Airbus Industries

[Aviador]

Skymark Airline of Japan has confirmed a $1.5 billion order for four European Airbus A380 superjumbo's. The airline is Japan's third largest airline and operates low cost routes in the region. The airline has said it is considering low-cost flights to London, Frankfurt & Paris from 2014.

 

[Aviador]

Reuters reports a surge of aircraft sales for Airbus Industries this year against rivals Boeing. In the article Reuters claim this will put pressure on Boeing to bring forward plans for a successor to the Boeing 737 or a more cost effective version of the aircraft.

A $9 billion, 100-plane order from the leasing arm of U.S. insurance group AIG (AIG.N) has lifted Airbus above Boeing (BA.N) in new jetliner sales this year.

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[Aviador]

Airbus Industries has confirmed Garuda Indonesia has ordered 25 Airbus A320.

 

[Jordan-34092]

[textarea]Strike planned at German Airbus sites on 7 October

Employees at Airbus's German plants will strike on 7 October after talks with the management about terms and conditions were suspended yesterday.

The local IG Metall union announced that it called on 16,000 employees at the manufacturer's four sites in Hamburg, Bremen, Stade and Buxtehude to undertake a one-day strike.

The walkout is to begin at 9:15am local time and will cover three shifts.

After failing to achieve a temporary injunction against industrial action last week, Airbus threatened that strikes could influence its plans to allocate more final assembly capacity for A320-family aircraft to Hamburg as this might lead to a "loss of trust" in the German sites.

A central point of disagreement between the management, employees and union is the use of temporary staff.

Airbus currently employs around 3,500 temporary staff members (22%) at the four plants, according to IG Metall. The union wants to limit this quota to 15%.

Giving employees a greater say in the organisation and optimisation of work processes is another issue where no agreement could yet be reached. Contract negotiations have been underway for more than a year.

Airbus wants to increase the productivity of the four sites until 2020. While the employee side is willing to contribute, there is disagreement over the calculation method and hence the potential for the efficiency improvements.

The airframer plans to make savings worth around €123 million ($164 million) every year until 2020, according to IG Metall. The union added that, from the second year onwards, this would see the cost base being cut by another €123 million, after it had already been reduced by that amount during the previous year. In total, the cuts would ammount to around €5.5 billion.

IG Metall wants to make productivity improvements, which lead to a similar annual savings. However, this would be calculated across the next eight years and lead to total savings of around €1.1 billion.

Source[/textarea]

 

[Jordan-34092]

Airbus A350 final assembly schedule slips to 2012


Airbus has slipped the development schedule of the A350-900, with entry into service set for the first half of 2014 and the beginning of final assembly put back to early 2012.

The airframer had been hoping to start final assembly of the twinjet by the end of 2011 but had increasingly indicated that technological issues, and a desire to avoid immature sections being delivered too quickly, could force a slip.

EADS chief Louis Gallois said the A350, in particular, continues to have "our highest management attention".

The Airbus parent confirmed the schedule slip in its third-quarter results disclosure.

It said the start of final assembly is now scheduled for the first quarter of 2012 and entry into service for the first half of 2014. The aircraft had been due to enter service in 2013.

EADS said it is booking a charge of €200 million ($270 million) against the A350 programme in its third-quarter figures.

Source

 

[Jordan-34092]

Airbus’s Longest Plane Proves Short-Lived as A340 Orders Dry Up


Airbus SAS has ended production of its four-engine A340 aircraft after the jet with the company’s longest fuselage lost out to Boeing Co.’s twin-engine 777 model.

Airbus, the world’s largest maker of commercial aircraft, announced the end of the program today as parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. reported earnings. Terminating the program will lead to an operating gain of 192 million euros ($261 million), EADS said, without explaining why it’s concluding production of the jet that started service in 1993.

“In an environment where the fuel price is high, the A340 has had no chance to compete against similar twin engines, and the current lease rates and values of this aircraft reflect the deep resistance of any airlines to continue operating it,” said Bertrand Grabowski, managing director of the transport group at DVB Bank SE, among the biggest aircraft financiers in Europe.

The A340, which held the record as the longest civil aircraft until Boeing stretched its 747-8 jumbo, fits up to 375 passengers and can fly non-stop from Singapore to Los Angeles. Airbus has said the four engines make the aircraft better suited to traverse remote areas such as oceans and mountain ranges. German Chancellor Angela Merkel received two customized A340s this year previously owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

‘Bigger Than Yours’

The program is the shortest-lived so far for Airbus, which saw orders for the jet dry up after safety regulators began allowing twin-engine models such as the Boeing 777 to fly long routes without having to stay close to emergency stopping areas. There are 365 A340s in operation today.

The plane is manufactured on the same production line as the more popular A330, a twin-engine aircraft with less range that has fared well, particularly amid delays on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Airbus sold no A340s in the last two years, EADS said today. Boeing, by contrast, has won 132 orders for the 777 in this year’s first 10 months and is boosting output.

Lufthansa, Germany’s largest carrier, has 63 A340s, of which 50 are at Lufthansa and 13 are operated by its Swiss unit. The company has no outstanding orders for A340s and doesn’t expect financial repercussions from the program ending, spokesman Thomas Jachnow said by telephone today. Other major operators include Singapore Airlines Ltd and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.

Virgin founder Richard Branson posed in front of an A340 with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer at a Farnborough Air Show a decade ago, with the words “Mine’s bigger than yours” emblazoned on the side of the aircraft.

The largest A340-500 and A340-600 versions are powered exclusively by Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc Trent 500 engines, and Airbus has said the use of four engines reduces maintenance costs because they can operate at lower thrust. The A340-600 has an unusual undercarriage as it boasts an additional set of wheels in the central part of the fuselage between the wings.

“It’s sad, as it was a beautiful plane, and very nice to fly on, but the plane was too heavy and there was a big fuel burn gap between the A340 and Boeing’s 777,” said Nick Cunningham, an analyst at London-based Agency Partners.

Source

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Such a shame really, always love flying on this beautiful aircraft. it will be missed, but it really didn't have a chance against the 777. Least it's little brother, the A330 is still in production, will be sad when the production of that aircraft types ends.

 

[Aviador]

Totally agree with you Concorde Lover. It will be such a shame to see this aircraft disappear from the skies but it was always going to be inevitable with the cost of oil at the price it is these days.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Airbus prepares first A350 for main structural tests


Airbus has detailed its A350 main structural test campaign as it prepares to assemble the initial static airframe at Toulouse, ahead of full-scale testing in 2012.

A350 chief engineer Gordon McConnell said the fatigue test aircraft will be divided between three stations. EF1 will handle the nose sections 11, 12 and 13, while EF2 will deal with central sections 15-21, and 22, including the belly fairing and wing box. EF3 will focus on empennage sections 16-19, with a stub vertical fin.

The fatigue structures will include dummy parts for the nose and main landing gear, horizontal stabiliser and tail cone.

Airbus's first A350 in final assembly will be a static aircraft. Static testing will comprise the ES structure - a full airframe, fuselage and wing box, to provide data for first flight clearance as well as limit and ultimate load tests. A separate structure, EW, focused on the left-hand wing box, will be used for wing damage tolerance testing not performed on the ES rig, using 42 loading jacks.

Airbus


EF1 will undertake 3,000 simulated flights a week. The EF2 rig - located in Erding, Germany, with the EW rig - will demonstrate fatigue of metallic parts, with simulated flights covering three design service goals. The EF3 rig is in Hamburg.

McConnell said more than 50% of the structures tests are running or have been completed as the airframer bids to ensure components achieve a high level of maturity, to reduce the risk of a lengthy programme overrun - particularly given that entry into service has already slipped to 2014.

Two development simulators have logged 300h since May, while the major integration benches and "iron bird" system for hydraulics and electrics assessment are also running.

The "iron bird" will be coupled with the simulators to create "Aircraft Zero". Integration tests for the high-lift system and landing gear have also started.

Five test examples of the Honeywell auxiliary power unit have completed more than 1,160h of tests, including some 3,200 starts, and APU icing certification tests have been completed. There is "good confidence" in the APU, said McConnell.

McConnell said more than 140 flight and ground tests - about 100 with Airbus's development jets, such as the A380 and A340, and the rest with supplier test aircraft - have been, or will be, performed to gain "early exposure" of A350 systems to flight conditions, before the type's flight tests.

Aircraft MSN1 will be the first flying prototype, and MSN3 will be a similar aircraft, while MSN2 will have a cabin fitted.

Among the crucial components sent to the final assembly line is the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB powerplant, delivered on 16 September. The engine for the A350-900 is the first in the Trent family to pass endurance testing first time, said the manufacturer.

Rolls-Royce has eight prototype engines, which have logged 1,200h of ground tests, and is preparing to carry out the first Trent XWB flights using a single example attached to an A380.

During a 150h regime, the engine was subjected to 17h operating at maximum red-line speeds and 42h at maximum continuous rating.

Trent XWB programme director Chris Cholerton said that for the last third of the test the manufacturer increased the temperatures, running the engine - intended to deliver 84,000lb (370Kn) thrust for the twinjet - at 91,300lb.

During strip-down and inspection of the components, the company discovered barely any damage except for some impact on a rotating seal - an issue which was easy to resolve, said Cholerton.

Cholerton said Rolls-Royce had looked at "every disruptive event" in the Trent family to "check that none of the known existing service issues is present" in the XWB.

He added that the compressor had been "exceeding expectation" and the performance of the engine had allowed the manufacturer to simplify the design - such as replacing a set of rotating vanes with static ones.

Early performance results gave Rolls-Royce the leeway to raise the thrust capability of the engine to 97,000lb, an increase at the heart of the A350-1000 redesign, detailed earlier this year, which lifted the type's payload-range and maximum take-off weight.

McConnell revealed that other major changes to the -1000 had been considered, including a smaller vertical fin and a mini trailing-edge device for the flaps, but said these had been "dropped". However, other alterations have been adopted: the main landing-gear beam attachment had been "optimised" and the ram-air turbine moved slightly aft.

Redesign of the -1000 has not satisfied two of its four customers - Dubai-based Emirates and Doha-based Qatar Airways - but Airbus reiterated during the Dubai air show that it would not alter the design again.

"Our opinion on the -1000 remains the same. We are not happy," said Qatar chief Akbar Al Baker, who even suggested Airbus would rethink the configuration.

But Airbus chief operating officer for customers, John Leahy, dismissed the idea. "We clearly need to get a sales team to Doha to explain the aircraft," he said.

McConnell said: "We have a great aircraft that can fly anywhere in the world. We're not going to change it."

Source

 

[Jordan-34092]

SINGAPORE, QANTAS SAY CRACKS FOUND IN SOME A380S


Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways said on Friday they discovered cracks on the wing ribs of some of their Airbus A380s, but said the cracks pose no threat to safety and repairs have been carried out.

The remarks came after Airbus said on Thursday that engineers discovered minor cracks in the wings of a "limited number" of A380s, but said the cracks were not affecting the safety of the aircraft.

"Cracks were found on a small number of wing rib feet on an Airbus A380 during inspections in the second half of last year. These pose no safety issue and repairs were carried out on the aircraft," SIA's spokesman Nicholas Ionides said in an email to reporters.

"Repairs were subsequently carried out on a second aircraft. We have kept the relevant regulatory authorities fully informed and will be carrying out inspections and any necessary repairs on other A380s as they go in for routine checks," he added.

Qantas separately said that "minuscule cracking" was found in the wing ribs of the Qantas A380 being repaired in Singapore after one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines suffered a mid-air blowout in 2010.

"Investigations have found that the cracking is unrelated to the engine failure incident experienced by this aircraft in November 2010 and is not unique to Qantas. It has now been repaired," the carrier said in a statement.

"No immediate action is required by A380 operators because the cracking presents no risk whatsoever to flight safety," Qantas said.

Airbus said it has traced the origin of the problem and developed an inspection and repair procedure that will be done during routine, scheduled four-year maintenance checks.

Singapore Air operates 14 A380s and has five on order, while Qantas has taken delivery of 10 of its 20 A380 aircraft on order, according to the airline's website.

Source

Not something you want to hear about on brand new aircraft. Even though there saying there no risk im defiantly not flying on the A380 if i can help it.

 

[tleeds]

Well even though they pose no threat to safety, the bottom line is they shouldn't be there. And if they are appearing on 'newish' aircraft, I dread to think how much maintenance would have to be carried out as the frames get older... not good news for Airbus.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Australian Engineers are demanding that all A380 Aircraft in service to be grounded, due to being not Air worthy, this is down to the aircraft having cracks appearing on the wing ribs of the aircraft. Full story and video below.

Airbus A380 fleet should be grounded, say engineers

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlZ6nbr7kA[/video]

Aircraft engineers in Australia have called for the entire worldwide fleet of Airbus A-380 super-jumbos to be grounded after cracks were found in some wings.

The faults were discovered in planes operated by Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines.

Airbus say they have found the cause of the problem and insist the planes are safe, as Tim Allman reports.

Source

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The poor old punter won't know who to believe.

Airbus says the cracks are non-critical and are being dealt with (cynics will say they would say that) whilst the statement from the Australian engineeers association will be dismissed by others as the group using public safety as part of another agenda.

It could be argued that 380s are now safer because the fault has been discovered and acted upon (if Airbus is to be believed). Let's hope they are right.

Older people will remember the Comet disasters of the early 1950s that was the result of stress cracks in the skin around the windows.

People are still many more times likely to be killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads than in a licensed passenger carrying aircraft, yet how many people are really nervous about travelling by road vehicle or even being a pedestrian?

 

[Jordan-34092]

Airbus Eyes A330 Production Increase Before A320


Airbus expects to decide soon on a plan to boost widebody output to a rate of 11 aircraft a month even as it delays ramping up narrowbody production.

Airbus had been considering a single-aisle production rate increase to 44 aircraft a month, but has decided to hold off for the moment because of bottlenecks among Tier 2 suppliers. The situation is different for the A330, making a production boost there possible, says John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers. The company expects to reach a production rate of 10 widebodies per month this year.

Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier hints that a decision on the single-aisle side could wait until a rate of 42 aircraft per month is reached, which is expected next year. “It would be premature to do it now,” he notes.

One of the reasons Airbus is keen to boost production is because of its bulging backlog. The company booked 1,419 net orders last year and made 535 deliveries. And 2012 should see order intake move ahead of deliveries, with new orders forecast to reach 600-650, while deliveries of 570 aircraft are expected. The order intake should include about 30 A380s, matching the 2012 delivery target.

Output is only one of the deliberations for Airbus this year. The other is whether to launch an A330 winglet program. Leahy says studies have begun for both forward-fit and retrofit options. A decision is likely this year.

If the devices could yield a 2% fuel burn benefit, Leahy says such a program would likely move forward.

Not on the near-term agenda is the A380-900 program, a stretched version of the aircraft now on the market. Despite occasional customer interest, such a project would not likely emerge until the second half of the decade, says Airbus CEO Tom Enders. The focus now is on ramping up production. Profit-delivering aircraft will go to customers starting in 2015.



Source


Etihad becomes first to cancel A350-1000s

Etihad Airways has cancelled six Airbus A350-1000s, the first carrier to have cut its backlog for the type since the aircraft was redesigned last year.

Airbus had a backlog of 75 A350-1000s but its latest order and delivery figures show Etihad's backlog of 25 has been cut to 19.

While Etihad has not commented on the A350-1000 redesign, a source close to the carrier said it was not content with the changes made to the twinjet, echoing the feelings expressed by Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Airbus chief Tom Enders indicated there might be "short-term" issues regarding discussions with existing customers for the A350-1000.

The A350 programme secured orders for only 10 aircraft in 2011, while cancellation of 41 left the type in negative net figures for the year.

Cancellation of a single A350-800 also helped to reduce the A350 order backlog to 555 aircraft, comprising 118 -800s, 368 -900s and 19 -1000s.

Enders reiterated the airframer's caution over A350 development, admitting that postponement of its entry to the final assembly line had been decided after the programme "ran into some serious problems" with key elements.

He said the A350's final assembly would begin in March 2012. Without caution, and assurance of maturity, he said, "you're setting yourself up for disaster".

Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said he was in discussions with three major airlines for the A350-1000, and added that the main problem was "getting them early delivery positions".

Source

 

[Jordan-34092]

The European Aviation Safety Agency is expected to issue an air worthiness directive on Friday. This will require all airlines who operate the A380 to make inspections to see if there is any cracks appearing on their aircraft.

Fully story on link below

Source

 

[channex 757]

Airworthiness Directive regarding Airbus A380 wing cracks

Europe's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have released an Airworthiness Directive concerning cracks that were discovered on the Airbus A380's wing ribs during the repairs of a Qantas A380 involved in the uncontained engine failure near Singapore, see Accident: Qantas A388 near Singapore on Nov 4th 2010, uncontained engine failure and subsequent inspections by other operators throughout the A380 fleet.

EASA mandates as interim action, further mandatory rulemaking to be expected, that all Airbus A380 aircraft with serial numbers 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 33, 34 and 45 with 1800 flight cycles or more since first flight to be inspected within four days, aircraft with 1300 flight cycles or more and less than 1800 flight cycles within six weeks.

The inspections have to check both left and right hand wings of the aircraft according to instructions AOT A380-57A8058 already released by Airbus. If any cracks are detected by these inspections, Airbus has to be contacted for approved instructions on how to proceed with the aircraft and those instructions have to be applied within compliance time.

The Airworthiness Directive - that carries all hallmarks of an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD), however was not released as EAD - was released before public consultation.

EASA argues that during the inspections following the first discovery of cracks during the repair of the Qantas aircraft a new type of cracks was discovered that is more significant than the original type of rib foot hole cracking and can develop into type 2 cracks from that web cracking and thus could potentially affect structural integrity of the aircraft if not corrected.


Source - http://www.avherald.com/h?article=44992a89&opt=0

 

[Aviador]

Malaysia Airlines has taken delivery of its first A380 aircraft at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

 

[Aviador]

Chicagotribune.com reports: "Industry sources said on Sunday that International Airlines Group , which owns both BA and Spain's Iberia, appeared close to ordering approximately 20 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft worth $332 million apiece at list prices."

This would be a huge coup for Airbus if this news turns out to be correct. Boeing has incurred severe delivery delays with the Boeing 787 after suffering numerous setbacks prompting airlines to look at alternatives such as the Airbus A350.

 

[Aviador]

IAG, British Airways commits to 18 Airbus A350-1000s

International Airline Group (IAG), parent company of British Airways and Iberia, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 18 A350-1000s, plus 18 options.

Source: http://atwonline.com/airframes/iag-brit ... a350-1000s

 

[Aviador]

More and more operators are opting for the larger variant A350-1000 which is not a particularly good move for airports with shorter runways but it clearly offers the best economical option.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

More and more operators are opting for the larger variant A350-1000 which is not a particularly good move for airports with shorter runways but it clearly offers the best economical option.

Not only that, but the larger 350s (and the larger 787s) are often too big for the market these airports can support.