A350 family nears 500 orders as Airbus confirms Etihad deal. Etihad’s order - which includes six A380s and 20 A320s - accounts for 51 of the 84 aircraft booked during the month.
It takes to 75 the number of orders for Airbus’ largest version of the A350 family, for which Emirates, Qatar Airways and Asiana Airlines are also [...]
The last Airbus A340-300 currently on order is undergoing testing in Toulouse ahead of delivery to an undisclosed customer - believed to be a Russian VIP. Unless Airbus secures more orders, this aircraft (MSN 955) will be the last of 246 CFM International CFM56-powered A340-200/300 “Classics” to be delivered.
After an abortive evaluation two years ago of an in-house design and one developed by Winglet Technology of the USA, Airbus revealed in May that it intended to re-examine the concept in conjunction with Boeing’s long-established supplier API.
… Airbus is preparing to relaunch flight-testing of winglets on the A320, following an agreement with US specialist Aviation Partners (API) to carry out trials.
Airbus is making a higher-gross weight version of the A330-200 available in the first half of 2010 in hopes of capturing new market share caused by Boeing 787 delays. Derek Davies, Airbus’ investor marketing director, told the US Valuation Conference hosted by ATI affiliate Commercial Aviation Online that the modification will increase maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for the passenger airliner by 5t.
Our A380 will be deployed on commercial service again as soon as possible,” Arabian Business quoted an airline official as saying.
… Dubai-based Emirates Airline has grounded its Airbus A380 plane, an online business news service reported.
Airlines, too, are looking to do their part, with Emirates saying it is scrubbing its cabin to contribute to the goal of reducing overall aircraft empty weight by 4-5 metric tons. … The engine enhancement and weight efforts are aimed at allowing the carrier to use the A380 more widely, with Emirates hoping it can stretch the aircraft range to allow flights to San Francisco with full passenger and freight loads.
Chief Executive Tom Enders of European aircraft maker Airbus said Wednesday the company would look at producing a longer version of the A380 aircraft if a sufficient number of clients asked it to.
Passengers flying on Emirates new Airbus A380 - to be delivered this autumn - will be able to take a hot shower mid-flight. … Emirates has yet to reveal the details of its A380 first-class cabin but has promised it will be even more extravagant than Singaopre Airlines’ cabin.
Apparently money can’t buy everything, as news broke that Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s personal Airbus A380 “Flying Palace” will not feature an onboard swimming pool. An Airbus executive recently told jet trade publication Aviation International News, “You can forget about the swimming pool,” and that doing a few laps at 35,000 feet “can’t happen and won’t happen.”
Airbus secured net orders for 1,341 aircraft during 2007, giving the European manufacturer a 48.7% share of the market.
