Fancy long-range 777s fit Singapore's swank service

Singapore Airlines chief Chew Choon Seng gave his views on the 747-8, 777-200LR and the A350 during his visit to Seattle to receive two 777-300ERs.

KLM Orders 21 Blended Winglet(TM) Systems for Boeing 737-800 Fleet

Coming soon to a KLM 737-800, blended winglets.

EADS has contacted 5-7 funds in Persian Gulf region for A350 financing - source

EADS has approached between five and seven investment funds in the Persian Gulf about possible help in financing the A350 program.

French minister to meet Emirates Airlines chief to shore up Airbus A380 order

French trade minister Christine Lagarde is in Dubai today and will meet Emirates Airlines chairman Tim Clark to assure him of the French government's support of Airbus.

EADS board split puts new Airbus jet on hold

The proposed EADS meeting last Friday to approve plans for the A350 XWB was postponed after major shareholders disagree on how to fund the project.

Lagardere and DaimlerChrysler opposed a proposal by France which would see the French state take a larger stake in EADS.

Kazan aircraft maker to show Tu-214, Tu-334 in Iran

Kazan will bring a Tu-214 and a Tu-334 to Iran for customer demonstrations.

Commander of Brazil's air traffic control system dismissed following flight delays

The commander of Brazil's air traffic control system has been dismissed after a month of air travel delays caused by air traffic controllers protests.

Branson Says Virgin Cannot Rule Out Canceling Airbus A380 Order

Richard Branson said in a televised interview in Manchester, England yesterday that Virgin Atlantic does not rule out canceling its order for the A380.

The airline last month delayed the delivery from 2009 to 2013.

A peek behind HondaJet’s veil

This journalist was invited to Honda Aircraft's office at Piedmont Triad International Airport for a tour.

Korean Air to Buy 25 Boeing Aircraft

South Korea's flag carrier Korean Air said Tuesday it will buy 10 777-300ERs, five 747-8Fs, five 777Fs and five 737-900/700s.

It has an option on an additional eight planes: four 777-300s, two 747-8Fs and two 737-900s.

Airbus to increase production of A320s

Airbus will increase production of its A320 to 36 by December 2008 from a rate of 30 to boost its cash flow to fix problems with other aircraft.

It plans to lift output to 32 planes a month by January 2007 and to 34 planes a month by March 2008.

Airbus bosses to give green light to A350

EADS' board will meet on Friday to discuss the A350 and sources close to the company said that the board almost certainly give the green light to go ahead with the project.

Thai Airways says could cancel A380 order

Wallop Bhukkanasut, Thai Airways executive vice president, commercial department, also told Reuters in an interview that the carrier will not rule out canceling its order for six Airbus A380s.

Boeing could lose in US Airways, Delta deal

Boeing could lose out if US Airways successfully bid for rival Delta Air Lines. Delta is expected to be a customer for the 787 while US Airways is a key North American carrier for Airbus.

'No plans' to drop A380 freighter

Christian Scherer from Airbus says its not if but when the A380F will go into production.

Speaking in Japan, he said that there are no plans to cancel the freighter aft Fedex canceled its order.

Launch of A350 imminent, Airbus sales chief says

Airbus supersalesman John Leahy expects the A350 XWB to be launched this month. He also revealed that their carbon fiber-reinforced plastic fuselage will be easier to repair than Boeing's 787.

Airbus proposes to outsource 3.5 bln usd worth of work on A350XWB

Financial Times reported that EADS wants to outsource US$3.5 billion worth of work on its proposed A350XWB airliner in an effort to reduce the overall development costs.

The percentage of work on the A350 will be increased from 30 to close to 50 percent.

EADS denies to surrender full Airbus control

EADS has denied plans to sell shares in Airbus to Gulf investors to raise funds for the A350 XWB.

French daily Le Monde reported EADS was nonetheless considering scenarios that included investments by the Gulf funds in EADS or Airbus.

EADS in talks over Airbus stake sale -report

EADS is negotiating with Dubai International Capital (DIC) and Qatar Investment Authority for possible stakes in Airbus.

This will help raise funds for the A350 project.

Boeing poised to announce 15 more orders for the 777

Boeing is expected to announce that General Electric's aircraft leasing arm, or GECAS, will order 15 777s today.

The order will be a mix of 777 freighters and the long-range 777-300ERs.

US files new complaint over Airbus aid

Washington has renewed efforts to bring the Airbus subsidy issue to the World Trade Organisation.

The complaints were suspended earlier this year in a bid to hammer out an agreement but it was going nowhere.

El Al cancels option to buy 787s from Boeing

Israeli carrier El Al has decided to cancel its option to buy eight to 10 787s as part of its strategy to focus on near-term future.

The airline is facing more competition as Israel is moving toward an open-skies policy and its focusing onto the year 2010 the furthest.

No customers yet for passenger version of Boeing's 747-8I

Lufthansa Airlines is not rushing to make a decision to buy the 747-8I this month or next month.

The industry has been full of rumors that Lufthansa Airlines is negotiating with Boeing for as many as 30 -8Is.

ANA will not relax Boeing order plan

ANA President and Chief Executive Mineo Yamamoto told the Financial Times on Monday that it will not swap any of its delivery slots for the new Boeing 787 to help Boeing or alliance partners.

Yamamoto said he had been assured in May by Alan Mulally, former head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, that the 787 would be on time.

787's big sections may be in Everett by February

Several large sections of the 787 Dreamliner could arrive in Everett by February as Boeing prepares for the first flight in late August.

But the actual production aircraft will be different from the first plane as Boeing plans to shed 2.5 tons out of the jet.

French PM wants quick launch of Airbus A350

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told Toulouse daily La Depeche du Midi that he wants the new Airbus A350 airliner to be launch as quickly as possible.

Boeing Begins Use of Moving Assembly Line for 777 Jetliners

Boeing has started using a moving assembly line for the first time to build its 777.

The moving assembly line is currently used only during final assembly positions for the airplane.

A tug, with an optical sensor that follows a white line along the floor, pulls the plane at 1.6 inches per minute during production.

AirAsia plans more ventures, plane purchases

Malaysia's budget carrier AirAsia wants to accelerate its expansion and may buy more planes on top of the 100 A320s ordered recently.

No Indications Whether MAS' A380 Order Will Be Cancelled

Malaysia's Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said Thursday that he has not received any information from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) or Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd on whether they will cancel their A380 order.

Airbus jet fix stalls

NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said FAA and EASA is not doing enough in improving the rudder system of Airbus planes to prevent them from coming apart in flight.

Bombardier in talks with Indian carriers to sell jets

Bombardier is in talks with several Indian carriers to sell them its Canadian Regional Jet.

The aircraft maker bought the 86-seater turboprop to India in September to show to potential customers.

Twin Otter aircraft goes back into production?

Viking Air plans to put the Twin Otter back into production in the third quarter of 2008 with a new avionics kit.

'Spirit of Dubai' begins historic voyage

The world largest commercial airship, the Spirit of Dubai, will begin a unique journey from London to Dubai to mark the handover of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

It will visit many of the world's most famous landmarks on the way like the Big Ben and Tower Bridge in London, Eiffel Tower and Versailles in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens and the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

Airbus A380 freighter's future to depend on order reconfirmations

Hans Peter Ring, chief operating officer for finance at EADS, said that the future of the A380F will depend on getting current orders reconfirmed.

FedEx delivers Boeing a major win

Airbus could be forced to shelved its A380F development plans if UPS decides to follow FedEx and buy Boeing planes instead.

Singapore Air Says It's Keeping Airbus A380 Orders

Singapore Airlines' spokeswoman Rachel Lee said that the airline will not cancel its A380 orders despite FedEx doing so.

FedEx Cancels Airbus Order to Buy Boeing

FedEx became the first customer to cancel an A380 order and ordered Boeing 777Fs instead.

FedEx's planes will be delivered in 2009-2011 and the company has options on an additional 15.

Qatar Airways opts for 20 more Boeing 777s

Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker revealed that his airline would be taking 20 Boeing 777s on option at the World Travel market in London.

The carrier announced in September that its getting 20 777s but this is the first time that it said about options for 20 more.

Boeing not sweating 787's weight problem

Mike Bair from Boeing says his team is confident that they can remove 2.5 tons of weight from the 787.

The engineers are looking at various parts of the plane and are switching from aluminum to titanium in some cases.

Silent aircraft creeps closer to reality

Researchers from Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) unveiled their concept for a silent aircraft yesterday.

Over at BBC, they came up with an article explaining the various changes made to make the aircraft silent.

Owner of vital plane might ground it if it's not profitable

The company that runs a DC-10 supertanker for firefighting could be out of business unless it can obtain more steady work from state and federal fire agencies.

Report: Recorder tape suggests tower error in Brazil crash

The flight recorder transcript from the Embraer Legacy jet that collided with a Boeing 737 in Brazil shows that the tower in Sao Jose dos Campos gave it instructions to fly at FL370, the same altitude as the Boeing jet.

The information contradicted the pilots' filed flight plan as well as established norms, which reserve odd-numbered altitudes for southbound flights.

Airbus to Spend $12 Billion to Develop A350 Jet, People Say

Airbus will commit $12 billion to develop its A350, according to two people with direct knowledge of the proposal.

The two also said that Airbus will present the design of the A350 XWB to EADS on Nov. 7.

Airbus Must Compete In Mid-Size Market

Oxford Analytica, an independent strategic-consulting firm drawing on experts at Oxford and other leading universities and research institutions around the world, found that Airbus must launch the A350XWB or risk ceding the most strategically sensitive market segment to Boeing for a generation or more.

Boeing sale to Aeroflot is in doubt

Aeroflot might lose its place in Boeing's production schedule for 787 as the Russian government had yet to approve a proposed order for 22 aircraft.

Boeing in no hurry to replace the 737

Boeing's James Bell said during a Goldman Sachs investors conference Wednesday that the company is not rushing to build a replacement for the 737.

Citing the A380, Bell said its better to be right than first.

Austrian Airlines goes with Boeing jets

Austrian Airlines has decided to switch to an all Boeing fleet by selling aways its Airbus A330-200s and A340-300s.

It plans to sell its four remaining A330-200s next year, as well as its two remaining A340-300s.

Report: Half of runways don't have safety zone

325 out of the 573 commercial airports in the United States have at least one runway that lacks a 1,000-foot safety zone.

But the Federal Aviation Administration says it is diligently upgrading the runways. The agency expects that all of them will meet the standard by 2015, when they are legally required to do so.

Brazil in air control chaos; crash blamed

The Brazilian air traffic control is in chaos with travelers facing delays of up to five hours after 10 controllers were suspended over the crash of a Boeing 737 on Sept. 29.

The suspension increased the workload of an already understaffed ATC.

Route-proving flights take A380 to Vancouver

The A380 will be making a series of route-proving flights that includes the first appearance at an international airport in North America.

Starting from Nov. 13, the A380 will make four trips starting from Singapore and Seoul during the first trip, then Hong Kong and Narita, Japan.

It will then fly to Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai before making a round the world trip across the poles. From Johannesburg, South Africa, it will fly over the South Pole to Sydney, Australia. From Sydney it will fly across the Pacific to Vancouver and return back to Toulouse via the North Pole.

Boeing new jumbo orders slow despite Airbus delay

After saying earlier this year that they are confident that Boeing will sell the 747-8I version this year, Boeing executives are now saying that confident is too strong a word.

While the passenger version of the 747-8 has three orders, Boeing has yet secured a launch customer for the plane.

Boeing feels that the full effect of Airbus's problems will take some time to be felt and will not have any sales effect on Boeing's offering.

Dan Mooney, vice president of Boeing's 747 program, also indicated that there might be two stretched versions of the -8I after Emirates indicated that it prefer the original shorter stretched version.

Planes bump on runway in New Jersey

Lufthansa Flight LH403 form Newark to Frankfurt was delayed after the 747's wingtip hit the right winglet of a Continental Airlines Boeing 757 on Tuesday.

The 757 was empty and was being moved to a remote overnight parking spot when the incident happened.

Japan Airlines says it has no plans to buy Airbus A380 now

Japan Airlines has no plans to buy the A380 for now as the super jumbo doesn't match the company's fleet-downsizing strategy.

Boeing Completes Firm Configuration of 747-8 Freighter

Boeing has completed firm configuration of the 747-8F design.

Forecast: China to need more than 3,000 passenger planes in 20 years

China Aviation Industry Corporation(AVIC) I on Tuesday forecast that the Chinese market would need more than 3,000 civil aircraft in next 20 years.

2,230 large airliners will be needed together with 880 smaller aircraft.