19-25 November 2019 I flightglobal.com

DIRECTORY

Turning a corner

We review mainliner sales

Max need

Why IAG is sticking with plan to purchase re-engined 737s 15

Fuel throttle

Airbus sets automatic refuelling deadline for A330 tanker 17

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

4 7

£3.90

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 3flightglobal.com

CONTENTS

19-25 NOVEMBER 2019

A380 programme moves towards last delivery P28

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THIS WEEK 8 BelugaXL lifted by EASA certification

9 Max readied to come in from the cold. Qatar ditches P&W, picks CFM for A321neos

10 Embraer pushes Boeing sale into 2020

11 GE9X stator vane issue ‘fixed robustly’

AIR TRANSPORT 12 Gear-up 727 captain ignored warnings.

KCAA forces Silverstone to suspend Dash 8s

13 FAA whistleblowers point to Southwest’s record keeping

14 Airbus backlog boosted by IndiGo deal. South African plans 20% staff cut

15 IAG stands by Max as it works on order

DEFENCE 16 Leonardo maintains its faith in Wildcat.

US Navy to boost Fire Scout communications

17 MRTT approaches automatic refuelling

18 H145M deliveries poised for ramp-up

NEWS FOCUS 20 SparrowHawk UAV prepares to emerge

from incubation

BUSINESS AVIATION 22 Epic secures US certification for E1000.

Start-up Airspace takes seat in long-range charter market

23 Samad hatches eStarling spin-off plan. Praetor stars as Embraer hits five-year sales high

Imag

inech

ina/S

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ers

tock

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Bernie Baldwin reviews the

mainliner aircraft options

currently in production or development (P25). And

Dominic Perry checked out

H145M demand during a

visit to Donauworth (P18)

NEXT WEEK AIRLINERS We focus on regional types in part two of our World Airliner Directory. Plus, Dubai show coverage

Volume 196 Number 5712

Epic Aircraft gains FAA approval for E1000 P22

COVER STORY

25 All Maxed out?

Our annual review of global commercial airliner programmes begins with a look at mainline aircraft – and inevitably focuses on Boeing’s troubled narrowbody

26 World Airliner Directory The current state of play on all of the mainline passenger jet programmes, from Airbus to Irkut

NEWS

FEATURES

REGULARS

7 Comment

35 Straight & Level

38 Classified

40 Jobs

43 Working Week

19-25 November 2019 I flightglobal.com

DIRECTORY

Turning a corner

We review mainliner sales

Max need

Why IAG is sticking with plan to

purchase re-engined 737s 15

Fuel throttle

Airbus sets automatic refuelling

deadline for A330 tanker 179 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

4 7

£3.90

AirTe

am

Imag

es

wnload The Engine Directory.htglobal.com/ComEngDirectory

nload the new Commercial Engines Directorywith enhanced data and in-depth market analysis

Download the 2019 Commercial Engines Reportnow with updated enhanced data and in-depth market analysis

flightglobal.com4 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

CONTENTS

Image of the week A pair of the US Air Force’s newest helicopter, the Sikorsky HH-60W, has arrived at Eglin AFB for developmental evaluation. The service is buying 113 examples of the UH-60M-derived helicopter to replace its HH-60G Pave Hawks for combat search and rescue missions

View more great aviation shots online and in our weekly tablet edition:

flightglobal.com/flight-international

US A

ir F

orc

e

43%

10%

47% Not for a while 1,016 votes

Coming soon1,119 votes

Will never happen232 votes

Question of the week

This week, we ask: 737 Max return this year?

❑ Broad acceptance ❑ Only in USA

❑ Will slip into 2020

Vote at flightglobal.com

Last week, we asked: A220-500?

You said:

Aircraft in Wizz Air’s fleet by 2020-2021 financial year, against

previous target of 145 – blamed on A321neo delivery delays

134

£20m

20%

The week in numbers

Restructuring charges over next two years the UK’s Senior

faces as it tackles challenges in markets including aerospace

Training and simulator group CAE’s second-quarter revenues

rose to C$896 million ($675 million), up from C$743 million

FlightGlobal

Senior

CAE

Total votes: 2,367

Download the Military Simulator Census online now.

CAE – Your worldwide training partner of choice

Stay up to date with the latest news and analysis from the global aviation and aerospace sector: flightglobal.com/news

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Find out more: flightglobal.com/transformation

Aviation Digital Transformation Barcelona4 December 2019 Barceló Sants Hotel

Roadmap to the Seamless Passenger Experience

This conference brings together leading digital, technology and commercial experts from the world of aviation, to explore the value new technologies and agile working practices hold for their organisation, and how best to ensure investments are prioritised to deliver maximum return.

Airlines will learn from experts on how to become more agile and responsive to the fast-pace of change in the industry, and are not left behind as new technologies and capabilities enable companies to secure a competitive edge.

Alin Kalam Executive & Specialist on Analytics, BI, Big Data & Digital Transformation Austrian Airlines

M. Osama Sheikh Project Manager & Business Analyst – Technology & Innovation Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

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Sophie Troel VP Digital Transformation & Head of Digital Factory, Air France

Mohammed AhteshamuddinVice President – IT (PSS & Customer Experience), Flydubai

Speakers confirmed:

COMMENT

flightglobal.com 19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 7

Boom time?

Slow progressBoeing now seems relatively optimistic that its troubled 737 Max could be flying again before year-end. But that is only the start of the jet’s rehabilitation

Opportunities in the pipeline

Much as an army cannot march on an empty stomach, an air force can have

only limited effect without the range- and endurance-boosting support provided by in-flight refuelling tankers.

First trialled almost a century ago, the process of transferring fuel between flying aircraft is immensely more complex than might be expected – as highlighted by Boeing’s continuing struggles with getting the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) 767-based KC-46A mission ready.

While it is currently flying high in this sector, it should not be forgotten that Air-bus Defence & Space encountered similar travails when it adapted the A330-200 for the tanker mission. In common with its US rival, the European company also battled issues affecting the type’s boom, under-wing refuelling pods and enhanced vision system equipment.

But buoyed by the A330 multi-role tank-er transport’s sustained operational success with seven nations, and with six other users waiting in the wings to use a pooled fleet from next year, Airbus is looking to drive home its current market advantage.

Next year, the company will perform its most ambitious series of automatic boom trials yet with an undisclosed first cus-tomer for the capability, with certification sought during 2021. It also is eyeing the type’s potential for use as a communica-tions node and in intelligence gathering.

With 60 aircraft sold and 41 delivered, Airbus has proven its credentials as a tanker superpower, even though Boeing’s KC-46A programme with the USAF will ultimately deliver almost three times as many aircraft.

If the USAF’s KC-X tanker competitions were hard fought, just wait for the action when the service looks to replace its McDonnell Douglas KC-10s. Airbus already has an early teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin, and as its commer-cial A330-200 backlog dwindles, don’t bet against an A330neo development emerg-ing as its next filling station in the sky. ■See Defence P17

When will the 737 Max fly again? For months, it seemed one guess was as

good as the next. You might as well have asked someone off the street.

No-one seemed to know, and with the Fed-eral Aviation Administration (FAA) mute, Boe-ing’s “target” timelines came and went. After a while, they seemed like wishful thinking.

But in recent days signs suggest the end of the grounding may, with glacial slowness, be drawing near, perhaps before year-end.

On 11 November, Boeing released a “737 Max Progress Report” reiterating its belief the FAA will certificate the Max before year-end, possibly allowing deliveries in December.

Boeing says it has completed a simulator-based examination of Max software with the FAA. Next will come a pilot workload re-view, FAA certification flights and Boeing’s submission of final certification materials.

A group of global regulators will also re-view pilot training needs, Boeing says.

Wall Street welcomed the progress report and Boeing’s stock jumped 6%.

On the same day, asset manager Bernstein issued a paper reporting that many industry watchers likewise think the FAA is close.

“The general view in Hong Kong was that we should see certification by the FAA in Q4, with delivery possible,” said the report, writ-ten after two recent aviation events held in the Chinese territory. “There was finally a fair amount of optimism.”

An FAA sign-off would certainly mark a turning point in a saga that killed 346 people, cost Boeing billions – and its reputation –

and raised questions about the way aircraft are certificated and how pilots are trained.

But Boeing’s problems will be far from solved. Regulators in other countries must approve the jet and months may pass before airlines run pilots through new training syl-labuses. And that’s not to mention the huge parking lot of stockpiled 737 Max jets that need to be prepared, handed over and ferried to their new homes.

Boeing’s legal problems will continue, as likely will congressional and government investigations. And it badly needs new air-craft orders. Its Max orderbook has shrunk in recent months and widebody deals have been sparse.

Perhaps that spark could come at the Dubai air show. Don’t be surprised if Boeing’s sales team pulls a rabbit out of the hat at the event, replicating its deal with IAG at the Paris air show for 200 aircraft.

Sure, these jets will be at figures that are almost too good to refuse, but for Boeing, industry backing for the beleaguered narrow-body is clearly priceless. ■

Glacial movement

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See This Week P9

Perhaps that spark could come

at the Dubai air show. Don’t

be surprised if Boeing pulls a

rabbit out of the hatA

irbus

Def

ence

& S

pace

THIS WEEK

flightglobal.com8 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

SUNRISE TESTS LONDON-SYDNEY LINKDEMONSTRATION Qantas launched its second of three

planned ultra-long-haul test flights under Project Sunrise on

14 November, with a Boeing 787-9 making a nonstop, 19.5h

London Heathrow-Sydney connection. With about 50 pas-

sengers and crew aboard and no cargo, the Dreamliner was

scheduled to cover 9,610nm (17,800km): around 810nm further

than an October trial between New York and Sydney.

UAE EYES F-MODEL CHINOOK BUYROTORCRAFT US officials have approved the possible sale of

10 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to the United

Arab Emirates. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency

values the potential deal at $830 million, including extended-

range fuel systems and weapons. Cirium fleets data shows the

UAE currently operates 19 C- and D-model Chinooks.

FLYBAIR SEEKS FUNDS FOR BERN LAUNCHAIRLINE Initiators of a “people’s airline” to be based in the

Swiss capital Bern have started a crowdfunding campaign to

launch it ahead of the 2020 summer season. FlyBAIR, which was

presented to the public on 1 November, plans to begin

operating daily direct flights to holiday destinations in Greece,

Italy and Spain from 1 May 2020, before adding a major hub

such as Amsterdam, London or Munich later next year. Its back-

ers need Swfr2.5 million ($2.5 million) to launch, and are aiming

to raise Swfr1 million from the public within 30 days.

APACHE SOFTWARE UPDATE HITS TARGETUPGRADE The US Army has completed a follow-on test and

evaluation II-phase activity on the Boeing AH-64E Apache attack

helicopter’s APG-78 Longbow mast-mounted fire-control radar.

The Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman-developed sensor’s

version six software standard doubles the radar’s detection

range, while reducing crew workload.

A380 SUFFERS MAINTENANCE MISHAPINCIDENT A Qantas Airbus A380’s door was damaged during

scheduled maintenance in Sydney, the carrier confirms. Cirium

fleets data indicates that the 11-year-old aircraft (VH-OQB) was

moved to storage on 8 November, and is due to return to service

on 15 December. A report by the Sydney Morning Herald sug-

gests the A380 struck scaffolding as it was rolled out of a hangar.

BAMBOO AIRWAYS TAKES LEASED A321SDELIVERIES Vietnamese start-up Bamboo Airways has received

a first pair of Airbus A321s sourced via AviaAM Leasing, with a

third to follow during November. Cirium fleets data shows that

the trio of CFM International CFM56-5B-engined narrowbodies

were delivered new to Aeroflot in 2008. Bamboo’s lease agree-

ment covers a period of eight years.

P&W SIGNS CHINESE FLEET SUPPORT DEALSENGINES China Eastern Airlines has selected Pratt & Whitney to

provide maintenance for the International Aero Engines V2500s

powering 85 of its Airbus A320-family narrowbodies. China

Southern Airlines also has signed a 12-year deal with P&W for the

maintenance of PW1100G engines on A320neo-family aircraft.

Both agreements come under P&W’s EngineWise programme.

BRIEFING

Airbus has secured certifica-tion from the European

Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the BelugaXL outsize freighter, 16 months after the model's maiden flight.

Formally known as the A330-743L, the aircraft is set to replace the A300-600ST fleet used by the airframer's logistics operation to transport sections for assembly.

Airbus says certification clears the BelugaXL for introduction in early 2020 – slightly behind its previous expectations.

Six of the Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered aircraft will be operated by Airbus Transport In-ternational. Two have been used

for the certification programme, which involved 200 flights and 700h of testing.

With a maximum payload of 51t, the BelugaXL has been de-signed to have the internal capac-ity to carry two A350 wings.

EASA documentation shows the courier area behind the cockpit – to seat four people – had to be separately approved as part of the certification programme. No extended twin-engined opera-tions clearance has initially been granted for the aircraft.

Two weight variants are listed, with maximum take-off weights of 227t and 205t, both with a maxi-mum landing weight of 187t. ■

APPROVAL DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

BelugaXL lifted by EASA certificationOutsize Airbus freighter – with capacity to transport two A350 wings – set for service introduction early next year

Test programme involved

200 flights across 700h

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First tethered flight tests with Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700

unmanned rotorcraft were con-ducted near Aix-en-Provence in France on 8 November.

The activity involved several take-offs and landings and a long-est flight of 10min, while the aircraft was attached to 30m (98ft)-long restraining cables.

“Subsequent phases of the flight-test programme will evolve

towards free flight,” Airbus Helicopters says.

Working with ship builder Naval Group on the French navy’s SDAM demonstration pro-gramme, it will land the VSR700 aboard a surface vessel in 2021.

Based on the Helicopteres Guimbal Cabri G2 airframe, the type is expected to have a maxi-mum take-off weight of 700kg (1,540lb) and endurance of 10h. ■

TESTING CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

Unmanned VSR700 flies for France

THIS WEEK

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 9flightglobal.com

Embraer pushes Boeing sale into 2020This Week P10

Boeing says 737 Max deliveries could resume in December

after proposed modifications to the re-engined narrowbody passed the first of five key regula-tory milestones.

However, Boeing’s assumption is based on the US Federal Avia-tion Administration (FAA) lifting its grounding of the aircaft.

The FAA says that it will not commit to a timeline for the re-scinding of the Max flight ban, and the airframer admits that reg-ulators across the globe may ap-prove “a phased approach” to re-turn aircraft to service.

Boeing’s optimism that it is likely to gain FAA approval was bolstered by the agency’s an-nouncement that it had completed “a multi-day eCab simulator evaluation” to “ensure the overall software system per-forms its intended function, both normally and in the presence of system failures”.

The next steps will be a “sim-ulator session with airline pilots to assess human factors and crew workload under various

test conditions”, followed by an FAA certification flight test, Boeing says. The airframer will then have to submit its final Max aircraft software modifications to the FAA.

After that, a Joint Operational Evaluation Board representing several regulatory agencies will conduct another multi-day simu-lator session with pilots to deter-mine training requirements.

The FAA’s Flight Standardiza-tion Board must then publish a report on the proposed training, review any comments from the public, and then approve the training requirements.

The impact of the grounding and shipment suspension is all too visible in Boeing’s October order and delivery figures.

During the period, total com-mercial aircraft net orders for the year slipped by 11, from 56 to 45, as the removal of 21 aircraft from the backlog was only partially offset by 10 new orders.

Monthly deliveries also dropped to 20 aircraft, down from 25 in September.

PROGRAMME JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON & CIRIUM WASHINGTON DC

Max readied to come in from the coldBoeing’s hopes rise that deliveries can resume after FAA announces modifications have passed first evaluation stage

Qatar Airways has dropped Pratt & Whitney from its

order for Airbus A320neo-family jets, switching instead to the rival CFM International Leap-1A.

The Middle Eastern carrier had originally been scheduled as the

launch operator for the A320neo family, having ordered 50.

But it became engulfed in a row over the reliability of P&W’s PW1100G engine, and the launch operator position was ultimately taken by Lufthansa.

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Regulator will not provide a timeline for lifting of grounding order

DISPUTE DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Qatar ditches P&W and picks CFM for A321neos

The 10 aircraft orders logged in October included five 787-9s for lessor Air Lease, two 777Fs for Lufthansa Cargo and orders by unidentified customers for two 787-9s and a single 737 Max.

That solitary Max order actu-ally represents a delivery posi-tion swap between two custom-ers, Boeing notes.

Boeing cut 21 aircraft from its backlog during the period,

including 15 737 Max aircraft that Air Lease converted to the five 787-9s.

The company says its 20 air-craft deliveries in October includ-ed a single 737NG-based P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft to the US Navy, one 747-8F, three 767s, three 777s and 12 787s.

By comparison, the airframer shipped a total of 57 aircraft in October 2018. ■

Airb

us

Carrier has selected Leap-1A engines for its

50-unit commitment

Qatar started cancelling indi-vidual A320neo deliveries as the engine dispute continued.

It subsequently threatened to swap powerplants to CFM and, two years ago, scrapped the entire A320neo order in favour of a revised deal for 50 examples of the larger A321neo.

The Doha-based airline has confirmed that it is switching the engine selection, choosing the Leap-1A for all 50 jets in a deal it values at $4 billion including service contracts.

Qatar’s fleet of conventional A320s comprises 38 aircraft – but only eight are fitted with CFM56 engines.

It says the first A321neos will arrive in 2020, later than the de-livery date of 2019 given in the original order disclosure.

Chief executive Akbar Al Baker says the Leap engine has “proven efficiency” in operation. “This en-gine addresses our strategy to operate a state-of-the-art fleet with the most advanced technologies in the industry,” he adds.

Qatar is taking the Airbus Cabin Flex version of the A321neo, with its reconfigured arrangement.

In the aftermath of the PW1100G dispute Qatar also ne-gotiated an agreement to take Boe-ing 737 Max jets, which are exclu-sively powered by the Leap-1B. ■

THIS WEEK

flightglobal.com10 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

ACQUISITION JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON

Embraer pushes Boeing sale into 2020Divestment delayed after European Commission pauses antitrust probe and asks both parties for further information

Proposed deal covers an 80% stake in commercial aircraft division

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Brazil’s Embraer has delayed the expected closing date of

the sale of an 80% stake in its commercial aircraft division to Boeing, and now expects that the deal will not be finalised until at least March 2020.

The Brazilian manufacturer had initially expected the agree-ment would close in 2019, then, earlier this year, shifted the time-line to “early 2020”.

But speaking to reporters on 12 November, Embraer chief financial officer Nelson Salgado said the sale had been delayed again as a result of an ongoing review of the deal by European antitrust regulators.

Embraer does not expect the European Commission to com-plete its review until at least March 2020, Salgado says.

ROTORCRAFT

Guardia di Finanza gets first AW169MLeonardo Helicopters has delivered the first of an eventual 22

AW169Ms to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza agency. Part of a contract

worth €280 million ($308 million) signed at the end of 2018, the

Guardia di Finanza is the launch customer for the M variant of the

medium-twin. Not a fully military model, Leonardo Helicopters

describes the AW169M handed to the agency as the “government

variant”. Approval for the rotorcraft from Italy’s Armaereo military

certification body was received in September. Deliveries are due

to run until 2024. The Guardia di Finanza aircraft are equipped

with a rescue hoist, searchlight, obstacle proximity avoidance sys-

tem, and are night vision goggle-compatible.

Leo

nard

o H

elic

op

ters

However, he stresses that Em-braer expects to close the agree-ment swiftly after the European approval, noting that the airfram-er is continuing to complete the

internal work required to sepa-rate the commercial aircraft divi-sion. It expects to finish that work before the end of 2019.

The deal calls for Boeing to

pay $4.2 billion for the 80% stake in Embraer Commercial Aviation, which includes the successful E-Jet programme and related commercial aircraft services and development work.

On 11 November, the Commis-sion announced it had “stopped the clock” on its investigation into the transaction because the two manufacturers have not submitted all the requested information.

“This procedure in merger in-vestigations is activated if the parties fail to provide, in a timely fashion, important information that the Commission has request-ed from them,” it says.

“Once the missing information is supplied by the parties, the clock is restarted and the deadline for the Commission’s decision is then adjusted accordingly.”

The Commission says it launched the in-depth “Phase 2” investigation because Boeing and Embraer “decided not to submit commitments during the initial investigation” in September.

Under the original Phase 2 schedule, the Commission gave itself 90 working days to reach a decision by 20 February.

The Commission has concerns that the planned merger “may… result in higher [aircraft] prices and less choice” for airlines. ■Additional reporting by Cirium

FLEET CIRIUM LONDON

KLM firms Paris order for E195-E2s and adds more via lessors Dutch carrier KLM has firmed an

agreement for Embraer 195-E2s

– and increased the size of its or-

der – but has clarified they will be

leased aircraft, rather than taken

directly from the manufacturer.

Embraer says the Dutch airline

has ordered 21 E195-E2s and

placed purchase rights for anoth-

er 14 aircraft. Announcing the ini-

tial commitment at the Paris air

show in June, the two companies

had revealed a tentative deal

spanning 15 orders and 20

purchase rights for the E195-E2.

The 21 aircraft will be supplied

from the order backlogs of lessors

Aircastle and ICBC Aviation

Leasing, who will supply 11 and

10 aircraft, respectively.

Deliveries are scheduled to be-

gin in the first quarter of 2021,

says Embraer. If all purchase

rights are exercised, the order has

a total value of $2.48 billion at list

prices, the manufacturer says.

KLM will configure the E2s with

132 seats. Today, the carrier’s

regional Cityhopper arm

operates 32 first-generation

E190s and 17 E175s, the airline

says, configured with respective

totals of 100 and 88 seats. ■

THIS WEEK

flightglobal.com 19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 11

Gear-up 727 captain ignored warningsAir Transport P11

Ahead of the Dubai air show – located in the home region of

key customers – GE Aviation wants the industry to know it has fixed a problem with the GE9X engine that delayed the first flight of the Boeing 777X.

The Ohio-based engine manu-facturer is now performing two final tests, which it expects will be completed before the end of November, clearing the way for 777X flight tests to begin.

“It is solved. It is fixed, and it’s fixed robustly,” GE Aviation’s GE9X programme manager, Ted Ingling, says of the GE9X stator vane problem that has delayed the 777X programme. “It is better to have found it in the factory than find it in the field,” he says.

“We fixed the assembly to make it more durable,” adds In-gling, “The performance and the operational characteristics of the engine did not change.”

The 105,000lb-thrust (467kN) GE9X is the only power option for both 777X variants – the 777-8 and larger -9.

GE is now completing certifica-tion testing on two engines. One is undergoing an endurance test, which examines engine perfor-mance when operated for extend-ed periods at “red-line tempera-tures and red-line speed of rotors”, says Ingling.

The other engine is undergo-ing vibration endurance tests, during which engineers run it with rotor imbalances. That will help determine the powerplant’s ability to withstand such condi-tions and help establish proce-dures pilots will use to respond to issues.

“We expect to be done with that testing this month,” Ingling says. “When that’s done, Boeing can start its flight tests.”

GE halted certification testing after discovering a problem with stator vanes at the front end of the GE9X’s high-pressure compres-sor. The company’s chief execu-tive, David Joyce, revealed the

Engine suffered premature component deterioration due to unexpectedly high internal temperatures

GE

Avi

atio

n

PROGRAMME JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON

GE9X stator vane issue ‘fixed robustly’GE Aviation completing certification testing on 777X powerplant after resolving ‘durability’ problem revealed in June

issue in June at the Paris air show.The vanes, which sit between

rotor blades, pivot on a bearing to keep the engine at peak perfor-mance. A “durability issue” in the second-stage vane was caus-ing exhaust gas temperatures outside an expected range and premature component deteriora-tion, Joyce said.

As GE studied the problem, Boeing continued to perform ground trials of the engines on its 777X test airframes. But the issue eventually forced Boeing to delay the 777-9’s first flight from 2019 to its current expectation of early 2020.

“It’s a lesson learned for us,” Ingling says. “The unfortunate part of this learning was that it came late in the game.”

The problem forced GE to recall from Boeing four GE9X “compli-ance engines” – those used for 777X test flights. Two of those units are already back on the wings of a test aircraft, Ingling says.

Meanwhile, GE is performing maturation testing on one engine – work that involves subjecting it to extreme operating conditions, such as “airborne dusting”. Those tests will help engineers understand how the powerplant performs over time when operat-ed in extreme environments, Ingling says.

With firm orders for some 340 777X on Boeing’s books, the aircraft has not yet proved a mas-sive seller. GE has put its backlog of GE9X engines at about 700.

However, the Gulf’s big three –Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Air-ways – have all ordered the big twin, albeit that Etihad has indi-cated a sharp reduction to its

original 25-aircraft order.Boeing has broadly seen a dip in

widebody orders – including from carriers based in China, as a trade war with the USA continues.

Earlier this month Boeing cited slow demand from China as among the reasons why it is cutting 787 production from 14 aircraft per month to 12.

Boeing also said in August that it had temporarily shelved development of the 777-8, driven by problems with the -9 and the 737 Max.

PENT-UP DEMAND“There is clearly some pent-up demand that won’t get filled until some geopolitical things get re-solved between the US and China,” says Ingling. “We look at this over the long haul and are very excited about the capability of the aircraft and the engine.”

Boeing executives and industry analysts have predicted a surge in 777X orders in the next decade as models currently in service edge towards retirement. ■

“It’s a lesson learned

for us – unfortunately

this learning came late

in the game”Ted InglingGE9X programme manager, GE Aviation

AIR TRANSPORT

flightglobal.com12 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

Nose-gear indication issues had been highlighted by previous crew

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INCIDENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Gear-up 727 captain ignored warningsInquiry reveals pilot did not recycle undercarriage and admitted he should have gone around following multiple alerts

Cockpit voice recordings from a Boeing 727-200 freighter

that landed with its nose-gear re-tracted in Alabama earlier this year captured the captain admit-ting that he should have executed a go-around, after an unsafe gear warning and automated “pull up” alerts.

As the Kalitta Charters II aircraft (N720CK) descended to-wards Tuscaloosa on 28 January, the captain called for a “flap 15” configuration and deployment of the landing-gear.

In preliminary findings, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the airline’s 727 operating manual contains a warning that simulta-neous operation of the flaps and landing-gear causes a “large vol-ume demand” on the hydraulic system, and that – with engines near idle – there may be a short-fall of system pressure.

As a result of this dip from nor-mal pressure, it says, the hydrau-lic system might not be able to unlock the nose-gear.

The inquiry says a gear- warning horn sounded and was acknowledged by the crew, and the cockpit voice recorder also

picked up multiple “sink rate” and “pull up” warnings.

But the captain appears to have ignored these warnings, reportedly stating that the aircraft had a history of microswitch problems.

When the first officer asked whether the captain was intend-ing to execute a go-around, the captain responded: “I’m gonna go… I got it, I got it.”

The 727 landed on runway 4 with its nose-gear retracted.

After the aircraft came to a halt the captain, apparently referring to the nose-gear, said: “It wasn’t down.”

“Shoulda gone around,” the first officer replied, to which the captain then responded: “Yeah, shoulda.”

The captain, during an inter-view, said he had asked for the landing-gear to be recycled and that he had smelled smoke and did not want to delay the landing.

“Neither the first officer, flight engineer or non-revenue me-chanic reported these items,” says the inquiry. “Nor were any of these items audible on the [cockpit recorder].”

The flight engineer stated that he had recommended the gear be recycled, but that the captain

declined, while the first officer stated that he recommended a go-around to troubleshoot the problems, which the captain also declined.

On the day before the accident a different crew, also arriving at Tuscaloosa, had similarly experi-enced an indication that the nose-gear had not deployed. The crew sought vectoring to delay the arrival and ran through the ab-normal situations checklist, swapping a bulb on the gear indi-cator without result before recycling the landing-gear.

The indication subsequently changed, showing the nose-gear down and locked, but the event was not written up in the mainte-nance log after the jet landed.

Its captain said that the prob-lem might have been created by the simultaneous deployment of landing-gear and flaps at low thrust, and that he had informed the captain of the incident flight of the gear indication issues.

The 1977-built aircraft sus-tained damage to the skin and stringers around the nose-gear well and forward pressure bulk-head; the nose-gear itself also re-quired replacement. ■

OPERATIONS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

KCAA forces Silverstone to suspend Dash 8 fleet

Kenyan regional carrier Silver-stone Air Services has seen its

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 fleet operations suspended for seven

days after an audit by the coun-try’s civil aviation regulator.

The Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) initiated a

series of ad hoc compliance audits on the carrier in recent weeks.

It started the checks on 24 October, after an 11 October acci-dent in which a Silverstone Fokker 50 suffered a runway excursion during take-off from Nairobi’s Wilson airport. Silver-stone then experienced another safety incident involving the loss of a wheel from a Dash 8-300 on 28 October.

There is also evidence that, the day before, one of its Fokker 50s struck a light aircraft’s rudder with its wing-tip while taxiing.

The KCAA ordered Silver-stone to suspend Dash 8 services for seven days, effective 12 November. It states that it took the action “after findings from the audits”, without elaborating.

All other aircraft in the Silver-stone fleet remain operational, it adds, while it awaits the out-come of continuing surveillance activity. Safety in Kenyan air-space is a “paramount priority”, says the authority.

Silverstone has six Dash 8s, according to Cirium fleets data, and operates four Fokker 50s. ■Turboprops were grounded for one week after Kenyan safety audit

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AIR TRANSPORT

flightglobal.com

IAG stands by Max as it works on orderAir Transport P15

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 13

INQUIRY CIRIUM WASHINGTON DC

FAA whistleblowers point to Southwest’s record keeping Senate committee hears allegations carrier knowingly used flawed document reviews

Lawmakers in the USA are probing allegations that

Southwest Airlines continued to operate aircraft that had previ-ously been flown by carriers out-side the country despite having maintenance records that were “alarmingly insufficient”.

Whistleblowers at the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US Department of Transportation made the allegation to the US Senate Com-mittee on Commerce, Science & Transportation.

From 2013 to 2017, Southwest added 88 mostly leased Boeing 737NGs to its fleet that had previ-ously been operated in 15 other countries, Cirium fleets data reveals. Southwest used several contractors to conduct the re-quired review of maintenance re-cords and, through its Delegated

Airworthiness Representatives (DAR) authority granted by the FAA, issued the 88 aircraft with airworthiness certificates, allow-ing them to enter revenue service, the Senate committee states.

Discrepancies in the service records discovered in May 2018 by an FAA inspector led to a full review by Southwest of all 88 aircraft.

The Dallas-based airline found 360 major repairs that had not been disclosed in the con-tractors’ initial review. Some air-craft were grounded for immedi-ate evaluation shortly afterwards but, as the Wall Street Journal reported on 11 November, 38 of the 88 737s still lack complete repair documentation.

The FAA’s manager for the Southwest Certificate Manage-ment Office, John Posey, said in a

29 October letter to the airline’s chief operating officer, Michael Van de Ven, that “Southwest is responsible for the conformity of its aircraft with airworthiness re-quirements” and that the “FAA is concerned by [the airline’s] slow pace in completing the evalua-tion of aircraft”.

Southwest responded that there is a low risk associated with the aircraft that have yet to be fully reviewed, according to the Senate committee.

It also reports that whistle-blowers say Southwest “know-ingly relied on a flawed docu-mentation review to issue the original airworthiness certifi-cates” and that its own review of documents shows that “senior FAA officials were made aware of this issue at least as early as Sep-tember of 2018”. ■

EXPANSION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Finnair sees fleet size rising beyond 100 by 2025

PROGRAMMEDAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Rostec confirms Russian supplier for SSJ100 gear

Russian state technology firm Rostec is to develop a new

landing-gear assembly for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 under an ongoing programme to increase domestic components on the regional aircraft.

The assembly will be manufac-tured by Rostec’s Technodinami-ka division through the Samara-based specialist Avia agregat, and be available in 2023. Rostec refers to the evolution of the twinjet as the “SSJ New”.

A preliminary design phase for the new landing-gear has already been completed, says the holding company, covering systems such as nose-wheel steering and the retraction mechanism.

From the beginning of 2021 the initial assemblies will be sup-plied for a static model, followed by a series of landing-gear sets supplied for prototype aircraft and endurance testing.

“The new Superjet family will feature improved strength charac-teristics,” says Technodinamika director general Igor Nasenkov. “Owing to a stricter comfort-level requirement, options are being developed to improve undercar-riage shock-absorption.”

French firm Safran Landing Systems currently supplies the SSJ100’s main and nose-gear and related mechanisms. ■

Finnair plans to increase its fleet to more than 100 aircraft

in a six-year development plan.The flag carrier aims to in-

crease its short-haul fleet from 61 aircraft – comprising 37 Airbus single-aisle jets and 24 regional aircraft – to around 70 by 2025.

Finnair will also expand its long-haul fleet from 22 aircraft to

about 30. It operates eight Airbus A330-300s and 14 A350-900s, with five more to come by 2022.

At a 12 November briefing, chief executive Topi Manner said the carrier is embarking on a new phase of development focused on profitability, amounting to a “no-table shift” from its previous ac-celerated growth.

Chief commercial officer Ole Orver says the airline needs both additional long- and short-haul aircraft to ensure sufficient con-nectivity. He says the airline will have some 20 additional aircraft by 2025. It will concentrate initially on renewing the older single-aisle fleet, but will need more widebodies as well. ■ Plan includes five further A350s

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Airline acquired 88 mostly leased 737s between 2013 and 2017

AIR TRANSPORT

flightglobal.com14 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

Airbus has recorded an order for 12 A330neos from an

unidentified customer, all of them the -900 variant, part of an agreement for 25 aircraft which includes 13 A321neos.

The agreement features in the airframer’s latest backlog revision. It marks the only long-haul order for October, but activity for the month was dominated by Indian budget carrier IndiGo’s landmark deal for 300 single-aisle jets.

IndiGo’s agreement comprises 213 of the larger A321neo, sup-plemented by 87 A320neos.

Airbus’s formal recording of the deal helps lift the airframer’s net orders for the year so far to 542 – an increase of more than 400 net aircraft from the 127 logged by the end of September.

In addition, AirAsia is order-ing 30 A321neos – the carrier had  disclosed in August that it

South African Airways (SAA) is poised to cut close to 20%

of its workforce as part of an effort to restructure its heavily loss-making operations.

The airline employs nearly 5,150 personnel but says it has started a consultation process after embarking on an overhaul which “may lead to job losses”.

SAA puts the number of posi-tions potentially affected at 944.

“We urgently need to address the ongoing loss-making position over the past years,” says acting chief executive Zuks Ramasia.

She says the restructuring is intended to smooth the imple-mentation of an accelerated turn-around strategy.

SAA has been long mired in financial difficulties, with debt

would take 30 of the long-range A321XLR – while the backlog also includes Wizz Air’s order for 20 A321XLRs and 12 for Jetsmart.

China Airlines disclosed at the Paris air show that it would be ordering 11 A321neos as part of a broader agreement to acquire 25, and these appear to have been included in the backlog.

Seven A320neos for Tigerair Taiwan, three for lessor Aviation Capital Group, and two A321neos for an unidentified customer round off the October agreements for the A320 family.

But Airbus has also revealed that Air Tanzania is ordering another pair of A220-300s. Reun-ion carrier Air Austral has also signed for three.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese start-up Starlux has converted four of its A350-1000s to the smaller A350-900. The airline had placed

orders for 17 A350s in March this year: 12 -1000s and five -900s.

But Starlux has partially retreated from the A350-1000, cutting its order to eight and add-ing four more -900s.

Starlux has been planning to  put the A350s into service

and liquidity problems, and insufficient revenue generation.

“[Our] balance sheet has his-torically been weak and remains so despite recent substantial capital injections from the gov-ernment,” says Ramasia.

“Our continued losses and re-liance on government guarantees to borrow money from lenders have increased the interest costs.”

The restructuring will cover all internal SAA divisions but will not include the Mango Airlines subsidiary or the maintenance arm, SAA Technical.

“These hard decisions were necessary to put SAA on a more sustainable footing while ensuring that we continue to offer customers the best service,” says Ramasia. ■

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FLEET

Air Canada nears delivery of A220Airbus has unveiled the first A220-300 (C-GROV) painted in the colours of Air Canada, a milestone which comes ahead of expected first delivery to the carrier in December. Air Canada has ordered 45 A220s, plus 30 options, which are configured in a 137-seat layout. It will use the new jets to replace its Embraer 190 fleet. Airbus has since moved the aircraft to its flight line ahead of a maiden sortie in the coming days.

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us STRATEGY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

South African plans 20% staff cut in restructuring

CONTRACTS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Airbus backlog boosted by IndiGo dealCommitment dominates airframer’s October figures, which also include A330neo order from undisclosed customer

on  routes from Taipei to Euro-pean and North American destinations.

The changes mean Airbus has accumulated orders for 176 A350-1000s – of which 32 have been delivered – as well as 737 A350-900s. ■

Carrier will take 213 A321neos as part of 300-unit transaction

AIR TRANSPORT

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Leonardo maintains its faith in WildcatDefence P16

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 15

ACQUISITION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

IAG stands by Max as it works on orderAirline group has yet to confirm commitment for re-engined 737s, but negotiations with manufacturer are continuing

MODERNISATION

Last 777-200ERs will remain in service until 2030 under BA fleet replacement planBritish Airways will turn next year

to replacing its large fleet of

older-generation Boeing 777s,

but indicates it will retain some

of the aircraft until at least 2030.

The IAG-owned carrier has 46

in the fleet: three 777-200s and

43 777-200ERs.

It will phase out the three -200s

in 2020 by replacing them with

three 777-300ERs under an

operating lease agreement

disclosed last year.

Speaking during a briefing

on 8 November, IAG chief finan-

cial officer Steve Gunning said

BA was maintaining its aim to

phase out the last 747-400 in

February 2024.

Iberia would follow with the

withdrawal of its last Airbus

A340-600 in 2025. The type is

being succeeded by A350-900s,

of which Iberia has ordered 20.

Gunning says the remaining

43 777-200ERs make up the

“last big core fleet” that is due

to undergo replacement.

BA has ordered 18 777-9s,

which will succeed 14 747s and

part of the 777-200ER fleet. But

the carrier has yet to clarify its

longer-term replacement plan for

the -200ERs. It has another 24

777-9s on option.

The UK flag carrier is the third-

largest operator of 777-200ERs,

behind United Airlines and

American Airlines.

IAG indicates that BA will

replace 35 of the twinjets over

the five-year period from 2025 to

2029, with 23 being phased out

over 2028-2029.

“By the time we get to the end

of 2029 we will only have eight

[777-200ERs] to replace,” says

Gunning.

He adds that there is no up-

coming “replacement spike” for

the IAG long-haul fleet. Over the

next three years, IAG will intro-

duce 51 new long-haul aircraft for

replacement and expansion, in-

cluding several long-range

A321neos and the first 777-9s.

Another 66 replacements will

be spread over the subsequent

seven years, 2023-2029, among

them the 35 777-200ERs. IAG will

modernise during this period with

types including the 777-9,

A321XLR, and its remaining 787

and A350 deliveries. ■

IAG has yet to clarify the mix of its future Boeing 737 Max fleet,

as it continues discussions to firm up the tentative agreement for 200 of the type unveiled at June’s Paris air show.

The company has set out a requirement to replace 225 short-haul aircraft beginning with 10 in 2022, ramping up to peak with 46 in 2024 and then falling away to the end of the decade.

IAG chief financial officer Steve Gunning, speaking at an 8  November briefing, said this modernisation profile amounted to a “worst-case scenario” because some 60 new aircraft over 2023-2029 would be “early accelerated replacements”.

“We don’t need to replace them at that point,” he says, but there is a “lot of argument” to replace them early, for unit cost and environmental reasons.

IAG has yet to determine the mix of 737 Max or Airbus A320neo-family jets in the replacement schedule.

The company has selected the Max 8 and Max 10 and indicated that it would initially place them with British Airways, at London Gatwick, and Spanish carrier Vueling, with a harmonised group specification.

Although deliveries have been requested for 2023-2027, the timeframe for re-entry of the Max to airline service remains uncer-tain, and IAG has not reached a definitive agreement on the order or delivery schedule.

“We are still working on this,” says Gunning.

But he defends the rationale for selecting the aircraft. “In a world where you have a duopoly

and you convert it into a mon-opoly because you don’t [deal] with both [sides] on short-haul aircraft, that doesn’t seem strate-gically to make sense.”

He says IAG is interested not only in obtaining a good price for the jets but in ensuring that the “supply is being competed” over by both airframers.

Over the next three years IAG’s short-haul fleet will remain the

same size, just under 400 aircraft, as A319s and A320s are phased out and A320neos and A321neos are brought in.

BA has also outlined a replace-ment requirement, from 2020, for its Embraer regional jet fleet, which primarily operates from London City airport.

Its BA CityFlyer operation has 24 aircraft – a mix of E190s and E170s – but the IAG fleet plan in-dicates a four-year modernisation programme beginning with six aircraft next year, with the overall Embraer fleet peaking at 30 air-craft in 2021.

Meanwhile, IAG plans to cut multiple airline brands, although it intends to maintain the name of its latest acquisition, Air Europa, at least initially.

Air Europa will be IAG’s fifth airline brand in Spain behind Iberia, Iberia Express, Level and Vueling.

Chief executive Willie Walsh says the dual-brand strategy with Iberia and Air Europa at Madrid is an “effective model” for the company. “But clearly, operating the number of brands we have in that segment of the market doesn’t make sense,” he adds, noting that the situation “needs to be rationalised”. ■

Chief executive Walsh announced 200-unit deal at Paris air show

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DEFENCE

flightglobal.com16 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

Leonardo Helicopters is main-taining its belief in the AW159

Wildcat, despite a barren sales period that has seen its backlog for the platform dwindle to zero.

The manufacturer is marking the 10th anniversary of the Wild-cat’s 12 November 2009 first flight, but with deliveries to the UK and export customers ex-hausted, there are no new exam-ples in production.

Leonardo originally designed the Wildcat for the British Army and Royal Navy (RN) to satisfy the UK’s Future Lynx require-ment, and the services operate 32 and 28 examples of their respec-tive AH1 and HMA2 variants. Additionally, the company secured export orders for a com-bined 10 AW159s for the navies of the Philippines and South Korea. The last of these was delivered in May.

Despite the current lack of backlog, Nick Whitney, the com-pany’s director of UK sales and export campaigns, says there are a “number of opportunities in the works”. If brought to fruition,

these will “not just fill the hop-per, but make the hopper really heavy”, he adds.

“I think the capability offered by the Wildcat is unique,” Whit-ney says, citing the platform’s compact size and “fifth-genera-tion” avionics and sensor suite.

Whitney declines to name other potential customers beyond South Korea, which has a follow-on requirement for 12 anti- submarine warfare helicop-ters. Seoul is choosing between the AW159 and Sikorsky’s MH-60R Seahawk, with a decision expected in 2020.

Including South Korea, Whit-ney believes there are “very easily” opportunities for “30-plus” AW159s, notably among operators of legacy Lynx models.

Although the Yeovil, UK facil-ity that builds the Wildcat re-mains busy with other work – chiefly the AW101 – Whitney acknowledges that a lengthy pro-duction gap will eventually become a problem.

“We cannot go on marketing forever something that we cannot

The US Navy (USN) is moving forward with its plan to add

Link 16 communications terminals to its Northrop Grum-man MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters.

It intends to buy 50 Link 16 terminals over the course of five years to install on the unmanned air vehicles, according to a 1 No-vember sources-sought notice.

An initial procurement award

ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

Leonardo maintains its faith in WildcatManufacturer exploring potential sales opportunities for at least 30 units, including follow-on need in South Korea

CONNECTIVITY GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES

US Navy set to boost Fire Scout communicationsis planned for March 2020, with the navy seeking to take delivery of the first units no later than 18 months later.

Link 16 is an encrypted, jam-resistant means of transmitting voice and data between aircraft and ships.

The USN says it wants to use Link 16 to share information collected by the MQ-8C’s auto-matic identification system equipment, radar, and electro-optical infrared sensor. This will make it easier to detect, classify and track friendly, neutral or hostile surface ships, it says.

Initial operational capability for the MQ-8C was declared in

June 2019, clearing the way for the navy to start fleet operations and training. The service wants to deploy the type on its littoral combat ships in fiscal year 2021.

Northrop plans to deliver 38 MQ-8Cs to the USN over the next several years. The heavily adapt-ed Bell 407 is intended for use as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset, and for providing precision targeting.

Using Link 16 technology will enable MQ-8Cs to share informa-tion directly with the navy’s manned Sikorsky MH-60 Sea-hawk helicopters, instead of having to relay communications via a surface ship. ■

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Unmanned helicopter will be deployed at sea routinely from 2021

sell,” he says. However, he notes: “Time is on our side at the moment.”

Meanwhile, Leonardo contin-ues test flights of a new weapons wing for the AW159, which will enable the RN’s HMA2 fleet to carry MBDA Sea Venom anti-ship and Thales Defence Martlet air-to-surface missiles.

The wing “has been flown in every configuration”, including with the navy’s legacy depth charges and torpedoes, says Matthew Boucher, the company’s head of AW159 and Lynx programmes.

A first Martlet missile firing

from the type is due “in the next couple of months”, says Bouch-er. Initial operational capability is scheduled for October 2020, with the Sea Venom to follow a year later.

Boucher is also confident that the RN will eventually look to upgrade its fleet with technolo-gies incorporated into export aircraft, such as the Thales Flash dipping sonar and a digital auto-matic flight-control system.

“We are hopeful that the UK Ministry of Defence would look to upgrade with the enhanced capabilities we have got on the international market,” he says. ■

British Army and Royal Navy have received a combined 60 of type

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ardo

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DEFENCE

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H145M deliveries poised for ramp-upDefence P18

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 17

Further flight testing of a developmental automatic

boom refuelling capability for the A330 multi-role tanker trans-port (MRTT) will be performed for an undisclosed customer next year, Airbus Defence & Space has disclosed.

Trials of the company’s A3R automatic air-to-air refuelling technology conducted since 2017 have included its A310 testbed making automatic in-flight contacts with Lockheed

Martin F-16s and an A330 MRTT.

Speaking at the company’s Manching site in Germany early this month, Airbus head of tanker and derivatives programme Didi-er Plantecoste said the company is aiming to secure certification for the advance during 2021.

“We will be starting to do flight-tests next year with that customer,” he says. “We are expecting an improvement in safety and reliability of the opera-

General Atomics Aeronauti-cal Systems will demon-

strate its MQ-9 Guardian un-manned air vehicle’s maritime patrol surveillance capabilities for several European nations during December.

A number of flights will be conducted from the Greek air force’s Larissa air base, with General Atomics describing the demonstration configuration as “based on the MQ-9 systems op-erated by the US Department of Homeland Security, in support of its maritime surveillance roles”.

Key equipment carried by the Guardian includes a Raytheon SeaVue maritime surface-search radar, electro-optical/infrared

Tokyo has placed a follow-on order with Kongsberg Defence

& Aerospace for Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) to equip its Lockheed Martin F-35s.

The Norwegian firm values its latest contract at NKr450 million ($49 million), but has not disclosed the number of weapons involved or a delivery schedule. Kongsberg announced Japan’s initial commitment to the JSM in March 2019.

Each F-35 can carry two of the anti-ship missiles internally. Tokyo plans to eventually obtain up to 147 of the aircraft. ■

CONTRACT GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

Japan splashes out with latest JSM purchase

CAPABILITY CRAIG HOYLE MANCHING

MRTT approaches automatic refuellingAirbus Defence & Space will further test automated technology with customer next year, targeting 2021 certification

tion, and a reduction in the time of contact [between aircraft].”

The company’s concept of op-erations for the A3R system is for the tanker to retain its current boom operator in a supervisory/safety role, and for the function to be available as a retrofit option for additional customers.

Other current focus areas in-clude enhancing the aircraft’s connectivity, to enable it to serve as an airborne communications node, and exploring its potential for carrying out communications and electronic intelligence tasks.

“We are going to continue to enhance the aircraft, to provide additional capabilities to our cus-tomers,” Plantecoste says.

Airbus has to date taken orders for 60 A330-200-based tankers, and delivered 41 of these to the air forces of Australia, France, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and the United Arab Emir-ates. A first example produced for use by Multinational MRRT Fleet programme partners Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lux-

embourg and the Netherlands will be delivered next year.

Five deliveries have been made so far this year, with a sixth to follow, while the Royal Aus-tralian Air Force has also taken a converted ex-Qantas example to bolster its fleet.

“In 2019 we have delivered all of the aircraft on time, or even in advance to suit our customers,” Plantecoste says, describing its modification activity as “a very mature industrial process.”

Airbus’s defence unit currently has no plan to transition its MRTT activity to the re-engined A330neo, and Plantecoste says: “We are working closely with our civil partner at Airbus to secure production of the Ceo. For the time being we have no concern.”

With regard to future sales prospects, Airbus continues to monitor an ongoing tanker con-test in India, and a long-term re-quirement to replace the US Air Force’s McDonnell Douglas KC-10s, which it would pursue in partnership with Lockheed. ■

sensor, an automatic identifica-tion system receiver and satellite communications for data transfer.

It also is equipped with General Atomics’ detect-and-avoid system equipment, to enable routine operations in civilian airspace.

“The demand for affordable, long-endurance airborne surveil-lance of the seas surrounding Eu-

rope is growing,” says General Atomics Aeronautical Systems chief executive Linden Blue.

This comes amid the need to monitor migrants crossing the Mediterranean by boat from north Africa, increased Russian naval activity and the ageing nature of in-service maritime patrol aircraft such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion. ■

UNMANNED SYSTEMS GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES

Guardian on Mediterranean missionFlights will be made from the

Greek air force’s Larissa base

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yste

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Company’s A3R system will improve efficiency of boom operation

DEFENCE

flightglobal.com18 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY DONAUWORTH

H145M deliveries poised for ramp-upGermany and international customer Hungary to receive medium-twins before year-end as production shifts a gear

Airbus Helicopters is scaling up its deliveries of H145Ms

to military customers, as produc-tion of the medium-twin hits its stride.

Hungary will take its first of 20 examples before year-end, equipped with the airframer’s HForce modular weapons system.

The German army is also poised to take the first of seven units during the same period for use as search and rescue and medical evacuation assets. Its ro-torcraft are being produced in the H145’s standard civil model, rather than the M variant, with two of the fleet currently support-ing training in Augsburg.

Launch customer the German air force has already received its full complement of 15 H145Ms, tasked with supporting special forces missions; the Royal Thai Navy five; and Serbia more than half of the nine aircraft it has on order for air force and police du-ties. Luxembourg also recently took its first example for use by its police force, with a second to follow by year-end.

Previously built on two sepa-rate lines, Airbus Helicopters has consolidated the final assembly of its H145 and smaller H135 light-twin on the same line in Donauworth, Germany. Com-bined output is currently 100-110 aircraft per year: 60-70 H145s and 30-40 H135s.

Separately, Airbus Helicopters hopes to begin in late 2020 a sec-ond phase of testing manned-

unmanned teaming using the H145M. An initial effort earlier this year demonstrated that the helicopter’s crew could control a

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Berlin will take its first of seven army examples for search and rescue and medical evacuation duties

Schiebel Camcopter rotary-wing unmanned air vehicle (UAV) while in flight.

Phase 2 testing will attempt to improve key areas, including crew workload, connectivity and certification of the operations, says Mark Henning, programme manager for government business on the H145. This work will be carried out with two existing cus-tomers – one military and one parapublic operator – using an undisclosed rotary-wing UAV.

AUTOMATION REQUIREDHenning says that based on the previous round of evaluation, the workload required to control a UAV while also acting as the heli-copter co-pilot is “enormous”.

“We have to enhance the level of automation on the unmanned sys-tem, as well as on the helicopter,”

he says, noting that advances in machine learning and processor technology should enable UAVs to carry out missions autonomously.

Henning expects the phase 2 tests to last about one year, with the system to be commercially available around a year later.

However, he points out that the manufacturer will still have to persuade operators that the system can deliver as promised, if they wish to consider accommodating such a change.

“We have to prove to a custom-er that it is reality, not sci-fi. We are confident we are doing the right thing – we hope we can do the convincing work at the same speed,” says Henning.

Meanwhile, with a new five-blade main rotor configuration heading towards civil service entry next year and on military examples

from the second quarter of 2021, Airbus Helicopters is eyeing fur-ther tactical updates for the type.

Andreas Wiers, senior pro-gramme manager H145 contracts, says other possible enhancements include using upturned exhaust nozzles similar to those on the developmental H160M, and an updated self-protection system with radar warning receivers.

Early evaluation work is also exploring the feasibility of adding an in-flight rapid obscuration system, such as Rheinmetall’s ground vehicle-mounted Rosy equipment. Wiers says early assessments indicate that such countermeasures technology could add a further protective layer when deploying ground forces from the helicopter. ■Additional reporting by Craig

Hoyle

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S M A R T E S TP A I N R E L I E V E R

W E T A K E T H E H E A D A C H E O U T O F T R A V E L .

I N T R O D U C I N G C I R I U M . B R I N G I N G T O G E T H E R P O W E R F U L D A T A

A N D A N A L Y T I C S T O K E E P T H E W O R L D I N M O T I O N .

NEWS FOCUS

flightglobal.com20 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is developing a new

attritable jet-powered unmanned air vehicle (UAV). Called Sparrow Hawk, it is intended to be air-launched from and air-recoverable by the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) MQ-9 Reaper.

The company has built one prototype so far, which could be flown for the first time before the end of 2020, depending on fund-ing, says Chris Pehrson, vice-president of strategic develop-ment for Department of Defense (DoD) customers with General Atomics. The small UAV could be available for purchase by cus-tomers in 2021, he adds.

The SparrowHawk weighs about 91kg (200lb), can carry a payload of about 13.6kg and would have a 174nm (322km) range, says General Atomics. The company declines to reveal the aircraft’s turbine engine manufac-turer or planned thrust rating.

Although it is being developed with deployment from the MQ-9 in mind, the company says its activity is not a programme of record with the USAF. Instead, the development effort is being funded with internal research and development money.

The SparrowHawk is a spin-off from General Atomics’ failed bid for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA’s) Gremlins programme, which was won by Dynetics. The DARPA activity is an effort to develop a UAV that can be launched from a Lockheed Mar-tin C-130J tactical transport, flown on a reconnaissance mis-sion and then return to the air-craft to be recovered in flight.

General Atomics declines to say if the SparrowHawk could be  refuelled and relaunched after being captured in flight by the MQ-9.

“I’ll just say, in general, I think

UNMANNED SYSTEMS GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES

SparrowHawk UAV prepares to emerge from incubationManufacturer prepares for first flight of its ‘nearly expendable’ air-recoverable prototype

there’s an advantage to having a  small [UAV] that is able to be  air-refuelled,” says Pehrson. “Especially when you have a mothership that can stay airborne for 40h.”

NEW ERAGeneral Atomics is known for producing large Group 4 and 5 UAVs – classified as aircraft with maximum gross take-off weights above 600kg. As well as the MQ-9, those also include the US Army’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle, but the company is perhaps best known for its MQ-1 Predator, which has been a fixture above the post-9/11 battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.

However, as the US military shifts its focus away from coun-ter-terrorism campaigns and towards fending off Great Power conflict with China and Russia, aircraft that formerly flew with impunity above unsophisticated

adversaries in the Middle East are suddenly looking vulnerable.

In response, the USA is trying a strategy that relies on cheap and nearly expendable aircraft called attritable UAVs. The Pentagon envisions dozens of such jet-powered aircraft that could over-whelm an enemy’s air defences, but which are cheap enough to be replaced if they are lost in action.

“We do see this as a market op-portunity,” says Pehrson. “And we think this is a very important mission space.”

General Atomics sees “syner-gy” between small attritable UAVs and its legacy aircraft, such as the MQ-1C and MQ-9. It plans to leverage its existing infrastruc-tures of ground control stations and data networks – improved with the addition of more auto-mation and artificial intelligence – to ease the introduction of attritable UAVs.

The company is developing a  family of attritable aircraft, including so-called air-launched effects: UAVs that are carried and deployed from a mothership aircraft to be used in a variety of roles, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, loitering munition, anti-radiation missile or electronic warfare applications.

“One MQ-9 can be persistent at the outer envelope of the threat airspace,” says Pehrson. “And, when the situation dictates, that

[UAV] could drop off all its small [UAVs] that can go on and do a mission: either to serve as decoys for other penetrating aircraft, or to provide electronic warfare ca-pabilities to open up a corridor for other aircraft trying to pene-trate the hostile airspace.”

The mothership could provide a support role by relaying com-munications or triangulating the location of threats, he adds.

The US Army has designated the MQ-1C as a chosen platform to carry air-launched effects, in addition to the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, and its forthcoming Future Attack Re-connaissance Aircraft and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft.

General Atomics is upgrading the Gray Eagle Extended Range (ER) variant to be able to carry air-launched effects and loitering munitions. The medium-altitude,

Reaper is most likely host vehicle for the proposed attritable air-launched UAV

MQ-1C platform is the US Army’s choice for carrying future air-launched effects

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NEWS FOCUS

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 21flightglobal.com

Epic secures US certification for E1000Business Aviation P22

long-endurance type can carry 20 such weapons in five pods be-neath its wings and centreline, according to a rendering released by the company in October.

Launching a loitering muni-tion from a UAV is also being attempted by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. It plans in early 2020 to test launch an Aero Vironment Switchblade from the wing of its MQM-178 Firejet target drone, adding 200nm to the flying munition’s own 5.4nm range.

The Gray Eagle ER is also being tested as a launching platform for different types of glide vehicles. In September, the US Army Spe-cial Operations Aviation Com-mand conducted a drop test of Dynetics’ 20nm-range GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition from the UAV. General Atomics says it is working on an air-launched glide

sensor with another company for the US Army, but declines to name its development partner.

General Atomics will not say how many attritable UAVs or air-launched effects it is developing. It also declines to share a picture or rendering of the Sparrow-Hawk. However, at the Associa-tion of the US Army convention in October it displayed two renderings of “notional” air-launched effects on board the Gray Eagle ER. The manufacturer notes that these do not represent a US Army programme of record.

SWEET SPOTAs it enters the attritable UAV in-dustry, General Atomics is com-peting against a field of manufac-turers who already have contracts with government customers, such as Boeing, Dynetics and Kratos. Despite this, the company

believes it has found an opening in the market.

“We think that there’s a sweet spot where you can have a more survivable small [UAV], but maybe not as expensive as a very exquisite system – with the same or better probability of accom-plishing the mission that you want to do,” says Pehrson.

Finding this spot will depend on the company’s ability to build its UAVs with an open architec-ture and modularity, he says. This would allow the US military to remove expensive sensors and payloads before it sends attritable UAVs on dangerous missions.

“We want to give the custo-mers options. We want to have a low-cost truck; a truck that’s re-configurable and modular,” says Pehrson. “If you really want to throw out large numbers of them, the platform itself would be

relatively cheap and you just don’t put an expensive payload in it.”

General Atomics is designing its attritable UAVs using open architecture standards such as the US Army’s Future Airborne Capability Environment, the USAF’s Universal Command and Control Interface and the US DoD’s Modular Systems Archi-tecture Standards.

“We have invested a lot of R&D into making our platforms and the payloads we developed into open systems,” says Pehrson, who notes that the ultimate goal is to give the DoD flexibility.

“I think the key is just provid-ing options to the customers and quantifying that cost,” he says, “so that when you design it you can articulate what the cost would be to do certain missions or [concepts of operations].” ■

Gray Eagle ER could deploy up to 20 GBU-69/B Small Glide Munitions

Current models are viewed as

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BUSINESS AVIATION

flightglobal.com22 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

Epic Aircraft has secured US Federal Aviation Administra-

tion type certification for the E1000, bringing to a conclusion a seven-year development effort for the high-performance, single-engined turboprop.

The Bend, Oregon-based airframer is now preparing the six-seat, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A-powered aircraft for service entry before the end of the year.

Launched in 2012, the carbon-fibre E1000 is based on the LT kit plane that Epic stopped selling in 2013 after producing 54 exam-ples. The final LT was completed in June under the company’s “owner-assist” build programme.

E1000 flight testing began in December 2016, with the two aircraft logging more than 1,000h, says Epic.

A new company, billed as the first members-only operator

to offer per-seat scheduled charter services on long-range business jets, is poised to begin services on 6 December, with New York-Fort Lauderdale as its first route.

Known as Airspace, the ven-ture is designed to offer an alter-native to ad hoc charter, jet card programmes and airline travel, says founder and chief executive Robert Molsbergen.

Epic chief executive Doug King describes the validation as “a remarkable accomplishment for our entire community”.

He says: “Transitioning that [LT] design into a certified ver-sion was the chance to offer a truly compelling product to the

industry – a no-compromises air-craft that customers would really want (and they do).”

Epic has orders for more than 80 E1000s from customers across the world, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the USA.

Seven aircraft are in various stages of fabrication, bonding and assembly, Epic says, and the first examples will be delivered in December.

“We plan to produce one E1000 a month in 2020, two a month in 2021, rising to one a week – or 50 per year – in 2023,” says Epic sales and marketing director Mike Schrader.

Production certification is tar-geted for the first quarter of 2020, which will allow Epic to pro-duce, test fly and issue airworthi-ness certification for each of the $3.25 million aircraft.

Equipped with a Garmin G1000 NXi flightdeck, the E1000 has a maximum range of 1,650nm (3,060km), a maximum cruise speed of 325kt (600km/h) and an operating ceiling of 34,000ft. ■

The goal is to make “private aircraft more accessible and en-joyable”, he adds.

“We expect high-end consum-er interest in shared private avia-tion as it offers value, conveni-ence, service, privacy,” and addresses “a growing discontent” among travellers with commer-cial airlines, Molsbergen says.

Access to Airspace starts at $2,600 per month for an individ-ual membership. This allows

customers to select and book a “guaranteed seat” for $500 on a Gulfstream G650 or Bombardier Global 6000, operating twice-weekly return services between New York Teterboro and Fort Lauderdale.

Airspace also offers member-ship plans for businesses, cou-ples and families with “prices based on how many members and guests fly each month”, Molsbergen says.

New York-Fort Lauderdale was selected as Airspace’s inau-gural service after market research found it to be “one of the most popular private air routes in the USA”.

The company is now exploring a more frequent service between the cities, and plans to expand its network in 2020, with New York-Los Angeles the next route.

All services will operate between VIP terminals at each

airport to considerably shorten travel time. “With Airspace, members can say goodbye to the stresses of commercial travel – like arriving 2h prior to a flight, and battling TSA [security] lines, non-flexible tickets, and delays,” says Molsbergen.

The Airspace route network will be expanded nationwide, he adds, “and we plan to offer an in-ternational service for members”, with the G650 and Global 6000 the backbone of the operation.

“The G650 and Global 6000 give consistency to the Airspace product and can operate on all routes – short and long, domestic and international,” he says.

The aircraft are operated by local charter providers, under contract with Airspace. “While we don’t own our own planes today, that is something we may consider as we expand,” says Molsbergen. ■

APPROVAL KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Epic secures US certification for E1000Airframer progresses first examples of ‘no-compromises’ carbonfibre turboprop in production as global orders pass 80

START-UP KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Airspace takes seat in long-range charter marketEp

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BUSINESS AVIATION

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 23flightglobal.com

All Maxed out?Feature P25

Increase in output over first nine months was driven by new twinjet

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PROGRAMME KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Samad hatches eStarling spin-off planManufacturer reveals timetable for commercialising 50% scale version of eVTOL aircraft as two-seat hyper-luxury vehicle

RESULTS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Praetor stars as Embraer hits five-year sales high

UK start-up Samad Aerospace has begun building a 50%

scale model of its six-seat eStar-ling hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and says it will commercialise a version of this scaled design and bring it to market in 2022 as a two-seat hyper-luxury aircraft and utility vehicle.

The company, headquartered in Cranfield, has already built and flown 10% and 20% scale models of the eStarling, demon-strating the aircraft’s take-off and landing performance, hovering capability and transition from vertical to horizontal flight.

“We will begin tether-testing the 50% scale model in the first quarter of 2020,” says Samad founder and chief executive Seyed Mohseni, “then progress to conventional and transition test-ing of the aircraft, which will have [a] wingspan of 8.5m [28ft] and length of 7.5m.”

It will make its first public demonstration at the Farnborough

air show in July 2020.A further two test aircraft will

be built for the new two-seat pro-gramme, called the Starling Q22, with the first manned aircraft scheduled to make its debut flight in early 2021.

Describing the Q22 as a “spin-off” project to the eStarling, Mohseni regards its latest eVTOL design as an opportunity to broaden its commercial aircraft line-up – which also includes the in-development 10-seat Starling Jet – and open up a new market for the company.

“We are targeting owners of high-end luxury cars such as Fer-raris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys, who are looking for a luxury, yet sustainable form of transport,” says Mohseni. “The Q22 will also be a great platform for air ambu-lance providers.”

Certification under the Euro-pean Union Aviation Safety Agency’s new eVTOL regula-tions, published in July, is planned for 2022.

Samad says the Q22 will be built from environmentally friendly materials, such as a non-oil-based carbonfibre, and its hy-brid-electric design will remove any requirements for a ground-charging infrastructure.

Like its larger eStarling stable-mate, the Q22 will be propelled by five electric-powered fans: two on the trailing edge of the wing, two embedded in the air-

craft’s blended wing body, and one at the tail. A generator will provide electricity to power the fans and charge the batteries, with only the cells used for take-off and landing.

Samad will start assembling the first full-scale eStarling prototype in 2022 and fly the model the following year. Certification and service entry are expected in 2025. ■

Robust sales of the Praetor 600 business jet have resulted in

the strongest nine-month order intake for Embraer’s Executive Jets division for five years.

The super-midsize twin, which entered service at the end

of June, is also single-handledly responsible for the eight-unit hike in deliveries for the division over the period, bringing total business jet output to 63.

Embraer expects to deliver a further seven Praetor 600s in the

fourth quarter, putting the Brazil-ian airframer on track to meet its 2019 delivery guidance of be-tween 90 and 110 business jets.

Speaking on a 12 November earnings call with analysts, Nelson Salgado, Embraer’s exec-utive vice-president of financial and investor relations, described the Praetor 600 as “a big success”, with customer interest in the air-craft “very high”.

“It’s been a very big year for us in terms of business jet sales,” says Salgado, pointing to a $1.4 billion order from long-time cus-tomer Flexjet as a highlight of the period. “This was a very impor-tant result for Embraer,” he says.

The deal, placed in the third quarter but announced in Octo-

ber, is for 64 Phenom 300Es, Prae-tor 500s and 600s. Flexjet is the launch customer for the Praetor 500 and will take delivery of the first example in November.

Embraer’s business jet output for the nine months ended 30 September also included seven Phenom 100EVs, 35 Phenom 300Es, a pair of Legacy 650s, five Legacy 450s and six Legacy 500s. This compares with 40 Phenoms and 15 Legacys delivered during the same period last year.

The strong output contributed to a $130 million climb in divi-sional revenues to $777 million for the nine months ended 30 September. Third-quarter reve-nues rose by $51 million to $363 million. ■

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WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYMainliners

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 25

BERNIE BALDWIN LONDON

There can only be one starting point in reviewing the aircraft covered by this part of the 2019 World Airliner Di-rectory – and that is the ongoing trib-

ulations of the Boeing 737 Max family. With the whole fleet of the type grounded since 13 March, the prospects for the Max are current-ly a complete unknown.

Boeing is sticking to its statement that it expects to achieve clearance from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow the 737 Max to fly again during the fourth quar-ter. However, indications from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are that its approval will not come until early in 2020, following test flights with the body’s own pilots.

Moreover, the pattern of one authority certificating aircraft and other authorities validating that decision almost “on the nod” has now become contentious, so if the FAA approves an aircraft, it may be that EASA, Transport Canada or Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority will want to do more than

trusting that all the necessary work was carried out properly. It will be interesting to see the approach taken on aircraft such as the in-development 777X family.

Whether the Max (below in flight, production and during grounding) does or does not fly this year, the length of the ground-ing and the visibility it has had with the travel-ling public could well affect how customers select their flights. Seasoned travellers know which aircraft they like and even the seats they prefer to occupy. We wait to discover if the Max grounding pushes some of them to seek other aircraft types for their journeys.

While Boeing was obviously involved at the beginning of the year in the investigation into the Lion Air accident of 29 October 2018, it was also rather buoyant when it reported that it had set a new annual record of 806 de-liveries in 2018, while adding 893 net orders to its backlog. Its hopes of continuing that performance level came to an end in March.

In any other year, the key story would most likely have been the decision by Emirates to re-vise its orders for the Airbus A380. The carrier’s

move to cull 39 of the type from its orderbook led the airframer to admit that the consequence – given the lack of orders from other airlines – was to announce the end of A380 deliveries in 2021. Although the Boeing 747-8 is still coming off the line, only freighter versions are left in the backlog. Barring a very unlikely turnaround, the era of jumbo and superjumbo jet production is now coming to a close.

While the flagship at the top of the fleet awaits its final bow, Airbus’s acquisition of the former Bombardier CSeries as the smallest family in its line-up is looking like a wise move. Over the course of a year under Airbus control, there have been more than 230 com-mitments to the aircraft now known as the A220, a trend that has continued with recent orders by Air Austral and Czech Airlines.

At the end of September 2019, Airbus’s backlog stood at 7,133, with Boeing’s at 5,488. While production rates continue to fluctuate, each manufacturer has many years of work ahead. ■All data from Cirium or manufacturers, to 30 September 2019

All Maxed out?Flight International’s annual review of global commercial airliner programmes begins with a look at mainline aircraft – and inevitably focuses on Boeing’s troubled narrowbody type

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WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYSpecial report

Airbus A220In 2019, 1 July once again brought a major

milestone for the A220 family. While 1 July

2018 saw the transfer of control of the A220

programme from Bombardier to Airbus, this

year the date brought another change in the

organisation, with CSeries Aircraft Limited

Partnership, the company in which Airbus took

a 50.01% stake, becoming Airbus Canada

Limited Partnership.

By the time the first anniversary under Airbus

control was celebrated by this change, the

number of orders and commitments for the

family had risen by more than 230 aircraft. The

Paris air show in June helped that figure

considerably and brought increased lessor

interest as Air Lease signed a letter of intent for

50 A220-300s, while Nordic Aviation Capital

signed a memorandum of understanding for 20

A220s with the choice of model not specified.

In May 2019, Airbus announced perfor-

mance improvements for both A220 variants,

with increased maximum take-off weight

(MTOW) and range being added. The former

has been increased by 2,270kg (5,000lb), lead-

ing to new maximum range figures of 3,350nm

(6,200km) for the A220-300 and 3,400nm for

the A220-100, each 450nm more than the

original.

Deliveries with the new capabilities will be-

gin during the first half of 2020.

Delta Air Lines, which ordered five additional

A220-100s in June 2019 – taking its total orders

of both the -100 and -300 to 95 – became the

first customer to sign up for the increased

MTOW option.

Delta’s fellow SkyTeam member, Air France-

KLM, announced the signing of an MoU for 60

A220-300s in late July 2019. When these

aircraft enter service with Air France, the carrier

will be the third member of the SkyTeam

alliance to operate the type, as Korean Air

operates 10 A220-300s.

Meanwhile, Airbus began manufacturing the

A220 in the USA in August, when work started

at the company’s Mobile, Alabama production

facility. The first US-made A220 – an A220-300

– is scheduled for delivery to Delta in the third

quarter of 2020. ■

26 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

Airbus A330Following delays in its introduction, the first

upgraded and re-engined A330neo – an

A330-900 – was finally handed over to launch

customer TAP Air Portugal in the fourth quarter

of 2018, the first of three delivered last year. By

September this year, a further 26 aircraft had

entered service, operating for nine customers.

Orders for the Rolls-Royce Trent

7000- powered aircraft have continued to rise,

albeit slowly. While the overall commitments

for the more popular A330-900 showed a net

increase by the end of September, the

A330-800 – with no orders this time last year

– has gained two new customers.

In October 2018, the orderbook was revived

by a commitment for eight A330-800s from

Kuwait Airways. This was followed in April by

Uganda Airlines signing for two A330-800s,

firming up a tentative agreement announced

at the 2018 Farnborough air show. Certification

has slipped into 2020.

Among those that ordered A330-900s this

year was AirAsia X, which committed to

an  additional 12 aircraft, taking its total of

A330neos ordered to 78. The airline took de-

livery of its first of the type, leased from

Avolon, on 9 September.

Airbus A220 orders and deliveries

A220-100 A220-300

First flight 16/09/2013 27/02/2015

Orders (all-time/2019) 90/2 421/-23

Deliveries (total/2019) 33/21 55/10

Backlog 57 366

Airbus A330 orders and deliveries

A330-200 A330-200F A330-300 A330-800 A330-900

First flight 13/08/1997 05/11/2009 02/11/1992 06/11/2018 19/10/2017

Orders (all-time/2019) 599/-5 38/0 789/0 10/10 250/10

Deliveries (total/2019) 586/2 38/0 768/3 29/26

Backlog 13 0 21 10 221

Airbus A330 specifications

A330-200 A330-200F A330-300 A330-800 A330-900

MTOW (t) 242 233 242 251 251

Seats (typical/max) 247/406 277/440 257/406 287/440

Payload (t) 65

Range (nm) 7,250 3,995 6,350 8,150 7,200

Airbus A220 specifications

A220-100 A220-300

MTOW (t) 63.1 69.9

Seats (typical/max) 116/135 141/160

Range (nm) 3,400 3,350

A220-family aircraft handed over since launch

88

Airbus is increasing maximum take-off

weight and range for the A220

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19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 27flightglobal.com

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYMainliners

At June’s Paris air show, Cebu Pacific or-

dered 16 A330-900s, only firming the deal in

November. Meanwhile, at the same event,

Virgin Atlantic signed up for 14 A330-900s to

replace its A330ceos from 2021. Eight of those

form a firm order placed by the airline, while six

will come via Air Lease.

January 2019 saw the European Union

Aviation Safety Agency give approval for

extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS)

beyond 180min diversion time for the

A330-900 – the basic specification.

However, an option for ETOPS of 285min was

also approved, increasing the aircraft family’s di-

version distance to around 2,000nm (3,700km).

The backlog for the company’s original

A330s – the -200 and -300 – has now shrunk to

just 34 aircraft at the end of September, includ-

ing cancellations for the -200 creating a five-

unit net loss in the 2019 sales figure. ■

Airbus A320 familyAnother year, another increase in the Airbus

A320neo family backlog, albeit by just 27,

as the number rose to 5,688 from 5,661 in

the 12 months to the end of September 2019,

indicating the high rate of deliveries. However,

it is looking likely that 2019 will be the first year

since the A320 was launched that no order for

the original Ceo variant will be placed, with all

orders for A320neo-family models.

Moreover, Cirium fleets data also shows that

only 88 Ceos remain in the backlog, so all

A320- family deliveries will soon be Neos. As

those deliveries move to the new variants, there

has also been a noticeable shift between sales

of the models within the family.

While the A321’s percentage of sales within

the original family reached 22.4%, the same

figure for the A321neo is 41.6%. This figure

may yet rise, with the introduction of the

A321XLR.

In terms of range, the A321XLR will be able

to fly up to 4,700nm (8,700km), which is 15%

further than the A321LR. The new model end-

ed the Paris air show with 48 orders and 89

commitments, plus 112 conversions from exist-

ing A321neo orders.

The XLR has garnered some big name cus-

tomers, including AirAsia X (30 firm), JetBlue

Airways (13 firm, all converted), American

Airlines (50 firm, including 30 conversions), IAG

(eight for Iberia, six for Aer Lingus) and Qantas

(36, including 26 conversions). Indigo Partners

signed a memorandum of understanding for

50, including 18 conversions.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2023. ■

Airbus A320 family orders and deliveries

A319 A320 A321 A319neo A320neo A321neo

First flight 25/08/1995 22/02/1987 11/03/1993 31/03/2017 25/09/2014 09/02/2016

Orders (all-time/2019) 1,412/0 4,754/0 1,801/0 32/-8 3,855/502 2,774/665

Deliveries (total/2019) 1,404/4 4,726/44 1,749/35 747/234 226/104

Backlog 8 28 52 32 3,108 2,548

Airbus A320 family specifications

A319 A320 A321 A319neo A320neo A321neo

MTOW (t) 75.5 78 93.5 75.5 79 97

Seats (typical/max) 124/156 150/180 185/220 140/160 165/194 206/244

Range (nm) 3,750 3,350 3,200 3,700 3,400 4,000

Orders for -800 variant placed over the last year

10

Projected service-entry date for A321XLR

2023

A further 26 of the

larger version had

entered service by

September

Percentage of sales represented by A321neo

in new family’s orderbook is now 41.6%

Lo

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flightglobal.com28 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYSpecial report

Airbus A380After much speculation by observers and

analysts over the A380’s future, the result of a

fleet review by Emirates announced in February

finally brought the curtain down on sales for the

double-deck type.

In its review, Emirates announced its intention

to reduce its A380 orderbook from 162 to 123,

which led Airbus to state: “As a consequence and

given the lack of order backlog with other airlines,

Airbus will cease deliveries of the A380 in 2021.”

Emirates’ cancellations are not yet officially

recorded in the Airbus backlog. However, it re-

moved another 31 orders from its books during

the year. Total orders for the A380 stand at 291,

with 51 still to be delivered at end-September.

Meanwhile, All Nippon Airways became an

A380 operator in March when it took delivery of

the first of three aircraft it had on order.

Sporting a livery depicting the Hawaiian green

sea turtle, the airline subsequently put the air-

craft into service in late May on the Tokyo

Narita-Honolulu route.

As the assembly line for the A380 moves to-

wards delivery of the last aircraft, Airbus is in

discussions with the affected employees over

their future, including redeployment to other

areas of the company. ■

Airbus A350Now the largest aircraft that Airbus offers to cus-

tomers, the A350 family has had a much quieter

year so far in terms of increasing its orderbook,

with just 15 net new orders compared with 36

during the respective period in 2018.

Cancellations and swaps have clearly played

a major role in that. Orders this year include

deals with Air China (20), Dubai Aerospace

Enterprise (2), Lufthansa (20), and Starlux (17).

However, a cancellation of 42 aircraft by Etihad

at the start of the year largely offset these gains.

Deliveries this year have seen names such

as Air France, British Airways, China Southern

Airlines and Japan Airlines all become A350

operators. By the end of September, the fam-

ily had 30 customers with a further 21 still

awaiting their first A350.

A further development in the family is

coming from the challenge laid down by

Qantas, which wants to provide nonstop

services to the Australian east coast from

London and New York.

The carrier is aiming to offer such flights by

2023. Airbus has responded to this test, known

as Project Sunrise, by proposing a longer-range

version of the A350-1000 to operate these

ultra-long-haul routes.

The new variant, according to Airbus,

would have a range of 8,700nm (16,100km)

with a typical 375- passenger load. The

company has released material stating that

the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of this

Project Sunrise contender will be 319t.

Currently the A350 model with the highest

MTOW of 316t has a range of about 8,400nm

with 366 passengers.

The competing aircraft in Project Sunrise will

be the Boeing 777-8. ■

Airbus A350

A350-900 A350-1000

First flight 14/06/2013 24/11/2016

Orders (all-time/2019) 732/5 183/10

Deliveries (total/2019) 280/59 31/17

Backlog 452 152

Airbus A380 orders and deliveries

A380-800

First flight 27/04/2005

Orders (all-time/2019) 291/-31

Deliveries (total/2019) 240/6

Backlog 51

Airbus A350 specifications

A350-900 A350-1000

MTOW (t) 280 316

Seats (typical/max) 325/440 366/440

Range (nm) 8,100 8,400

Airbus A380 specifications

A380-800

MTOW (t) 575

Seats (four-class/max) 544/853

Range (nm) 8,200

Final A380 orderbook after programme axed

291

All Nippon Airways received the first

of its three superjumbos in March

French carrier was one of several

new operators of the type this year

Airb

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Airb

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19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 29flightglobal.com

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYMainliners

Boeing 737The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max family

has been one of the commercial aviation indus-

try’s most important events in this or any year.

The move came following the crash of an

Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 on 10 March, less

than six months after the loss of a Lion Air Max

8. Investigations into the two accidents led to

the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics

Augmentation System being identified as a

major contributing factor and three days after

the Ethiopian crash, all Max aircraft were

grounded.

Deliveries of 737 Max models in 2019 up to

that point had numbered 57 and no further

deliveries have been made. However, in its

third-quarter results, Boeing included the

assumption that regulatory approval of the

type’s return to service would occur in the

fourth quarter of 2019, although a number of

operators – including Southwest Airlines and

Air Canada – have already announced that the

aircraft will not feature in their schedules until

the first quarter of 2020.

At the time of grounding, Boeing was imple-

menting a production increase of the family to

57 aircraft per month, to be achieved during

2019. The company has continued to assemble

aircraft, which have been parked. When an-

nouncing its expectation of the Max’s return to

service, Boeing highlighted its desire to reach

that 57 aircraft per month rate by late 2020.

The programme did receive a boost during

the Paris air show in June when IAG revealed it

had signed a letter of intent to buy 200 Max

aircraft, featuring an unspecified split between

the Max 8 and the Max 10. IAG said the aircraft

would be operated by a number of its airlines,

including BA, Level and Vueling. No firming up

of the order has yet been announced.

Meanwhile, previous-generation 737s – the

NGs – have continued to be delivered. The

backlog at the end of September stood at nine,

suggesting that by the time the Max is cleared

to fly again, all of the NGs are likely to have

been handed over. ■

Boeing 737 orders and deliveries

737-700 737-800 737-900 737 Max 7 737 Max 8* 737 Max 9 737 Max 10 Variant TBC

First flight 09/02/1997 31/07/1997 03/08/2000 16/03/2018 29/01/2016 13/04/2017

Net orders (all-time/2019) 1,134/0 4,991/0 557/0 57/-3 2,776/-50 147/0 531/0 1,273/-144

Deliveries (total/2019) 1,134/0 4,982/29 557/22 357/49 28/8

Backlog 0 9 0 57 2,419 119 531 1,273

* includes 737 Max 8-200

Boeing 737 specifications

737-700 737-800 737-900 737 Max 7 737 Max 8 737 Max 9 737 Max 10

MTOW (t) 70.1 79 85.1 72.3 82.2 88.3 88.3

Seats (two-class/max) 126/149 162/189 178/220 138/172 162/189/210* 178/220 188/230

Range (nm) 3,010 2,935 2,950 3,825 3,515 3,515 3,215

* capacity for 737 Max 8-200

Total Max deliveries in 2019 before grounding

57Operators are being cautious about when

type will be reintroduced into schedules

BO

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flightglobal.com30 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYSpecial report

Boeing 767Like the 747, the 767 production line is also de-

pendent on sales of new freighters. However,

Boeing has been trying to develop a New Mid-

market Airplane for some time and with its re-

sources stretched, some industry observers

have posited the idea of a re-engined 767. The

prospect seems slim, but the aviation industry

has made unexpected moves before.

The Boeing Commercial Market Outlook

forecasts a rise in the medium widebody freight-

er fleet from 640 to 1,200 over the period from

2019 to 2038. Unlike the large widebody freight-

er market, this will be a tougher sector in which

to gain new orders for the 767-300F because it

has the A330-200F for competition. ■

Boeing 767 orders and deliveries

767-300F

First flight 20/06/1995

Orders (all-time/2019) 327/10

Deliveries (total/2019) 267/13

Backlog 60

Boeing 767 specifications

767-300F

MTOW (t) 185

Payload (t) 52.5

Range (nm) 3,255

Boeing 747While Airbus has opted to set a date for the

end of A380 production, the Boeing 747 line

is still delivering aircraft, thanks to its

c ontinued presence in the market for new

widebody freighters.

And while Cirium fleets data reports that the

backlog at the end of September was just 19,

the Air Cargo section of Boeing’s latest

Commercial Market Outlook presents the

manufacturer’s confidence in the 747-8F as a

going concern, although there have been no

new orders so far this year.

The Commercial Market Outlook predicts

4.2% air cargo traffic growth for the 2019-2038

period. This translates into an increase from the

2019 large widebody freighter fleet of 580 air-

craft to a requirement for 840 in 2038.

While some of the aircraft creating that

expanded fleet in this market segment will be

conversions, there is still a place for new freight-

ers. With no A380F available other than via a

hypothetical modification, this leaves Boeing in

a strong position to pick up orders. ■

Boeing 747 orders and deliveries

747-8I 747-8F

First flight 20/03/2011 08/02/2010

Orders (all-time/2019) 36/0 107/0

Deliveries (total/2019) 36/0 88/5

Backlog 0 19

Boeing 747 specifications

747-8I 747-8F

MTOW (t) 448 448

Seats (three-class/max) 410/605

Payload (t) 137.7

Range (nm) 8,000 4,120

Backlog for 747-8F, as at end September 2019

19

Air cargo market is supporting

demand for the jumbo

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Medium widebody faces

competition from A330-200F

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Boeing projected medium freighter fleet size by 2038

1,200

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 31flightglobal.com

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYMainliners

Boeing 777The Boeing 777 is another programme where

the backlog for the passenger model is dwindling

while the manufacturer presses on with the intro-

duction of new models to the family. The highly

successful 777-300ER picked up new orders in

2019 but by the end of September, only 33 of the

type were left in the backlog.

Meanwhile, the 777X has built a substantial

orderbook of 344, with all but 53 being for the

777-9. At present Emirates (35 orders), Qatar

Airways (10) and Etihad Airways (eight) are the

only customers announced for the 777-8. The

Etihad orders are effectively on hold as in

February the carrier indicated that it would only

take six 777-9s rather than its 2013 order of 17

777-9s and eight 777-8s.

The first 777-9 came together in November

2018 at the company’s Everett plant. As yet,

though, the aircraft has not made its first flight,

which was originally planned for this year. In

early September, Boeing had to suspend load

testing after a reported cargo door failure dur-

ing the final testing of the static test aircraft.

In August, the company said it would delay

the 777-8’s schedule. However, the model –

designed to carry 384 passengers in a two-class

configuration and fly up to 8,730nm (16,000km)

– has returned to the fore as it has been chosen

by Boeing to compete in Project Sunrise. This is

the challenge set by Qantas to enable the

carrier to operate nonstop flights from London

and New York to cities on Australia’s east coast,

most notably Sydney. ■

Boeing 787At 1,452 net all-time orders, the 787 Dreamliner

family is close on the heels of the 777 as Boeing’s

best-selling widebody twinjet. While the 787 has

not quite taken that record, it has set a bench-

mark of a different kind with the first nonstop

commercial flight from New York to Sydney.

The flight lasted 19h 16min and was part of

Qantas’s test programme for Project Sunrise.

The 787-9 has actually been the bright star

of the family this year in terms of pushing up

net sales. Its orderbook has grown by 69, while

the 787-8 total has remained static and that of

the 787-10 has risen by 14.

There have, however, been some important

deals. At the Paris air show, Korean Air an-

nounced a commitment to buy 10 additional

787-9s and 10 new 787-10s, as well as agreeing

to lease a further 10 787-10s from Air Lease.

The slower growth in sales has had its effect

though. In its third-quarter of 2019 results,

Boeing said that from late 2020 it would reduce

production of the 787 from 14 currently, to 12

aircraft a month.

In service, some Rolls-Royce Trent

1000-powered 787s have been suffering blade

problems, including deterioration issues on the

newest model, the Trent 1000 TEN. ■

Boeing 777 orders and deliveries

777-300ER 777F 777-8 777-9 777-8/9

First flight 24/02/2002 14/07/2008

Orders (all-time/2019) 839/2 234/15 53/0 281/18 10/0

Deliveries (total/2019) 806/12 174/20

Backlog 33 60 53 281 10

Boeing 787 orders and deliveries

787-8 787-9 787-10

First flight 15/12/2009 17/09/2013 31/03/2017

Orders (all-time/2019) 442/0 818/69 192/14

Deliveries (total/2019) 359/5 494/90 40/25

Backlog 83 324 152

Boeing 777 specifications

777-300ER 777F 777-8 777-9

MTOW (t) 351 349.7 351 351

Seats (two-class/max) 336/550 384 426

Payload (t) 102

Range (nm) 7,370 4,970 8,700 7,300

Boeing 787 specifications

787-8 787-9 787-10

MTOW (t) 227.9 250.8 250.8

Seats (two-class) 242 290 330

Range (nm) 7,355 7,635 6,430

New commitments for 787-9 so far during 2019

69Japanese carrier received

its first -10 in March

All but 53 out of 344 777X

orders are for the -9

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flightglobal.com32 | Flight International | 19-25 November 2019

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYSpecial report

Irkut MC-21Since March 2019, Irkut has had three

MC-21-300 test aircraft in the air as part of its

flight-test programme. The third prototype’s

maiden sortie came shortly after flight-test

specialists from the European Union Aviation

Safety Agency (EASA) had their first flight

session with another of the prototypes. The

EASA crew evaluated various flight modes

during flights lasting between 2h 30min and 4h.

All three aircraft in the flight-test programme

are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G

engines, but Aviadvigatel PD-14 units are

expected to be installed on an MC-21 shortly.

That aircraft is due to take to the air early next

year. Two PD-14s have been transferred to Irkut

and the plan is for a further pair of engines to

be delivered by the end of 2019.

Irkut plans to install an all-economy cabin

with 211 seats in its fourth MC-21-300

prototype, reporting that it will have seats at

28in pitch towards the front of the cabin and

29in seat pitch at the rear.

Cirium fleets data has the MC-21 with 175

firm orders, with the last of these having been

announced in July 2017. Of these, 18 are for the

smaller MC-21-200, while the rest are for the

MC-21-300. Commitments via letters of intent or

memorandums of understanding total 160.

The most recent of these came at the MAKS

Moscow air show, when Yakutia signed a tentative

agreement for five MC-21-300s and Bek Air 10.

The flight-test programme has not been

without hitches. Aircraft number 3 is reported

to have experienced a landing-gear problem

during a flight on 3 October. The company

acknowledged that “a landing-gear

deployment indication ‘malfunctioned’ during

the final stages of the flight”.

The MC-21-300’s certification date and entry

into service are planned for 2021. ■

Comac C919While the orderbook for Comac’s C919 narrow-

body remains static at 305 – the last firm orders

were announced on 19 September 2017 – the

flight-test programme continues to make pro-

gress, with the fifth prototype having complet-

ed its maiden sortie on 24 October. One further

prototype is planned and is expected to take to

the air before the end of 2019.

Beyond firm order figures, the combined

number of options, letters of intent and memo-

randa of understanding totals 703. Notable

among these is “a strategic co-operation” an-

nounced in June 2018 between HNA Group

and Comac, for the purchase of 200 C919s.

The most recent official scheduled date for

certification, delivery and entry into service was

late 2020 or early 2021. Recent reports, how-

ever, indicate that Comac is very likely to delay

that date by about another year. China Eastern

Airlines is the launch customer.

Production is scheduled to begin by the end

of this year, following the start of component

production for the first batch of C919s in

September. Production of the aircraft’s wingbox

and other components is in progress.

Comac itself is in charge of building the main

fuselage and wings, plus final assembly. Its

partner, Chengdu Aircraft, is building the front

fuselage and nose, while another partner, Xian

Aircraft, is developing the main fuselage and

wingbox segments. ■

Comac C919 orders and deliveries

C919

First flight 05/05/2017

Orders (all-time/2019) 305/0

Deliveries (total/2019)

Backlog 305

Comac C919 specifications

C919

MTOW (t) 77.3

Seats (two-class) 158/168

Range (nm) 2,200

HNA commitments, announced June 2018

200

Total firm orders, as per Cirium fleets data

175

Flight-test campaign now

involves five prototypes

Imag

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19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 33flightglobal.com

WORLD AIRLINER DIRECTORYMainliners

CRAIC CR929Still seeking its first firm order, the CR929 wide-

body being developed by CRAIC is currently at

the design definition stage. The Comac-United

Aircraft joint venture aims to follow that with

configuration definition as the next milestone.

During this year’s MAKS Moscow air show,

CRAIC and its parent companies held a meet-

ing of the CR929 Program Consultancy

Committee with airlines and other relevant

companies invited to attend. At MAKS, a full-

size cabin mock-up of the CR929 was demon-

strated for the first time in Russia. This was

based on the CR929-600, the baseline member

of the three-aircraft family, which is designed to

carry 280 passengers in a three-class layout for

up to 6,480nm (12,000km). The largest mem-

ber of the family, the CR929-700, has capacity

for 320 – again in three classes – and its

planned range is 5,400nm.

Although some reports have stated that the

smallest member of the family will not auto-

matically be developed, both parent compa-

nies include it on their websites. This model,

the CR929-500, will be able to carry 250

passengers over 7,560nm.

CRAIC plans to complete the concept

design early next year, before freezing that

design in the first half of 2022. The type’s first

flight is currently scheduled for 2025.

Comac will take responsibility for producing

the CR929’s fuselage and completing final

assembly in Shanghai. The aircraft’s composite

wings, empennage, and tail section will be

produced in Russia. In fact, 50% of the CR929’s

airframe will be made from composite materials.

No engine choice has yet been made, nor

major suppliers announced, and a Western

engine is expected to be on the first

prototype. Powerplants from both China and

Russia are being developed, however. Aero

Engine Corporation of China has the AEF

3500 in development, while United Engine

aims to deliver the Aviadvigatel PD-35-1

demonstrator unit by 2023 before moving to

production. ■

Irkut MC-21 orders and deliveries

MC-21-200 MC-21-300

First flight 28/05/2017

Orders (all-time/2019) 18/0 157/0

Deliveries (total/2019)

Backlog 18 157

Irkut MC-21 specifications

MC-21-200 MC-21-300

MTOW (t) 72.5 79.2

Seats (two-class) 132/165 163/211

Range (nm) 3,460 3,240

CRAIC CR929 specifications

CR929-500 CR929-600 CR929-700

MTOW (t)

Seats (two-class) 250 280 320

Range (nm) 7,560 6,480 5,400

Timetabled date for CR929’s first flight

2025One MC-21-300 experienced a fault

with landing gear on 3 October

Concept design is expected to be

completed early next year

Imag

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AirTe

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Imag

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Pitch battle

While Max faces scrutiny, how

Airbus averted loss of control 14

Widebody winners

Big-twins stole March with

bumper end to first quarter 22

30 April-6 May 2019 I flightglobal.com

PROGRAMME

Blue skies for Lightning

As F-35 gives US naval aviation a lift,

why Lockheed’s fighter is on the rise

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

1 8£3.90

Powering ahead

Comac outlines plan to double

strength of C919 test fleet 11

Blown away

UK waves off Tornados, as its

last GR4s enter retirement 26

12-18 March 2019 I flightglobal.com

TECHNOLOGY

Getting in formationWhy Australia is teaming up with

Boeing for loyal wingman project

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

1 1£3.90

Brisk businessAll the news from corporate

aviation’s EBACE gathering 10

Swiss pleasBern allocates almost €6bn for

fighter replacement effort 23

28 May-3 June 2019 I flightglobal.com

INVESTIGATION

Sheremetyevo hard landing

Details emerge of stricken Superjet’s

final seconds before tragic blaze

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

2 2£3.90

AIRBUSAT50

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Lisbon lift

Embraer confident Portugal will

bolster its KC-390 backlog 19

Rising fortunes

XTI on a high, as innovative

TriFan testbed gets aloft 22

21-27 May 2019 I flightglobal.com

PROPULSION

Balance of power

After Dreamliner, will Boeing

offer engine choice for NMA?

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

2 1£3.90

Sitting pretty

Get comfortable with our plush

Aircraft Interiors coverage 14

Ankara’s away

Will Washington eject Turkish

suppliers from F-35 project? 25

9-15 April 2019 I flightglobal.com

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

1 5£3.90

PRODUCTION

The Neo normalAirbus powers up its delivery

ambitions for re-engined A330

Superjumbo slip

Have A380 operations peaked,

with 2019 total to decline? 15

Good Atmosphere

Why Bombardier’s new CRJ900

interior is breath of fresh air 30

26 March-1 April 2019 I flightglobal.com

GROUNDING

Facing close inspection

Certification process in spotlight as

regulators assess 737 Max safety

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

1 3£3.90

Widebody winners

Lufthansa picks A350, Dreamliner

for its long-haul fleet renewal

Lightning strike

F-35 could take Pole position

in Harpia fighter contest

19-25 March 2019 I flightglobal.com

SAFETY

Scrutinisedto the Max

All eyes on newest 737s

after Ethiopian tragedy

7-13 May 2019 I flightglobal.com

FLIGHT TEST

Brave Neo worldWe put re-engined A330 through its paces – but

can Airbus widebody better the Dreamliner?

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

1 9£3.90 Under pressure

Boeing boss faces shareholders

as 737 Max disquiet mounts 9

ATAK minded

Turkish Aerospace unveils future

combat helicopter concept 24

Bye, BMI

As another UK regional

operator goes under, what

prompted carrier’s demise? 16

Down wonder

Royal Australian Air Force

transformation gathers pace

with F-35 introduction 30

26 February-4 March 2019 I flightglobal com

CUTAWAY

Better by design

Why Aero Vodochody’s new

L-39NG is heading for success

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

0 9£3.90

Electric dream

How Collins investment will

charge hybrid propulsion 15

Splashing out

Polish navy makes waves with

AW101 helicopter selection 16

16-22 April 2019 I flightglobal.com

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

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PRODUCTION

Cloudy outlookMax grounding forces 737 rate reduction, as

Boeing counts cost of narrowbody’s troubles

Command fail

How unqualified pilot’s actions

doomed Aeromexico E-Jet 9

Power battle

GE, Rolls-Royce vie for CR929

widebody engine selection 10

5-11 March 2019 I flightglobal.com

ANNIVERSARY

Supersonic championFifty years since its debut – why

Concorde remains unrivalled icon

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 3 1 0

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Superjet disasterAeroflot tragedy leaves Russia

facing questions over safety 9

Cold comfortIcelandair could ditch Max plan

and move to all-Airbus fleet 15

14-20 May 2019 I flightglobal.com

FLIGHT TEST

Alpine wonderWe find out if PC-24

is a true all-rounder

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Lauda lessonsHow racing legend changed

course of 767 safety checks

Fast moverParis ups the pace as armed

H160M heads for Le Bourget

4-10 June 2019 I flightglobal.com

PROGRAMME

Ready to

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STRAIGHT&LEVEL

From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com

100-YEAR ARCHIVEEvery issue of Flight from 1909 onwards

can be viewed online at

flightglobal.com/archive

flightglobal.com

Tell-tail sign appears on tail

Airb

us

Airline was not short of ‘inspired’ names for its first Fokker 50

Air A

ntw

erp

Ro

lls-R

oyc

e

Seen from aboveThe recommendations as to

indicating main-line stations

for enabling

passing airmen

to verify their

positions seem

to be bearing fruit. The

roofs of the stations at

Redhill, Tonbridge, Ashford

(Kent), and Hitchin have

now been marked with their

names in large white letters.

Magic in the tankThe Merlin engine has been

adapted to power the

Cromwell tank

now fighting on

the Western

Front. This

version of the Rolls-Royce

aircraft engine is the most

powerful engine fitted to

any British or American tank

in production at present.

One I made earlier Mr Cor Dijkman Dulkes built

his own aircraft in a barn

behind his home.

Aero-modelling

was his only prior

aeronautical

building experience, but

with his brother he built the

machine in three-and-a-half

years. The engine was taken

from an old DAF car.

Training at Beijing Airbus Industrie has signed

a $25 million joint-venture

agreement

with China’s

civil-aviation

administration to

build a training and support

centre at Beijing airport. The

centre, scheduled to open

in early 1996, will include

two flight simulators, spares

storage and component

repair and overhaul.

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 35

Pagadder goes forthWith a bit of pan-European flair, the start-up Belgian airline Air Antwerp, which uses a Swedish-owned, Dutch-built Fokker 50 turboprop, originally delivered to Germany, has turned to a Spanish word to name its first aircraft.

Having canvassed the collective wisdom of the general public – and we know what a foolish enterprise that can be – Air Antwerp has revealed the moniker “Pagadder”, which is derived from the term “pagador”, originally meaning one who pays a bill. So far, so financially assuring.

But it’s also, appropriately, a colloquial term for a native of Antwerp whose parents were not from the city, much like the airline itself. Air Antwerp is owned by Ireland’s CityJet and Dutch carrier KLM.

“There were many inspired entries,” says Air Antwerp. Since airlines aren’t usually short of suggestions received in slang, we suspect a few of those entries were probably post-watershed. Just be thankful they didn’t pick Fokky McFokkface.

Hard to swallowFor Rolls-Royce’s latest hybrid-electric project, the engine maker has joined forces with German engineering company APUS to work on a demonstrator called the APUS i-5.

For those less well versed in ornithology, Apus, or more

swift on the tail, the APUS appears to feature the distinctive silhouette of a swallow – note the tail – a different species entirely.

Mixed SpiceSpiceJet has delivered a lifeline to Ras Al Khaimah airport in the United Arab Emirates after it lost its anchor airline, RAK Airways, in 2014.

What a crying shame the Indian low-cost operator had not been on time to facilitate a rescue of the ailing flag-carrier. A merger could have created SpiceRAK.

correctly Apus Apus, is the Latin name for the common swift – a bird well known for its speed and agility in the air – and indeed for living the majority of its life on the wing.

The swift is migratory, moving to northern Europe in the summer before retreating to sunnier climes in the winter.

Of course, there are many species of migratory birds, indeed the keen-eyed among you may have noticed that rather than a

Miniatur Wunderland – the fascinating giant model railway in Hamburg built amid everything from Alpine landscapes and the Italian coastline to Hamburg’s own international airport

– has a new addition, a 1:1,000 scale model of an Airbus Beluga XL. The 60cm (24in)-wingspan aircraft – compared with 60m for the real thing – comes complete with open

cargo door, revealing an A320 fuselage section inside. The attraction’s owners are adding to Miniatur Wunderland all

the time, with an Italian section opened last year and further ‘worlds’, including England, planned until 2028. One change

they might want to consider, however, is to the array of aircraft parked at Hamburg airport, which includes an Air

Berlin A330. The airline ceased operations in 2017

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WORKING WEEK

19-25 November 2019 | Flight International | 43flightglobal.com

Consumer choice is evolving how products are offered, says Leroux

Understanding the value of pricing Dominique Leroux is vice-president of marketing at advanced airfare analytics company Infare, which uses large data sets to help airlines, airports and travel agents optimise their revenue management

WORK EXPERIENCE DOMINIQUE LEROUX

increase and airlines offer their customers ever-richer and more complex products and services.What are your challenges?With the ever-increasing distribution channels, fierce com-petition and the complexity brought by ancillaries and the need for personalisation, airlines must behave more like e-com-merce players and dynamically price their fares. Consumers are savvier than ever and expect the same level of choice and person-alisation from airlines as they can get today from companies like Amazon or Spotify – which both personalise content recommenda-tions based on previous usage, time of day or imagery. Pricing in-telligence will become the holy grail for airlines. At Infare, we need to continue to innovate to bring the best value to our customers. We are constantly de-veloping our offering to meet the growing need for pricing intelli-gence. We are also intensifying our customer focus to anticipate the evolving needs of our custom-ers, and expanding our team with experienced travel industry professionals. I feel that what we do at Infare today is more important than it’s ever been. ■

What sparked your interest in aviation?My career in the travel industry started 19 years ago, when I was hired by travel technology pro-vider Amadeus for a short-term mission in the sales consultancy team of their French Riviera office. From there I progressed to various marketing management positions in the Spanish capital, where I started witnessing in-credible innovations in aviation directly benefiting travellers. I was immediately hooked.How has your career progressed?After Amadeus, I was looking for something that would force me to think differently. I joined Sabre in London to build the field marketing function in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and then moved to run the Asia-Pacific marketing team from Singapore. I became vice-president of marketing at Infare last January and moved to Berlin. What are your career highlights?I like building things from scratch, building teams and processes – transforming marketing organisa-tions to bring the best value to businesses. This is precisely why I joined Infare. I get the opportunity to revitalise marketing and help propel the company growth, so our customers ultimately increase their revenues.What is Infare?Infare is a leading data and tech-nology partner for the global air-line and travel industry. For 19 years, Infare has been providing airlines, strategic partners and other travel industry players with

real-time pricing intelligence con-verted into meaningful competi-tive information. Infare delivers total market and customer insight with the most complete data set of current and past airfares availa-ble. This empowers airlines to identify revenue management and business development opportunities and make smarter pricing decisions. The company is relied on by the world’s top travel businesses and we current-ly work with more than 240 air-lines, 20 airports and a number of large online travel agencies.How would you describe your role and responsibilities?As vice-president of marketing, I am responsible for the company’s global marketing strategy and all internal and external communi-cations. In a nutshell, my role is to position Infare at the forefront of

industry innovation, articulate our value proposition of bringing advanced solutions to the market-place, and ultimately support our sales team in bringing the best value to our customers.How are your data and analytics helping the airline and travel industry? How is this business evolving?Running an airline nowadays is tougher than ever. Aside from all operational challenges, airlines have to ensure that they maintain and improve yields to achieve profitability and long-term finan-cial sustainability. Airlines and other travel industry players sim-ply cannot compete effectively without sophisticated pricing in-telligence data and information to drive strategic decision making. That need is set to grow exponen-tially as global passenger numbers

Infa

re

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