Reading Time: < 1 minute The second flying prototype of Russia’s Irkut MC-21 narrowbody program will join the flight test program in late February or early March this year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has tweeted. Initially, the new stage of Russia’s next generation narrowbody program was scheduled to commence before the end of 2017. The first MC-21 prototype […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Boeing unveiled a new unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) cargo air vehicle (CAV) prototype that will be used to test and evolve Boeing’s autonomy technology for future aerospace vehicles. It is designed to transport a payload up to 500 pounds for possible future cargo and logistics applications. “This flying cargo air vehicle represents another major step […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of HNA Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CFM International for the purchase of LEAP-1A engines to power 55 Airbus A320neo aircraft, along with a long-term support agreement for Hainan Airlines Holding and its affiliates. The MOU is valued at $4.2 billion U.S. Minister Zhong […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Airbus plans to ramp up A320 family production rates at its Final Assembly Line Asia (FALA) in Tianjin, China beginning in 2019, according to a framework agreement signed by Airbus and its Chinese partners Jan. 9. The agreement targets a ramp-up in production to five aircraft per month by early 2019 and six per month […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russia’s Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine program has entered the third phase of flight tests, United Engine Corporation (UEC) reports. The phase is intended for verifying the results of the previous, pre-certification test flights, after which the Federal Air Transport Agency is expected to issue a type certificate for the powerplant. A single production-compliant flying prototype is […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Boeing delivered more commercial airplanes than any manufacturer for the sixth consecutive year and set an industry record with 763 deliveries in 2017, driven by high output of the market-leading 737 and 787 jets. At the same time, the company grew its backlog with 912 net orders, reflecting healthy demand for its single-aisle and twin-aisle […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes The first structurally complete airframe for the new BelugaXL rolled out from its assembly hangar in Toulouse, France this month. Once operational, a fleet of these next-generation airlifters will be used to transport completed sections of Airbus aircraft among the company’s European production sites and to its final assembly lines in France, Germany and Spain. […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Airbus has completed assembly of the first A321neo ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex) at its facilities in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, will undergo ground tests prior to its scheduled first flight in the coming weeks. First delivery of an A321neo ACF to a customer is scheduled for mid-2018. The A321neo ACF […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Magnetic MRO, a global Total Technical Care maintenance and asset management organisation, has announced change in its shareholder structure. Its major shareholder, a private equity firm BaltCap, together with minority shareholders, are selling 100% of the shares in Magnetic MRO to Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology (“Hangxin”). Magnetic MRO has grown over the past 5 years […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russian aero-engine specialist UEC Saturn in 2018 will launch production of components for CFM International LEAP powerplants, which are intended for new-generation Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC narrowbody airliners. As follows from the company’s quarterly report, its division involved in the manufacture of blades for the SaM146 engine (the one powering the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional […]