Aircraft

American airframer Boeing has announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified the 737 MAX 8 for commercial service. The airframer is preparing for the first 737 MAX 8 delivery in the second quarter of this year. To earn certification, Boeing used a fleet of four test aircraft to undertake comprehensive test program. The test program also included …

American airframer Boeing has rolled out the largest of the 787 dreamliner family at it’s Charleston, South Carolina plant. The event was celebrated by thousands of Boeing employees, along with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. Dennis Muilenburg, chairman, president and CEO, Boeing said “What’s happening here at Boeing South Carolina is a true American success …

It appears the Airbus A320neos ordered by original launch customer Qatar Airways, are getting diverted to the world’s largest A320neo operator, currently, India’s Indigo. The Gulf carrier had ordered 34 A320neos powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW100G Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF) engine, and was slated to be the launch customer. However the airline started cancelling airframes in their dispute with …

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation has announced that the first delivery of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) will be delayed from mid-2018 to mid-2020. The delay is due to reconfigurations in the aircraft’s electrical and a few other systems. The company had previously planned to deliver the first MRJ to launch customer ANA by mid 2018. The MRJ was initially meant to …

Iran Air has taken delivery of it’s first Airbus A321 at a handover ceremony in Toulouse. The aircraft EP-IFA is the first aircraft the airline has taken direct delivery of from a western manufacturer in decades. The aircraft is the first delivery for Airbus out of the firm order of a 100 aircraft the airline placed in 2016. The order …

American air framer, Boeing has finalized an agreement with Iran Air for 80 aircraft that includes 50 737 MAX 8s, 15 777-300ERs and 15 777-9s. The deal is valued at $16.6 billion at current list prices. The deal which was first announced in June and finalized on Sunday, has come just as the political atmosphere in the US is changing. …

American airframer, Boeing has begun final assembly of the 787-10 at it’s North Charleston plant. The 787-10 is a 18 foot stretch of the 787-9. The -10 will maintain a 95% commonality with it’s smaller sibling and will carry 40 more passengers to a maximum listed range of 6430 nm, as against 8500 nm of the 787-9. The first 787-10 …

Canadian airframer, Bombardier has delivered it’s first CS300 aircraft to the launch customer, Latvian flag carrier AirBaltic. The carrier will launch its first CS300 flight from Riga to Amsterdam on 14 December. The CS300 will replace the carrier’s aging Boeing 737-300 and -500 aircraft and join it’s existing fleet of 12 Q400’s. The CS300 is the larger variant in Bombardier’s …

US airframer Boeing, has named GE Aviation’s Kevin G. McAllister as president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), to succeed current CEO and company Vice Chairman Ray Conner. The company also formalised a new business unit, Boeing Global Services (BGS) which will be formed from the existing customer services groups within the company’s commercial airplanes and defence, space and …

European airframer Airbus built five A380’s for the initial flight test program of the world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft. It still retains two aircraft in its test fleet which are used for on-going long term testing and for making improvements on the A380. F-WWOW (MSN 1) is fitted with the Rolls Royce Trent 970 engines, while F-WWDD (MSN 4) is …

European airframer Airbus has begun final assembly of its first A330neo at its final assembly line in Toulouse, France with the joining of the aircraft’s wings to the centre fuselage at station 40. According to Airbus, both the A330-800 and -900 feature A350-inspired wing with Sharklet wingtips, the new AirSpace by Airbus cabin and will reduce fuel consumption by 14 …

During the last week of September I was in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and I heard from the DFW Spotters that Boeing’s new upcoming 737 MAX8 N8704Q was performing customer familiarisation flights and flight testing at Dallas Lovefield airport, the hub of launch customer Southwest Airlines (SWA). The aircraft performed a variety of flights to various SWA destinations including Austin, …

Yesterday, August 30, 2016, the world lost Joseph F. “Joe” Sutter, the legendary chief engineer and designer of the iconic Boeing 747, at the age of 95. Best known world-wide as the Jumbo jet or as the Queen of the skies, the 747 is probably the most recognisable aircraft in the world. Sutter, born on March 21, 1921 and given …

The Boeing 737 MAX is the re-engined version of the most popular selling jet aircraft till date. The aircraft which is expected to enter service in 2017, incorporates the latest technology LEAP-1B engines of CFM International, Advanced Technology dual winglets and other improvements. The plane was showcased at the recently concluded Farnborough Air Show. This video captured above Moses Lake …

Today, I had the opportunity to go spotting at Hamburg’s Finkenwerder Airport. The airport houses Airbus’s second largest factory. The plant houses final assembly for the A320 family aircraft, cabin assembly and painting for the A380 and major component assembly for the A380. The plant has a small hill that allows visitors to view flight operations on the airport’s main …