Commercial Aviation

Airbus has successfully performed certification testing to demonstrate the A350 XWB’s ability to operate on wet runways. During these tests at Istres (France), the flight-test aircraft travelled through troughs containing at least 22mm of water depth, at a variety of speeds, starting at 70 mph up to 160 mph.
 

On April 16th., Boeing delivered its 8,000th. 737. Since 1965, it is here, in the Renton plant, the most productive in the world, and located 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Seattle in Washington state in the U.S.A., that the medium haul has been assembled at an incredible pace ...
 

With its 24 wheels, a wingspan of 73 metres (240 ft.), and its 1,000 m3 (35,300 cu.ft.) hold, the Antonov 124 is truly exceptional. This heavy lift cargo aircraft, made at Kiev in Ukraine and Ulyanovsk in Russia, is actually a derivative of the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. After its commissioning in 1986, 52 were produced.
 

Welcome on board the A350. Despite appearances, this particular aircraft featuring a new fully equipped cabin is not intended for delivery to a company, but rather for ground and flight tests. In June, 700 Airbus company employees will try out the 'plane in flights of over nine hours…
 

Whilst the Boeing 787-8 has already transported more than 15 million passengers worldwide, its big brother, longer by eight metres, will soon enter the scene. To learn a little more, we went to Boeing country in Everett, Washington state. In this 400,000 m2 plant...
 

Between 1,300 and 1,600 aircraft is the number of new aircraft including India will need over the next 20 years; a record due to the annual growth in demand in the country, and it's the domestic routes which show a record growth of more than 10% per year.
 

In January 2013, due to overheating of lithium-ion batteries, oil leaks and brake problems, that the F.A.A., the U.S. Agency for Civil Aviation, ordered a detailed inspection of the Boeing Dreamliner, the findings of which have just been made public...
 

It's official, the first unit of the A320neo for flight testing, seen here in the picture, is in its final assembly phase. All the parts needed for this have arrived on the assembly line in Toulouse from the various Airbus plants...
 

The recent meeting between between the C.E.O.'s of Qatar Airways and Airbus was mutually warm ! And for good reason; on the occasion of a visit in early February to the A350 final assembly line, Akbar Al Baker was able to see for himself that production of the first unit of the eighty on order was well underway. The MSN6...
 

With a net profit up 22% to € 1.5 billion, an increase in turnover of 5% to € 59 billion, 2013 was profitable for Airbus Group, thanks to the delivery of more than 600 commercial aircraft ! The aircraft manufacturer Airbus itself accounts for nearly 70 % of these results...
 

The A350 MSN2 has just completed its maiden flight. This third test aircraft sports a special carbon colour livery as a reminder of the 53% of composite materials with which it was manufactured. It will also be the first unit to be equipped with a cabin.
 

Airbus Group is soon to have its own bank ! The European aerospace, defense and space group, has just acquired the Salzburg München Bank, a small bank with 50 employees based in Munich. The objective being to finance the group's activities and have greater financial flexibility...
 

It was here at Iqaluit, in north-eastern Canada, where, on 28th., January, Airbus' A350-XWB put down on its ten wheels. For one week, 48 Airbus engineers will thus be able to test, among other things, the behaviour of the new long-haul systems – in the cold of the Great White North at -25°C (- 13°F ). On the test program…
 

According to the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, hundreds of people are in the process of being recruited by Boeing in South Carolina. In its plant in North Charleston where 7,000 workers already assemble the 787, the manufacturer is looking to add 300 additional engineers and inspectors with a view to accelerating the rate of production of its long-haul...