In 2011, Airbus and Qatar Airways announced to great fanfare a 50-plane order for the new A320neo airliner. Five years later, that deal could be jeopardy. The Pratt & Whitney 1100G geared turbofans engines Qatar selected to power the planes are not up to Qatar's exacting standards, Bloomberg's Andrea Rothman reported. According to Bloomberg, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Bak...
In the spirit of Charles Lindbergh, a French research company hopes to complete the first carbon-free trans-Atlantic flight later this year. The Eraole, an electric biofuel plane developed by Laboratoire Océan Vital, will take flight from New York to Paris in June: The company says the plane will produce zero carbon emissions. If successful, the plane could have lasting impacts in the fi...
The contract for the sale of 36 Rafale fighters to India has not yet been signed, manufacturer Dassault Aviation said March 10. Four weeks was thought to be enough time to conclude the transaction when the heads of state of France and India reached agreement on the sale in late January. “We are getting closer; we are trying to finalize the price,” CEO Eric Trappier said during Dassa...
A WOMAN who flew into Paris from Istanbul was found to have hidden a four-year-old girl in a bag on the plane, Air France have revealed. The airline said the child, travelling without a ticket, was discovered on board the flight “hidden inside a bag”. There are conflicting reports about the age of the girl, with some agencies reporting she was as young as one. A source at Char...
Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan™ engines successfully completed its first test flight on the Airbus A321neo. The PW1135G-JM engine, a 35,000 thrust class engine, for the Airbus A321neo aircraft, is the most powerful engine on the A321neo. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company. “The PurePower engine continues to meet commitm...
France and the UK are set to launch a new project under their Future Combat Air System (FCAS) effort that will see unmanned air vehicle prototypes developed under a newly announced £1.54 billion ($2.19 billion) agreement. UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande met in Amiens, France on 3 March, during which they committed funding to build on the programme&rs...
French investigators have detailed an incident in which an Air France Airbus A320 took avoiding action after encountering an unmanned aerial vehicle near Paris. The aircraft (F-GKXT) had been operating a service from Barcelona on 19 February and had been descending for an approach to Paris Charles de Gaulle’s runway 26L. French investigation authority BEA states that the A320...
Airbus Helicopters is continuing to deliver on its commitment to safety as its number one priority with the release of the H175 Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM), coming just over a year after the release of the helicopter industry’s first-ever FCOM for the H225 in oil & gas configuration. The newest FCOM, designed specifically for the super-medium H175 in offshore configuration, wa...
Airbus Helicopters has introduced “HForce,” a new “generic” weapon system for the H125M light single, H145Mlight twin and H225M medium twin helicopters. The newly structured offer, focused on the manufacturer’s military commercial rotorcraft, follows an “incremental” approach to arming them. It includes a variety of ballistic and g...
Airbus is seeking airline support for a new 400-seat jetliner provisionally dubbed the A350-8000 as competition escalates with Boeing over the world's largest two-engined jets, airline and aviation industry sources said. After talking up the possibility of a new member of its A350 family, the European planemaker has swung into an active pre-marketing phase as it responds to a recent up...
One year following the launch of HCare, Airbus Helicopters continues to improve its HCare Customer Service offer, providing customers with the highest levels of service and support. Customer Service is an essential part of Airbus Helicopters’ offer and represents nearly half of the company’s yearly turnover. In the year since its creation, HCare has grown in each of the 5 domains that...
Airbus Helicopters’ H215, the twin-engine, versatile, economic and robust helicopter designed to meet for a wide range of utility missions, will embark on a US-wide demo tour following its appearance on static display at the 2016 Heli Expo international trade show. Beginning on March 4, the H215 will perform demonstration flights in Louisville (Kentucky), Huntsville (Alabama) and then on...
