16 Oct 2017

USA Aviation Industry Newsletter 16 October

Azerbaijan carriers to purchase more Boeing aircraft Azerbaijan’s two largest airlines will buy another six Boeing aircraft by the end of 2017, the US Embassy of Azerbaijan has announced. Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plans to sign a contract to buy four 787s, while Silk Way Airlines will acquire two more 747-8 freighters. These new purchases are Azerbaijan’s fourth major investment in Boeing aircraft since 2015. Azerbaijan US ambassador Elin Suleymanov said the order will mark “the latest investment by our country in American-made products, the American economy and in American workers.” Boeing rolls out first 787-10 for Singapore Airlines Boeing has rolled out the first 787-10 built for Singapore Airlines at its final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. The aircraft will now undergo livery painting, system checks, fueling and engine runs. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2018; the aircraft will be used on medium-haul routes. Boeing Starts Production of 737 Max 7 Boeing’s manufacturing team in Renton, Washington, has begun work on the first 65-foot wing spar for the 737 Max 7, marking the start of production of the latest Max variant in the five-member family. Scheduled for delivery in 2019, the Max 7 seats as many as 172 passengers and flies to a range of beyond 3,800 nautical miles. In a standard two-class configuration the airplane seats 152. Bombardier Opens Expanded Interior Facility in Tucson Bombardier has opened its new purposefully designed interior facility at its Tucson service center. The facility features a climate-controlled work environment and expanded capacity, including the tripling of the footprint of its cabinet workshop, to 4,800 sq ft from 1,092 sq ft. It allows the regrouping of its interior design expertise in one atelier. FAA adopts Stage 5 noise standard on new aircraft designs FAA has adopted a new noise standard that will result in a volume decrease of seven decibels (dBs) for certain newly designed subsonic aircraft. The ruling, called Stage 5 Airplane Noise Standards, is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2018, and will apply to any new aircraft design with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 121,254 lbs. (55,000 kg) or more submitted on or after Dec. 31, 2017, or to any new aircraft design with a MTOW of less than 121,254 lbs. submitted on or after Dec. 31, 2020. FAA Calls for Emergency Inspections of GP7200 Turbofans The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued an emergency advisory directive (AD) calling for visual inspection of the fan hubs on Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofans. The directive comes in reaction to the uncontained failure of a GP7200 on an Air France A380 during a scheduled flight on September 30 from Paris to Los Angeles. The engine, whose front cowling and fan disc broke apart as the A380 flew over Greenland, had accumulated 3,527 cycles since new. The AD calls for inspection within two weeks for engines that had flown 3,500 cycles or more, five weeks for fan hubs with between 2,000 and 3,500 cycles and eight weeks for fan hubs with less than 2,000 cycles. GDC Technics Readies Live TV for VIP 787 GDC Technics is partnering with Boeing on installation of live television aboard a VIP 787. The 30-day installation will begin this week and includes fuselage penetration and component shipside preparation. General partner Mohammad Alzeer said the company had worked with Boeing over the last two years on the Live TV project. Vietnam Airlines may launch direct service to U.S. in late 2019 Vietnam Airlines (VNA) will launch long-awaited direct air service between Vietnam and the United States in late 2019, said VNA general director Duong Tri Thanh. “Vietnam Airlines has made necessary preparations such as aircraft and pilots to open the new route. However, the U.S.’s assessment of management quality would take a long time,” According to him, a U.S. delegation will come to Vietnam to assess the quality of VNA’s management this month, and necessary procedures will be done in early 2018. After that, VNA will take the final steps to open the Vietnam-U.S. direct route in late 2019. VistaJet plans to double US fleet Three years after launching in the USA, VistaJet – one of the world’s largest charter operators – plans to increase its N-registered fleet of 11 to at least 16 in the “next few months” to reflect demand in the booming Stateside market. The company says it tripled its customers and increased new programme hours by almost 150% in the third quarter, compared with the same period in 2016. US-originated flights now represent around a quarter of all VistaJet departures. Acumen Aviation © 16 October All Rights Reserved.