Commercial Aviation

Gifas presented the 2014 annual report for the French Aerospace Industries Association on 9th., April in Paris. The sector remained very dynamic and, thanks to civil aviation, continued to export, although it recruited less than the previous year.
 

The Boeing 757, first produced in 1981, and the largest single-aisle aircraft ever built, will not be replaced. The information was confirmed to the French international news agency (AFP), on 4th April, by Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s Marketing Vice President.
 

On 27th February, the Bombardier CS300 prototype made its first flight, which lasted almost five hours over Montreal in Canada. The largest aircraft ever built by Bombardier reached an altitude of 12,500 metres (41,000 feet) and a speed of 470 km/h (292 mph).
 

At the annual conference of the results of the Airbus group on February 26th in Munich, everyone was waiting for the latest A400M news. Although the new delivery schedule is still under discussion with the manufacturer’s customers, the group nonetheless announced a doubling of production in 2015.
 

The Pentagon has made its choice, the future American presidential "Air Force One" will be a Boeing 747-8. The Airbus A380 was rejected without too much surprise. The following is a short history of the ‘plane, or rather ‘planes, like no other, which since 1953, have carried the presidents of the United States.
 

On January 21st at their annual press conference held in Paris, ATR, the European regional aircraft manufacturers, announced that 2014 had been recorded as the best year in their history with a turnover of 1.8 billion dollars.
 

On 13th January, Didier Evrard, Head of Programmes at Airbus, confirmed that the Airbus A350, like its Boeing 787 rival, will be equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Airbus intends to equip all its production A350’s with these new-generation batteries from 2016.
 

In terms of orders, Airbus overtook Boeing by a short head in 2014, but concerning deliveries, Boeing is way ahead, thanks to the Boeing 787. When we look at the order books, the two major aircraft manufacturers have eight to nine years’ production ahead. Here are just a few details…
 

On 30th December, six years after its first flight, and some 5,000 hours of flight tests, the ARJ21, China's first regional jet, has obtained certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). A first step for the manufacturers Comac who can now market their twin-engined plane provided it does not exit Chinese territory.
 

At the beginning of the year, you're probably wondering what will happen in the aeronautical world in 2015 ? Well to find out, we consulted our crystal ball - if it told the truth...
 

As is customary each year end, it’s time to take stock ! In the aviation world, 2014 was marked by both good and bad news. Here’s an accelerated flashback in two minutes flat…
 

Yesterday all eyes were on the Qatar Airways A350. 170 journalists from around the world travelled to the aircraft manufacturer’s delivery centre in Toulouse (south western France) for the first delivery of the new long-haul Airbus. An achievement for Airbus eight years after the launch of the programme, and an investment of some ten billion euros.
 

The delivery ceremony of the first Airbus A350 to Qatar Airways took place this morning at Toulouse-based Airbus site. Qatar Airways is the launch company of the A350-900 which they will put into service in mid-January between Doha and Frankfurt.
 

It's official: the first Airbus A350 will finally be delivered to Qatar Airways, the A350 XWB's (eXtra Wide Body) launch customer on 22nd December.
 

Qatar Airways was to receive its first A350 in Toulouse (south western France) in the afternoon of Friday, 12th December, followed by a ceremony organised in Doha the next day in the presence of the company CEO, Akbar Al Baker, but this will not be the case. Delivery of the first unit has been "suspended until further notice", without further explanation given for the reasons.
 

Airbus has confirmed it. The first Airbus A350-900 will be delivered to Qatar Airways on Saturday, December 13th at Toulouse in south west France. The first delivery of a brand new aircraft is always a great moment for both a constructor and an airline. Qatar Airways will be the only airline in the world to operate the A350 for the first few months of 2015; followed by Vietnam Airlines.
 

Today, December 3rd, is International Day of People with Disability which is why we are highlighting a world’s first that Airbus is now offering its customers who operate single aisle aircraft. Called "Space Flex" it is actually two toilets that can be transformed into one, thus facilitating access for wheelchair passengers.
 

As we announced just two months ago, Airbus will indeed launch a successor to the present Beluga that has supplied the Airbus assembly lines with aircraft parts since 1994. This "Beluga Neo" will be based on the A330.
 

On October 18th to the sound of traditional drums, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation introduced its first MRJ, a prototype whose maiden flight is scheduled for next spring. The ceremony was held in Komaki in central Japan.