Airbus A350 goes on world tour ahead of Qatar delivery

Airbus has announced that its newest airliner, the Airbus A350-900, is in its final stage towards certification before the first plane is delivered to Qatar Airways later this year.

The aircraft is currently undertaking route proving tests which are designed to demonstrate readiness for airline operations and will include high airfield performance, auto-landing trials, and airport turnaround and handling services.

Some flights will have passengers on board, Airbus said, adding that the A350 world tour itinerary includes 14 major airports worldwide and one route via the North Pole.

The world tour using A350 MSN5 test aircraft forms part of the route proving for certification campaign.

The A350 flights will be operated by Airbus flight crews with the participation of Airworthiness Authority pilots from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The tests form part of the last trials required for aircraft Type Certification scheduled for Q3 this year. The first airline delivery, to Qatar Airways, will follow towards the end of the year.

The three week trial started earlier this week in Toulouse, France, with the final trip taking in the Qatari capitl of Doha.

Today five development A350s are flying and are actively involved in the intensive flight test programme, which has already reached over 540 flights and 2,250 flight hours.

By the end of June, the A350 XWB had won 742 orders from 38 customers worldwide.

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Etihad Takes Delivery of its 100th Aircraft

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, last week celebrated a major milestone when it took delivery of its 100th and 101st aircraft on the same day.

The one hundredth aircraft, a new Airbus A321-231 (registration A6-AEC), was delivered from the Airbus Finkenwerder facility in Hamburg.  On arrival in Abu Dhabi, the aircraft was welcomed by over 500 Etihad Airways employees at a specially organised photo-shoot to mark the occasion.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “This is an important day for an airline which launched operations just over ten years ago. Etihad Airways continues to grow, to prosper and to lead the way in innovation and service.  Today, we fly the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient aircraft available, setting new standards in comfort and reliability.”

The airline now operates three Airbus A321, with seven more on order.  This A321 delivery is joined by the airline’s 101st aircraft, an Airbus A320-200 (registration A6-EIX).  Both aircraft are equipped with sharklets, which are blended winglets at each wingtip, designed to enhance the payload-range performance, allowing a significant reduction in fuel-burn.

In November 2013, Etihad Airways placed its largest ever aircraft order at the Dubai Airshow with a value of US$67 billion for up to 199 aircraft and 294 engines.

The airline will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A380 aircraft in October and December of this year respectively.  These aircraft will feature Etihad Airways’ revolutionary new cabins, which were unveiled on May 4, 2014, including for the first time in the airline industry, a luxurious self-contained three room cabin on the A380 known as ‘The Residence’, featuring a separate living room, bathroom and double bedroom.

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Boeing to Deliver its 1500th 747

Boeing will deliver its 1,500th 747 when Lufthansa picks it up on Saturday. It is the first wide-body aircraft ever to hit the mark, forty-five years after it originally took flight. The aircraft is a 747-8 Intercontinental, representing the latest iteration of the what has been called the queen of the skies by publicists and, affectionately, the Whale, by pilots. First flown in 2011, the -8 included a substantial redesign of its wings, fresh cabin features, and new engines. The intention, when the program was launched back in November 2005, was to breathe new life into an already successful program, allowing customers to replace aging 747-400s with something bigger and better, while providing a viable alternative to Airbus’ ultra-huge A380.

Given the success of the 747 program to date, it seemed like the 747-8 would be a surefire way of seeing the program go onto even greater feats. Yet Saturday’s achievement is widely believed to be the last major production mile-marker the jet will pass according to a published report. Orders have slowed to a trickle, and production has been reset to match, with the factory producing one and a half jets per month. The current order backlog, combined with current production rates, would extend the line through late in the decade, when it is rumored the last jets off the line could become the new Air Force One fleet, replacing earlier generation 747-200s built in 1990.

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JetBlue to pay cash for five A321 deliveries in 2014

JetBlue Airways plans to use to cash to pay for its five unfinanced Airbus A321 deliveries in 2014. The New York-based carrier already has “committed financing” for the remaining four A321s that it will take delivery of during the year, according to a recent stock exchange filing.

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