Compared to the 747-400
1. 16% reduction in carbon emissions.
2. 52% below CAEP/6 limits for NOx
CAEP - ICAO Council’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection set a limit for NOx in the 6th meeting.
3. 30% smaller noise footprint
4. 16% more fuel efficient.
The first wing spar for the 747-8F is being assembled at Boeing’s Everett, Wash. site marking the start of assembly of the new freighter model. The unit was loaded into a new automated assembly tool earlier this month following completion of the final 747-400 wing spar in a conventional jig late in July.
Final assembly of the first 747-8F is expected to begin early in 2009 with first delivery to launch customer Cargolux at the end of the year. Parts for the initial 747-8I Intercontinental passenger aircraft are due to enter assembly around September 2009.
Total orders for the 747-8 family currently stand at 105 of which 78 are freighters and 27 Intercontinental models. Of these -8Is, 20 are full passenger models while the balance will be for VIP and head of state customers.
The wing spar assembly tool for the 747-8 is the first of several new features to be inaugurated into use as part of a major revamp of the 747 production line at Everett. Other changes include upgraded hydraulic and electric power systems as well as stronger, larger overhead cranes and gantries that are required to carry the bigger sections of the 250.ft-long derivative. Boeing passed the 75% design release point on the 747-8F in the second quarter and expects to pass the 25% release point milestone for the -8I in the fourth quarter of 2008.
The Engine Alliance is defining the scope of an improvement program for its GP7200 turbofan to help Airbus enhance performance of the A380, and put some very long-range routes within reach.
The initiative, which aims to improve fuel burn another 1-2%, is part of a larger Airbus effort to improve efficiency by taking weight out of the mega-transport. 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. Emirates, the largest A380 customer, has just taken delivery of the first of its 58 aircraft. 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. The goal is to achieve this by around 2011-12.
Eclipse Aviation officials have announced it is reducing its workforce by 38 percent in “an effort to achieve financial stability as soon as possible.” Eclipse Aviation employees at Albuquerque, N.M.; Gainesville, Fla. and Albany, N.Y. facilities are affected. The move comes just two weeks after Eclipse announced layoffs of 200 employees, most of whom were temporary production line workers. Total employment now stands at 1,100, compared with 2,000 earlier this year.
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Boeing recently completed work on the first BBJ 3 (Boeing Business Jet). The BBJ 3 is a new, larger business jet based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range). The BBJ 3 has 1,120 square feet (104 square meters) of floor space, and provides 35 percent more interior space and 89 percent more luggage space than the BBJ 2. The BBJ 3’s range is between 5,435 nmi (10,066 km) and 4,725 nmi (8,751 km) depending on the number of passengers flown.
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Investigations have begun into an incident today involving a Qantas Airways Boeing 747-400 that was forced to make an emergency descent and diversion to Manila after a large section of its fuselage separated, resulting in a rapid decompression.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says it is dispatching a team of four investigators to the Philippine capital to assist local authorities with the probe into what it describes as “a serious incident”
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Qantas says the aircraft suffered “a hole in its fuselage”. Pictures released by the Manila International Airport Authority show a large gash several metres long on the right side of the aircraft just forward of the wing exposing part of the cargo hold.
The ATSB says: “At approximately 29,000ft (8,839m), the crew were forced to conduct an emergency descent after a section of the fuselage separated and resulted in a rapid decompression of the cabin.
Here is a picture of a Boeing 767 with blended winglets.
Bombardier today announced that its Board of Directors has granted approval for the launch of the CSeries family of aircraft, a new game-changing five abreast commercial airliner family, with the economics, performance, environmental and passenger-oriented improvements demanded by airline customers for the next quarter century. Entry into service is scheduled for 2013.
Launch customer, Lufthansa, a leading German airline, has signed a letter of interest (LOI) for up to 60 aircraft, including 30 options. The approximate list price of each aircraft is $46.7 million US. Additionally, discussions with a number of established airlines worldwide are progressing well.
Bombardier made the announcement today at the Farnborough International Airshow during a press conference at its CSeries pavilion hosted by Pierre Beaudoin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc.; Guy C. Hachey, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Aerospace and Gary R. Scott, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. Nico Buchholz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Fleet, Lufthansa attended the event as well as: David Moloney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Industry Canada; Raymond Bachand, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export, Government of Québec; Right Honourable Shaun Woodward MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Arlene Foster MLA, Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment; and Steve Finger, President, Pratt & Whitney. Also in attendance were representatives from the Shenyang Municipal Government, AVIC I/SACC, Rockwell Collins, Parker Hannifin Corporation, and Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse SAS.
Boeing Wednesday increased its 20-year forecast for global commercial jetliner deliveries for the sector by 2.8%, forecasting that demand for fuel-efficient replacement aircraft will outweigh capacity reductions by U.S. carriers.
Encompassing all airline manufacturers in the sector, Boeing now expects a market for 29,400 new commercial airplanes (passenger and freighter) by 2027, up 2.8% from its previous estimate of 28,600. Boeing added that the forecast factors-in the sector’s near-term challenges, including a slowing global economy, surging fuel prices, slowing traffic growth in some markets, and a concerted action by airlines to lower costs.
Boeing added that single-aisle airplanes will make up the bulk of the sector’s deliveries during the next 20 years. Strong domestic and intra-regional air travel growth in emerging Asia-Pacific markets, along with continued growth of low-cost carriers worldwide, is driving demand in this segment, the company said. Orders from Asia will comprise 31% of the deliveries; North America, 29%; and Europe/Asia, 27%.
