Los Angeles-based Ampaire has announced the successful maiden flight of its eight-seater Eco Caravan, the first in a series of hybrid electric aircraft planned by the company to help carriers transition to sustainable aviation. The 33-minute flight of a converted Cessna Grand Caravan took place at Camarillo Airport in California, reaching an altitude of 3,500
Boeing has released its latest biennial World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF) in which it has predicted both a 60% expansion of the world’s freighter fleet and also a doubling of cargo traffic over the next 20 years. This equates to 2,800 converted and purpose-built aircraft through to 2041. The American planemaker also sees strong demand
Rolls-Royce has announced that its Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System (ALECSys) demonstrator engine has entered into its final testing phase with successful testing at altitudes up to 40,000 feet. The testing also included several engine relights under varying conditions. The ALECSys system involves an innovative lean-burn combustion system which improves the pre-mixing of fuel and
Azul Linhas Aéreas (Azul), the Brazilian carrier headquartered at Barueri on the outskirts of São Paulo has confirmed it is expanding its fleet of Airbus A330-900neo jets, having placed a firm order for three more of the wide-body airliners with the European planemaker. This means Azul will be operating a fleet of eight A330neos in
United Airlines has announced that it is to invest up to US$37.5 million (£32 million) in a biofuel refinery which will be capable of producing up to 50,000 barrels of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and other renewable fuels per day. Currently, the NEXT Renewable Fuels (NEXT) refinery, located in Port Westward, Oregon is
On top of a recent US$650 million revolving credit facility with a foreign financial institution group, Brazilian planemaker Embraer has secured US$400 million in financing from the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). The financing will be carried out through the BNDES Exim Pre-shipment, a direct bank credit line to produce national
Europe’s first urban air mobility (UAM) vertiport testbed terminal, located at Pontoise-Cormeilles airfield just outside of the French capital, Paris, has been officially inaugurated. This new facility will permit the testing of critical technology as well as passenger processes. The testbed at Pontoise-Cormeilles, has been designed by Skyports in collaboration with Groupe ADP and is
Embraer has announced that it has received type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for the E190-E2 jet. The Brazilian planemaker also anticipates receiving type certification for the larger E195-E2 jet in the very near future. In Embraer’s latest market forecast the company estimates that 1445 new aircraft in the up-to-150-seat category
Lufthansa Group has placed an order for nearly 24,000 Recaro Aircraft Seating (Recaro) CL3710 and CL3810 seats for economy-class cabins in approaching 100 combined aircraft in the Lufthansa and SWISS fleets. Delivery has been slated to commence in Q4 this year. The CL3810 economy-class seats are 15% lighter in comparison to their predecessor, which will
ATR has announced that it has obtained type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its 42-600 turboprop aircraft. This certification will now enable the Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Blagnac, France to fulfil an order for three of the planes from an undisclosed Chinese customer. The ATR 42-600 is seen as
