The UK Ministry of Defence is close to signing a contract with Airbus Defence & Space for the manufacture and testing of two Zephyr 8 high-altitude pseudo satellites (HAPS). A £10.6 million ($15.5 million) deal is expected to be firmed in the coming weeks which will see the unmanned air vehicle assessed through an operational concept demonstrator (OCD) programme to determine if the ca...
The first A350-900 for Singapore Airlines yesterday completed its maiden flight over the skies of South West France. The aircraft, featuring the airline’s iconic livery, will now enter the final phase of production, including further ground checks and test flights, before being prepared for delivery in the coming weeks. The all-new A350 XWB will form the backbone of Singapore Airlines&rsq...
CityJet, an Irish regional airline, may lease the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) planes it is going to purchase in Russia to the French flag carrier Air France, a source familiar with the carrier's plans said Tuesday. CityJet announced its decision to buy 15 SSJ100 planes, with an option to purchase 10 more aircraft, in mid-October. The contract is expected to be sign...
The production line for the Dassault Falcon 5X large-cabin business jet is still in “frozen” mode at the airframer's Bordeaux Mérignac factory, as engine manufacturer Snecma is still trying to sort out issues with its Silvercrest turbofan that will power the French twinjet. “Production is frozen as a precaution,” a Dassault spokesman told AIN late last&...
Comlux The Aviation Group has announced a firm order for three Airbus ACJ320neo aircraft, becoming the largest customer for Airbus’ new corporate jet family. The order also consolidates Comlux’s leadership in Airbus corporate jet deals, with more to its credit than any other client. Deliveries of the aircraft begin at the end of 2018. Comlux has chosen CFM International&nb...
World’s leading turboprop manufacturer ATR and Iran’s national flag carrier Iran Air today signed in Teheran a deal for the introduction of 40 newest generation ATR 72-600s. The agreement includes firm orders for 20 aircraft plus 20 options, and is valued at one billion euro. The signature of the deal follows the commercial discussions held in the last days in Ro...
By pushing the atmospheric envelope at the edge of Earth’s stratosphere, the Airbus Perlan 2 glider’s next tests should pave the way for both future aviation on Mars and Earth-based commercial hypersonic aircraft, Allan McArtor, the Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, Inc.. told me. The Perlan 2 sailplane/glider, which had its first test flight last September in Oregon, will attempt t...
Airbus’s flagship A380 has ended a three-year drought for new orders with confirmation Japan’s ANA and Iran Air will be new operators of the world’s largest airliner. On Friday, ANA Holdings (ANA HD) confirmed it would take three A380s that were earmarked for Skymark Airlines, with first delivery is due in 2019. ANA said the A380, which will be powered with Rolls-Royce Tren...
Airbus said on Friday it had accepted the resignation of chief technical officer Jean Botti who will leave the planemaker in April after almost 10 years in the company. The planemaker said that Botti's succession is "subject to the outcome of a comprehensive review on the future set-up and structure for innovation and research and technology at Airbus Group". Botti joined Airbu...
After 10 years of presence in Portugal (Aigle Azur’s second most important destination after Algeria), as well as an increasing number of flights to Lisbon and direct services to Porto, Faro and Funchal all year-round from Paris-Orly, the company is now proposing a new airlink between Lyons and Porto on a thrice-weekly basis, every Thursday, Friday and Sunday, from 27 March. The company a...
France will decide next year whether to advance the timeline for a wide-ranging procurement that seeks to replace hundreds of light and medium helicopters operated by all three branches of its armed forces. Under the nascent hélicoptère interarmées léger (HIL) programme, Paris intends to begin the acquisition process in 2020. However, with a number of aged types r...
Airbus announced that Iran Air has agreed to purchase 118 jets from manufacturer valued as much as $25 billion. According to Airbus, the agreement was signed at the Élysée Palace in Paris during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit with French PresidentFrançois Hollande. The deal signed by Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh includes 73 widebody and 45...
