two main commercial MRO brands, Abu Dhabi Aircraft Tech-nologies and Zurich-based SR Technics. However, a previous

emphasis on integrating the two MRO units is being stepped back with ADAT and SR Technics now largely concentrating on their own markets the Middle East and Asia in the case of ADAT, and Europe, Russia and North America for SR Technics.

Both businesses will now be run by their own chief executives rather than under a joint management. We are moving back to a regional management play, says Homaid Al Shem-mari, chief executive of Mubada-

las aerospace and engineering services division.

Al Shemmari says the plan is for SR Technics to concentrate on high-end component repairs, but over time we will try to transfer some of that competence to the Middle East.

Mubadalas strategy is to create an Abu Dhabi aerospace indus-try, based on aerostructures and aero-engine parts manufacturing, MRO and component leasing, as well as providing careers for Emirati citizens.

Smoke warnings from the hold were later determined to be false

Rex

Feat

ures

FIN_180214_030-031.indd 30 13/02/2014 13:49

AIR TRANSPORT

ightglobal.com

Research or regress, US ofcial warnsDEFENCE P32

18-24 February 2014 | Flight International | 31

FLEET DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

A350 buyers keep upsizing to -900Lessor ILFC and Libyan Airlines convert all orders to larger variant, cutting Airbuss -800 backlog to just 46 aircraft

Lufthansa brings forward 747-8 delivery scheduleFLEET MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Lufth

ansa

Airb

us

L ibyan Airlines and lessor ILFC have become the latest Airbus customers to convert orders for the A350-800 to the larger -900, with Libyan also or-dering an additional two -900s.

Conversion of the 10 aircraft takes the -800 backlog down to 46, from a peak of 182 in 2008. The -800 is being pitched as a 276-seat twinjet with a range of 8,250nm the same sector ad-

dressed by the rival Boeing 787-9. But while the 787-9 has taken 396 orders, the A350-800 has not attracted any net sales in more than ve years, though several customers have migrated to the larger, 315-seat -900.

Airbuss latest order and deliv-ery data, covering the month of January 2014, reveals the latest switch by -800 customers.

ILFC had been a customer for

the rst iteration of the A350, but amended its agreement in 2007 following the launch of the A350 XWB family. It placed orders for 12 -800s and eight -900s but sub-sequently converted all but six -800s to the larger variant.

The latest customer data from the airframer shows that ILFC has switched these six remaining aircraft and all 20 are conrmed as -900s. Libyan Airlines placed

its order for four A350-800s in January 2008.

Airbus says the carrier placed a repeat order for the A350 last month, with a deal for two -900s, but backlog data shows that it has also converted all four -800s, giving it six -900s on order.

During January, Airbus deliv-ered 39 aircraft including its rst A380 of the year, to British Air-ways.

The airframer rolled out its third A350 test aircraft on 2 January 2014

Early availability of Boeing 747-8 aircraft has allowed Lufthansa to slightly accelerate its delivery schedule.

The German airline received its 10th 747-8 (D-ABYL, MSN 37836) at its Frankfurt base on 7 February. The aircraft was due to be handed over in 2015, but the delivery has been brought for-ward because the widebody was

already available at the assembly line in Everett, Lufthansa says.

The aircraft will join the air-lines passenger ight operations by the end of the month.

A further ve 747-8s are to be delivered this year. The last air-craft of that batch had been due to join the eet in January 2015, but is now scheduled to arrive in Au-gust 2014, says Lufthansa.

Four 747-8s are scheduled to be delivered in 2015, completing the planned 19-strong eet. Lufthansa originally ordered 20 747-8s, which included Boeings third test aircraft (RC021), a fully furnished j

Documents

F_I_2014_02_18_24_downmagaz.com