Posts Tagged ‘airbus’

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Rolls Royce secures lucrative engine contract

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Rolls Royce has just announced two large orders for its aircraft jet engines. The orders worth $2 billion in total have come from Ethiopian Airlines and Air China. Rolls Royce has been asked to build its Trent 700 engines for twenty Airbus A330s to be delivered to Air China after 2011 in a deal worth $1.5 billion. Ethiopian Air has ordered twelve Airbus A350-900s for which Rolls Royce will be required to supply its Trent XWB engines in a deal worth $480 million.

The orders were confirmed at the Dubai Airshow at the weekend and will have been welcomed by Rolls Royce who along with every other facet of the airline industry has felt the effects of the global economic downturn. The company announced earlier this year that it was on target to meet its financial predictions but said that there could be problems associated with delays in Airbus fleet production.

Once the order by Ethiopian Air for its Trent XWB engines has been completed it will mean that Rolls Royce will have supplied over 1000 of the engines to customers worldwide. Rolls Royce claims that the Trent engine is the most environmentally friendly engine on the market. They say that the engine is also the most fuel efficient having a twenty-eight percent higher fuel efficiency rating than anything preceding the Trent generation.

Rolls Royce has engine making factories in Bristol and Derby. It also has component manufacturing plants in Sunderland and Inchinnan, close to Glasgow Airport.

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PA system causes French passengers to panic

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

French Passengers on board an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Paris were thrown into a panic when an erroneous announcement was made informing passengers that the plane was about to make an emergency landing, the airlines aid.

20 minutes after leaving Dublin, an English language announcement was made informing the passengers that the aircraft was heading into turbulence, asking passengers to return to their seats, however the French version told the passengers that they were about to ditch.

One passenger on board the flight said that a French man sitting next to him suddenly woke up looking very startled.

He said that the French man translated the announcement, which informed passengers to prepare for an emergency landing, note where the emergency exits were and await instructions from the captain.

As the turbulence was getting worse, he became alarmed, saying how the woman was crying.

It took several minutes before the cabin crew realised that the wrong announcement was played, went back to the PA system and apologised for playing the wrong announcement.

A spokeswoman for the airline said that the error had been the result of the automated public address system malfunctioning.

She said that the cabin crew subsequently clarified and apologised to passengers for the very unusual situation.

There were 70 passengers on board the Airbus A320 flight on August 4.

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US airlines race to introduce inflight Wi-Fi

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

The race is on among the largest US airlines to implement the circuitry that gives passengers’ access to Wi-Fi while flying at 30,000 feet above the ground.

US carrier Southwest announced last month that it was in the process of installing satellite-enabled broadband to its entire fleet, which plans to be ready by early next year.  The airline has yet to announce a pricing plan for the service.

Last month, Delta, the world’s largest airline had announced it has installed Wi-Fi on more than 70 per cent of its domestic fleet, and American Airlines announced that the service has been on 100 MD-80 aircraft with a further 50 by the end of this year.

The move by the airlines to get Wi-Fi up and running comes following a survey by the Wi-Fi industry that suggests that most business travellers will opt for an airline with Wi-Fi services over an airline that offers meals, movies or a convenient arrival time.

The survey, commissioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, found that 76 per cent of business travellers who participated in the survey said that they would choose an airline based on internet connectivity.

Over 70 per cent of those surveyed would rather an airline with Wi-Fi over one that provided a meal service, and 55 per cent said they would shift their flight by a day if it meant being connected to the internet.

However airline statistics show that passengers are not using the onboard Wi-Fi in high proportions.

Virgin America, the first U.S airline to offer Wi-Fi throughout its entire fleet, 10 to 15 per cent of passengers pay for the service, with 25 per cent using the service on transcontinental flights.

Most airlines with the internet service offer a pricing structure that increases according to the length of the flight.  One provider charges US$5.95 for flights over 90 minutes or $12.95 for flights over three hours.

On the other hand, JetBlue plans to offer passengers the convenience of free e-mail and instant messaging services on 20 of its Airbus A320 aircraft beginning next year.

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Airbus and Boeing predict 2011 for recovery

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

International air travel deeply affected by the world economic downturn is beginning to level out but may not recover for another two years as travellers and business travel continues to cut back, both Boeing and Airbus said yesterday.

Randy Tinseth, a Boeing marketing vice president said passenger travel had faired somewhat better in the second half of 2009, but was still expected to slump between 6 and 8 percent for the year.

Even though the decline in air travel seemed to be slowing, airlines are starting to see higher capacity in the Chinese and Latin American markets.

He told reporters at the an Asian aerospace and aviation show in Hong Kong that some improvement was seen in traffic growth but there was still a long way to go.

Airlines have amounted massive losses since the beginning of the economic crisis which led companies to cut back travel and consumers to cut back on holiday travel.  The airline industry is already estimating losses of around $6 billion in the first half of this year and set to lose a total of $9 billion overall for 2009.

Boeing competitor Airbus has a slightly more positive forecast, saying that air traffic seemed to be bottoming out.

Global air travel is measured by a combination of revenues, passengers and distances flown.  It is predicted that all of these combined could slide between 2 and 4 percent this year, then grow flat or increase by 4 percent next year, an Airbus senior marketing vice president said.

Boeing also predicts that Asia will overtake North America as the world’s largest air travel market in the next 20 years, growing from 32 percent to 41 percent.

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British Airways introduce A318s

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

British Airways has launched the first of two unique Airbus A318s into its fleet that will be used to operate a new business class-only service from London City airport to New York.

The aircraft has been redesigned by airbus to allow it to take off and land at steeper gradients than usual, such as required by London City Airport.

The new Airbus A318s can carry up to 32 passengers, which feature seats that convert to fully flat beds, internet and email access as well as the option of sending text messages.

Airbus claim the A318 has the best range and capability of all aircraft serving city centre airports.

British airways chief executive said the A318s had been specially ordered for the twice-daily London City to JFK service because of their size, flexibility and steep gradient capability, and will reinforce their unrivalled schedule between two of the world’s greatest financial centres.

He added that although the A318 may be the airline’s smallest aircraft, but it will play a big role in bringing a new dimension of style and convenience to the London to New York route, as well as show their determination to invest in the future of London City.

Passengers who choose to fly to New York from London City have the option of clearing US Customs checks when the plane stops to refuel at Shannon in Ireland.

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Air France crash inquiry needs more money

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Investigators searching for the Air France plane that disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean in June are still searching for answers and require more money and resources to search for the aircraft’s flight data recorder.

Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France’s Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) said “At the moment, we can’t explain the accident”.

He said that a further search for the plane and debris in order to locate the flight recorders could cost tens of millions of euros.

“We are making progress and will make progress and I’m optimistic, but this will take time,” he told journalists in Paris. “It takes a year and a half, being responsible and reasonable, in order to make progress and ensure that we’ve run through all of the questions.”

Investigators still cannot pinpoint the location of the Airbus A330 that was enroute from Rio De Janeiro to Paris when it disappeared from radar screens into the ocean, killing all on board.

So far, the search has failed to locate the aircraft’s data recorders, which could mean the cause of the crash may never be fully known.

Arslanian said Airbus has offered to help fund the investigation but more commitments are needed.

“We have to mobilize resources. It’s not only having promises for money, we need to know who will contribute financially and how,” he said.

The aircraft went down more than 900 miles off the coast of Brazil and hit the ocean belly first at a high speed.

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Etihad to increase winter services

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Etihad Airwyas has announced that its winter 2009-2010 schedule will feature a wider range of flights and improved connections.

The schedule will begin on 25th of October, and will be about 15 percent more extensive than last year, with a total of 950 flights operating per week.

Etihad will open new flights to Hyderabad in India, as well as services to Athens, Beirut, Cairo and Istanbul.

Chief executive for Etihad, James Hogan, said: “The winter programme for 2009-10 demonstrates our commitment to provide greater depth to the Etihad Airways global flight network.

“The increased frequencies will provide air travellers with a greater choice of flights into and out of Abu Dhabi and better connectivity with the rest of our network.”

The winter season will coincide with the delivery of three new Airbus A320 aircraft that will support its current services throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

The airline has weathered the downturn in travel rather well, as July 2009 has been the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s busiest since it began flying, with more than 616,000 passengers.

Quotes from justtheflight.co.uk.  For more information on this article visit their website.

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EasyJet pilot feared being shot down

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

An EasyJet pilot feared his plane would be shot down by the military after he lost contact with air traffic control

The EasyJet Airbus A319 suffered a potentially catastrophic electrical fault causing the instruments screens to go blank during a flight from Stansted to Alicante.

The pilots did not divert to a closer landing spot as they feared they would be shot down by the French Military, an official report concluded.

The report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said the incident, which happened in September 2006, saw the pilots flying hundreds of miles to Bristol without the aid of the autopilot.

“The commander was very concerned about the loss of communication and was anxious to avoid being intercepted by military aircraft,” the report said.

“The risk of interception and possible offensive action was also a significant consideration in his decision to continue to Bristol.”

The aircraft was over Nantes when the electrical fault took place.

The pilots attempted to contact air traffic control but failed, fearing they would not be able to follow a plane sent to intercept them.

“The two pilots were properly qualified and experienced in their respective roles to operate the flight,” the report said.

Thanks to News.com.au for the above quotes.  For more information on this article visit their website.

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Airbus delivers 4th Qantas A380

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Qantas will ramp up superjumbo flights to London and Los Angeles after delivery of its fourth Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

The Sydney to London flight will increase from three to five services per week, and Sydney to Los Angeles will increase from three to four weekly.

Sydney to London A380 services will increase from three to five per week, and Sydney to Los Angeles services from three to four per week.

The news comes as the airline cited a drop in passengers on its London and Los Angeles routes, leading a fall in profits.

Qantas reported last week a $117 million net profit for the financial year, down from $969 million the year before, and also plans to cut costs by $1.5 billion over three years.

Cost cutting strategies proposed by the airline include reconfiguring the aircraft, technologies and fuel saving methods.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce said the Los Angeles and London routes were “the biggest issue” and were suffering significant losses as a result of a high level of competition, a high level of discounting and a drop in business traffic.

He said the two routes were very much dependent upon “premium” traffic, which was down 20 to 30 percent as a result of the global financial crisis.

“So as the economy turns, as the business market comes back, those routes will improve,” Mr Joyce said.

The airline is due to receive a further two A380s by the end of 2009, with a further three due to be delivered next year.

Thanks to the Age for the above quotes and figures.  For more information on this article visit their website.

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Airbus to receive government loan

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

A Government loan of £340 million will help protect over 1,000 jobs at an Airbus factory in North Wales.

Staff at the Flintshire factory, which produces wings for Airbus aircraft, celebrated after the announcement from Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, who added that the funds would assist with the development of the latest passenger jet, the A350 XWB.

He said: “The UK’s aerospace industry is world-class and capable of competing successfully across the world. We recognise the vital role Airbus, and its supply chain, play in the UK.”

Factory boss Brian Fleet said most of the 1,200 jobs would remain at the Broughton factory in Flintshire.

He said: “This is a major step forward. Work on the A350 North factory is on track and on cost.

“Assembly of the A350 wings is due to begin in the last quarter of 2010.”

The wings will be produced in a purpose built factory that costs £71 million.

It is believed that 5,000 jobs across the UK will be saved as a result of the government loan, and 493 orders for the new extra wide-bodied aircraft have been placed.

Airbus competitor Boeing slammed the loan, claiming it gave Airbus an unfair advantage.  The A350 is a long-haul wide bodied aircraft designed to compete with Boeing’s 777 and 787 which is due for release soon.

Lord Mandelson denied that the launch was a subsidy for the aerospace industry, adding that: “This is neither a bail out nor a subsidy. This is a first rate investment in British engineering expertise.”

Quotes thanks to Wales Online. For more information on this article please visit their website at www.walesonline.co.uk

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