Boeing announced that the final phase of wind tunnel testing, a major milestone in airplane development, will begin on the 737 MAX program next week. Testing will begin at QinetiQ’s test facility in Farnborough, England, where engineers will substantiate the forecasted low-speed performance of the 737 MAX on takeoff and landing. A FTSE250 company, QinetiQ uses its
Pratt & Whitney Canada’s (P&WC) PW210S is moving into the production phase of the program. The engine received Transport Canada certification this past October, manufacturing approval and FAA validation this past December – and has since delivered six production engines to launch customer Sikorsky. The PW210S was selected by Sikorsky for the S-76D medium-sized helicopter
Lease Corporation International (LCI), the aviation division of global conglomerate the Libra Group, and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, have signed an agreement covering the purchase of a fleet of AW139, AW169 and AW189 helicopters for a new division being set up by the lessor. The related contract, which also includes options, is valued in excess of $400m. Building
AWAS delivered an initial A320-200 passenger aircraft to IndiGo, India’s largest low cost airline. In late 2011 AWAS and IndiGo entered into a purchase and leaseback agreement for four Airbus A320 passenger aircraft that the airline had previously ordered from the manufacturer. The three remaining aircraft will be delivered in the first half of 2012.
Finnair continues to optimize its narrow body fleet and has signed an agreement with Estonian Air for the sublease of four Embraer 170 aircraft. Fleet optimization is part of Finnair’s savings program that targets annual savings of €140m. The sublease period begins in the first quarter of 2012 and ends during 2015.
Korean Air took delivery of the airline’s first 747-8 and 777 Freighters. Korea’s flagship carrier is the first Boeing customer to order both variations of the new 747-8 airplane and is also a key supplier partner on this new airplane program.
Embraer performed the first engine run for the Legacy 500, on January 17th, at the Company’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil. This was the second major milestone in the development of the midsize executive jet program, following the aircraft’s roll out, on December 23, 2011. A series of preparatory evaluations – such as APU tests
Air Nostrum of Valencia, Spain took delivery it’s 75th Bombardier commercial aircraft at Bombardier’s Mirabel facility in Québec. The aircraft, a CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet, was accepted by Miguel Ángel Falcón, General Manager, Air Nostrum. The 75th aircraft follows nine CRJ1000 NextGen, 11 CRJ900, and 35 CRJ200 regional jets, as well as 19 Q300 turboprops that have
Air Namibia, the Windhoek based national airline of the Republic of Namibia, has ordered two new Airbus A319 aircraft. Air Namibia already operates two leased A319s on regional routes, and two A340-300 aircraft on its international route between Windhoek to Frankfurt, Germany.
Spirit Airlines has finalised its firm order for 75 Airbus single-aisles including 45 A320neo aircraft. The original Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was announced at the 2011 Dubai air show. The airline has not yet announced its engine selection. Spirit’s order for 45 A320 neo aircraft was booked in December 2011. The firming up of the
