Aircraft & Engines
Airbus books orders for 1,458 aircraft in 2007
Airbus achieved 1,341 net orders valued at $157.1 billion at catalogue prices (1,458 new gross orders valued at $181.1 billion). They include 913 A320-Family aircraft, 405 A330/A340/A350s, and 23 A380s. This demonstrates the strong demand for Airbus aircraft, with all members of the product family doing extremely well. In particular the newly launched A350 XWB
Boeing shifts schedule for 787 first flight
Boeing announced that first flight of the 787 has been moved from the end of the first quarter of this year to around the end of the second quarter to provide additional time to complete assembly of the first airplane. Deliveries are now expected to begin in early 2009, rather than late 2008. “The fundamental
Air Pacific orders additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners
Fiji-based Air Pacific has ordered three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in addition to a 2006 order for five of the high-technology jetliners. The airplanes were added to the Boeing Orders and Deliveries Web site in 2007, attributed to an unidentified customer. The new airplanes are valued at $580 million and bring the total value of Air
Citation X joins Flight Options' managed fleet
Flight Options, a leading provider of private-jet travel services, has signed a Citation X super mid-size aircraft to its managed fleet. This is the fifth aircraft to join Flight Options
Birmingham becomes Ryanair's 25th base
Ryanair announced its 25th European base in Birmingham with an initial two Boeing 737-800 aircraft ($140 million investment) which will deliver 20 new routes from Birmingham. This will be followed by a further 8 Boeing 737-800 aircraft ($560 million investment) which will deliver 5 million passengers annually and sustain 5,000 jobs in the West Midlands.
Virgin Atlantic to run 747 on biofuel in February
Virgin Atlantic said it will fly one of its Boeing 747s on biofuel during a demonstration flight in February. It will be the first time that a commercial aircraft has run biofuel in-flight and is part of a major initiative among some airlines and Boeing to discover sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future.
Airbus plans A330 Freighter FAL in Mobile, Alabama
Airbus announced a commitment to establish an A330 Freighter aircraft final assembly line (FAL) in Mobile, Alabama, if Northrop Grumman (supported by Airbus
Continental takes delivery of first 737-900ER
Continental Airlines took delivery of the airline’s first Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range) airplane. With this delivery, Continental becomes the first airline in the Americas to operate the 737-900ER, a higher-capacity, longer-range derivative and newest member of the Next-Generation 737 airplane family. Continental currently has 26 more on order. The ailine this year expects to take
Jet Airways leases five more 737s from BOC Aviation
BOC Aviation has signed agreements with India’s Jet Airways for the lease of five more Boeing Next Generation 737s. The aircraft will be delivered new from the Boeing final assembly line between March 2010 and November 2011. The aircraft will be leased to the airline for a period of 10 years each. The latest deals
