Airbus

Hi Fly takes delivery of it’s first A380

Hi-Fly Airbus A380 9H-MIP. Hi-Fly Image.

Portuguese leasing company, Hi Fly has taken delivery of it’s first Airbus A380. The delivery marks the first time an A380 has been picked up on the second hand market. It makes the airline the world’s 14th and Europe’s fourth A380 operator. The airline which specializes in widebody aircraft wet leasing to other airlines and governments had announced that it …

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DGCA directive grounds several IndiGo and Go Air A320neos

First Airbus A320neo with Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1127G-JM Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF) engine. Photo courtesy Airbus.

The Indian civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued a directive which effectively grounds several Airbus A320neo aircraft of IndiGo and Go Airlines. The directive is the latest development resulting from last month’s emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) which affects the Airbus A320neo and A321neo powered by the Pratt …

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Impact of the new Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues on IndiGo and Go Air

First Airbus A320neo with Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1127G-JM Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF) engine. Photo courtesy Airbus.

The recent emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) covering the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM geared turbo-fan (GTF) engine caught the industry by surprise. Aircraft maker Airbus followed the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued EAD, announcing a suspension of deliveries of A320neo and A321neo powered by the GTF engine. The airframer has also suspended taking delivery of new engines, and engine fitment …

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EASA issues emergency AD for Pratt GTF powered A320neo & A321neo

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITC. Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1127 Geared Turbo Fan engine. Copyrighted image. Re-use prohibited.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) which affects the Airbus A320neo and A321neo powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines. EAD 2018-0041-E identifies an increased risk of in-flight shut down (IFSD) on all PW1127, PW1130 and PW1133 engines with engine serial number (ESN) P770450 or later. The problem is …

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Airbus rolls out first of its next-gen super transporters – the BelugaXL

First Airbus Beluga XL rolls out of the final assembly line at Toulouse France. Airbus image.

European airframer Airbus has rolled out the first of its next-generation super transporters, the BelugaXL at its main assembly line in Toulouse, France. Named after the white whale it represents, the BelugaXL will succeed the current fleet of the A300-600ST (super transporter) Beluga, which is based on the A300 airframe. The BelugaXL programme began in 2014 and Airbus will build …

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Airbus rolls out first A321neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex). Seats up to 240

European airframer Airbus has rolled out the first A321neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex) aircraft which can seat up to 240 passengers. The airframe powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines will now begin testing, first on the ground and then in-flight. The first delivery of the A321neo ACF is scheduled for mid-2018. The ACF concept was introduced in July 2014. It uses …

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Indigo Partners places record breaking Airbus order

American equity firm Indigo Partners’ has placed an additional order for 430 A320neo family aircraft for it’s four portfolio airlines. The aircraft will be allocated among the ultra low-cost airlines Frontier Airlines (United States), JetSMART (Chile), Volaris (Mexico) and Wizz Air (Hungary). The deal which is valued at $49.5 billion at current list prices, is the largest single order in …

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Airbus A330neo takes off for maiden flight

The first Airbus A330neo has taken off on it’s maiden flight. The aircraft bearing the registration F-WTTN took off from Airbus’ plant in Toulouse. The A330neo is the upgraded re-engined variant of Airbus’ best selling wide body line. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. See our #Trent7000 in action, powering the @Airbus #A330neo for the first time …

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Airbus unveils A380plus, an enhanced version of the superjumbo

New split winglets proposed on the A380plus. Airbus image.

European airframer Airbus unveiled a development study for an enhanced version of the A380 superjumbo, the “A380plus”. The study is a bid by the company to re-engergise sales of the world’s largest passenger aircraft that have been stagnant for over a year. It also appears to be an effort to bridge the requests of the largest A380 customer, Emirates airline, …

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New Airbus A320 Airspace interior set to debut in 2020

Airbus A320 Airspace cabin. Entrance area lighting. Airbus image.

European airframer Airbus has developed a new cabin concept for its best-selling narrow body A320 family of jetliners called Airspace. Just as its competitor Boeing borrowed cabin concepts from the 787 Dreamliner and incorporated it in to the 737, Airbus has borrowed concepts from the A350 and the A330neo for the Airspace interior to offer similar designs in both the …

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Analysis: Why did IndiGo decide to introduce ATR72’s in to its fleet?

IndiGo_A320 classic VT-INT. Photo: Devesh Agarwal.

Earlier this month, on the 9th of May, India’s largest domestic airline Indigo, announced that they had signed a term-sheet with French turbo-prop airframer ATR, for the induction of 50 ATR72-600 regional aircraft. The announcement caught the aviation and investment community completely by surprise. Since its inception 12 years ago in 2005, IndiGo had slavishly adhered to the “one airframe …

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Indigo wins Airbus’ Best Operational Excellence award

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITK. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

Low cost carrier Indigo has won the Airbus’ award for Best Operational Excellence for the second consecutive year. Indigo won the award after outperforming 46 other airlines globally. The selection criteria for the award is based on data covering two years of operation and taking into consideration the number of aircraft in the fleet, daily utilization rate, technical reliability and …

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Qatar Airways A320neos diverted to IndiGo

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITK. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

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 …

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Iran air takes delivery of it’s first post-sanctions Airbus

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 …

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In pictures: Airbus A350-1000 completes maiden flight

Airbus A350-1000 takes off for its first flight at Toulouse Blagnac airport, France November 24, 2016

The first Airbus A350-1000, the longest variant of the A350 family of widebody aircraft performed its first flight, at Toulouse, France, yesterday. The six person crew took MSN059 into the skies at 09:42 UTC. Test pilots Hugues van der Stichel and Frank Chapman, in cockpit flight test engineer Gerard Maisonneuve, flight test engineers Emanuele Costanzo, Patrick du Che, and Stephane …

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Photo essay: Inside the Airbus A380 test aircraft F-WWDD MSN4

Airbus A380-800 F-WWDD.

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 …

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First A330neo enters final assembly

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 …

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WTO confirms EU fails to comply on illegal Airbus subsidies

US airframer Boeing out out this press release in the on-going trade spat between the United States and the European Union on subsidies by respective governments to both Airbus and Boeing. It is known that both governments provide aid to their respective aircraft manufacturers one way or the other. The EU does it more directly, while the US does it …

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Turkey’s Pegasus receives first CFM LEAP powered Airbus A320neo

Turkey's Pegasus Airlines takes delivery of the first CFM LEAP 1-A powered A320neo. Airbus photo.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s leading low cost carrier, Pegasus Airlines, became the first airline to fly the Airbus A320neo powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines, and the fourth airline globally, after launch customer Deutsche Lufthansa and India’s IndiGo and GoAir. This is the first of the up to 100 A320neo (new engine option) the airline had ordered back in 2012. …

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Photos: Spotting at Airbus’ Hamburg Finkenwerder plant

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 …

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