Asian Aerospace News

A380 wing stress test results not a problem, Airbus says

India won't follow US model, says Boeing executive

Alteon and Qantas team up on training

Kingfisher adds 15 to firm ATR order book

Additional stories
Asian Aerospace news from Feb. 21, Feb. 22

Singapore, Feb. 23, 2006

A380 wing stress test results not a problem, Airbus says

Development testing of the four A380s now flying has produced "perfect" results, said Charles Champion, Airbus COO and head of the A380 program, at a press conference here. However, stress testing of the wing, after progressing well through 6,723 cycles, hit a snag when in the final ultimate-failure test the wing cracked at just over 145% of limit load, slightly short of the 150% required for certification.

The 150% level can be proved via testing or analysis of other stress testing, Champion said. "I'm extremely confident the tests will prove satisfactory to get certification but the engineers are now crunching the numbers. We're looking at the loads, the test setup and exactly what happened to the wing to see exactly what must be done to demonstrate" the 150% level.

He added that he is uncertain if the wing will need reinforcement, but if it does, the failure was "in a place where it will only add a few kilos [of weight] and it could be done easily to meet our certification target."

The A380s have accumulated more than 1,000 hr. in the test program, completely clearing the flight envelope and demonstrating "really good" noise test results, proving the aircraft will meet London Heathrow's QC2 levels upon service entry.

Airbus has started assembly of the 29th A380 and has completed Singapore Airlines' first six aircraft, plus one each for Qantas and Emirates, Champion said.

The total Airbus order backlog now amounts to more than 2,100 aircraft, said President and CEO Gustav Humbert, "insuring production at very high rates for the next five years." Airbus profitability has improved as well, exceeding 10% of revenue in 2005 for the first time. "As long as we remain with a 40%-60% market share, 1% more profitability is more important than 1% market share. We are happy with one-half of the market," Humbert said.
by J.A. Donoghue

India won't follow US model, says Boeing executive

Although India is experiencing a wave of startup activity by low-fare carriers, the country is unlikely to follow the same path as the US and Europe with all airlines eventually driven to more or less adopt a no-frills model for domestic service, said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Senior VP-Sales Dinesh Keskar.

Speaking to ATWOnline here, Keskar said that although the no-frills approach can succeed in India, many customers are still drawn to full-service airlines and expect a commensurate level of service. "A lot of people [in India] have money" and they are willing to spend it to enjoy a higher level of air service, he said.

Additionally, even full-service carriers offer capacity-controlled discount fares and the difference between an LCC fare and that of a traditional airline is not as great as it was in the US during the pre-9/11 days. For example, the cheapest fare on a major route such as Mumbai-Delhi might be $60 versus $190 for the equivalent of an unrestricted fare. A business class fare on the same route might be $300.

Keskar also said India is not a good candidate for a classic hub-and-spoke model. "India is too small a country," he observed, and the largest cities are not centrally located. However, he noted that "India has so many people you can have point-to-point; you don't need to funnel people through hubs."

Infrastructure constraints tend to be more of an issue at major cities and India can handle at least three years of growth before this may become a brake on airline expansion. The government's program to privatize airports will drive private investment and help to address capacity issues, Keskar believes.
by Perry Flint

Alteon and Qantas team up on training

Alteon and Qantas announced a "strategic alliance" to provide training solutions in the Asia/Pacific region. Under the agreement signed in Singapore yesterday, the Boeing subsidiary and the airline will offer training solutions to third parties at Qantas and Alteon Training Centers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane using a combination of Qantas and Alteon training resources.

Alteon President Pat Gaines told ATWOnline here that the agreement does not call for any investment in new joint facilities. Both Gaines and Qantas GM-Flight Training David Coates cited the emerging pilot shortage in developing countries facing rapid growth of airlines as a reason for collaborating on training. Alteon estimates that China will need 34,000 new commercial pilots to handle anticipated growth over the next 20 years.

A major focus for Alteon is its first officer development program. It also will be launching a beta test of the Multi Crew Pilot Licensing program to meet the demand for more qualified pilots in the future.

Kingfisher adds 15 to firm ATR order book

Kingfisher Airlines firmed options for 15 ATR 72-500s, part of an order signed in December that included 20 firm aircraft. It also took 20 new options. Deliveries will begin in 2007. The ATRs will be used on smaller domestic routes to link Kingfisher hubs in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Bangalore. ATR logged 90 firm orders in 2005 plus 26 options.

Boeing is coy over future development plans for the 777-200ER as it closes on the compelling business case for the 320-seat 787-10. Speaking at Asian Aerospace yesterday, VP-Product Development Dan Mooney said the airframer is evaluating options for the 777-200ER but that moving forward, demand clearly will be much stronger for the 777-200LR/-300ER/-200F family. "However, we expect current 777-200ER operators will continue to buy that model," he added. The first 777-200LR will be delivered to Pakistan International Airlines Friday.

Turning to the 747-8 launched last fall, Mooney said that at a fuel price of $1.50 a gallon the aircraft would have a $2.1 million a year savings over a 747-400 and savings would jump to $2.8 million if fuel hit $2.00 a gallon.

VP-Marketing Randy Baseler told ATWOnline that Boeing has active campaigns with 20 airlines for the 747-8. While he would not name them, Singapore Airlines and Qantas are believed to be high on the agenda, and sources at Qantas told this website that the carrier is "impressed" with the aircraft. Baseler believes the airframer will land two customers for the 747-8 Intercontinental this year.
by Geoffrey Thomas

Soaring fuel prices have sparked renewed interest in the 86-seat CRJ900 and 70-seat Q400, Bombardier VP-Marketing and Communication Trung Ngo told ATWOnline here. Currently there are 59 firm orders for the CRJ900, which was introduced into service in 2003, and 39 have been delivered. There are 163 orders for Q400s, 60 of which were sold last year, Ngo said, adding, "There will be more dash 900 orders and Q400s. That's our prognosis."

The Q400 has proven to be very popular in Asia and Europe, with ANA, Japan Airlines, FlyBE and QantasLink as customers. Recently, Air Nostrum took delivery of a single CRJ900 that it uses between Madrid and Barcelona while Lufthansa has ordered 12 for its CityLine operation. In January, Atlasjet of Turkey placed three firm orders plus two options.

Commenting on Bombardier's decision to exhibit a mockup of the CSeries at Asian Aerospace, Ngo said it has been shown in a number of markets over the past two years and the company will continue efforts to market the new line of 110/130-seat aircraft. It placed the program in a holding pattern in January after failing to secure a launch customer, but did not pull the plug entirely although staff and budget were reduced.
by Sandra Arnoult

Lufthansa Technik continues to grow its presence in the Asia/Pacific market, where more than a quarter of the global MRO provider's 25,500-plus employees are located. Yesterday in Singapore, the company announced that Japan Transocean Air signed a Total Component Maintenance contract covering its 23 737-400s based in Okinawa. LHT also will provide Total Technical Support to Star Flyer, a Japanese startup set to launch March 16 using A320s. Additionally, it has new MRO agreements with ANA, Japan Airlines and Skymark.

"Asia is the most important growth market" for LHT, Chairman August Henningsen said here. The company is committed to growing Ameco-Beijing, its joint-venture MRO facility with Air China, as well as Airfoil Services, its joint venture with MTU based in Malaysia. It recently added the capability to do PW4000 thrust reversers at its Shenzhen facility.

LHT also is moving aggressively to make sure that it is ready to handle the A380 when Lufthansa takes first delivery in 2008. "We cannot allow any surprises," Henningsen said. LHT has teamed with Air France Industries to create Spairliners, which will offer component support to A380 customers. With an average order per airline of seven A380s, it does not make sense for many of these companies to develop their own component spares pools, he observed.

Air France Industries will provide full maintenance support for the GE90 engines powering six of Vietnam Airlines' 777s, the first such contract for AFI. The agreement covers spare engine support. Vietnam Airlines currently operates 10 777s, six with GE90 powerplants. AFI also will deliver on-wing engine services and operation support for VN in all of its line stations worldwide. Term of the initial contract is three years.

IAE will support Jetstar's V2500s powering its A320s under a 10-year agreement that covers 20 A320 shipsets plus three spare engines. Fifteen of the aircraft covered by the agreement currently are in service.

Singapore Technologies Aerospace and Agencia del Area Economica Especial Panama-Pacifico signed an MOU covering establishment of an airframe heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Panama. ST Aero is to take over the four existing hangars at the former Howard AFB just west of the Panama Canal. Each hangar is able to take up to three 737-size aircraft and the facility will be ready for operations in early 2007. AAEEPP was commissioned by the Panamanian government to attract foreign investors into the Howard area. ST Aero President Tay Kok Khiang said the company had been looking for a location to develop additional maintenance capacity in Central or South America to complement its two airframe repair stations in the US.

Pratt & Whitney Canada signed an exclusive five-year agreement with ATR to maintain PW127 and PW121 engines for Air Deccan's fleet of ATR 42s and ATR 72s. P&WC will establish hot section inspection capability in India by year end to support Air Deccan's fleet and the growing number of commercial and corporate operators in India.

Bombardier selected SAS Component Group to provide Total Package Support for Q400 operators.

Singapore Airlines ordered Boeing's Class 3 EFB installation kits for its entire fleet of new and existing 777s. SIA has 58 777s in service, the largest fleet in the world, and an additional 19 on order. With the EFB order, it becomes the first airline in the world to operate multiple Boeing e-Enabled maintenance and performance products on the same fleet of airplanes.

SAMA, a low-cost airline in Saudi Arabia, selected the SafTGlo photoluminescent floor path marking system for its 737-300s.

Avionics Support Group received an STC for its navAero t-Bag C22 Class 2 EFB for the 737NG. First installation was completed on a 737-800 for Miami Air International, which plans fleetwide deployment in the coming months.

Air Seychelles signed a five-year contract with Unitpools to outsource unit load device control operations and join a ULD pool.

Thales was selected by Shanghai Airlines to supply two 737-800 Level D full-flight simulators and support training equipment in a contract valued in excess of $20 million.

Nordam Group named David Tan Wai Sing MD-sales and marketing of subsidiary Nordam Singapore Pte. Ltd. Tan is responsible for all sales and marketing activities for the region and manages the company's Singapore Customer Service Team. He reports directly to Brett Benton, VP-Asia/Pacific.

Nordam has expanded its six sigma program, known for reducing defects and process variations, following initial success in its Tulsa repair and transparency facility. The expanded program now includes all facilities in the US as well as England, Wales and Singapore.