New York, July 24, 2023, (BUSINESS WIRE) – JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today announced the appointment of Susan Pfingstler to vice president, JetBlue University. In this role, Pfingstler will oversee the carrier’s award-winning training programs and facilities. She will report to Warren Christie, JetBlue’s head of safety, security, fleet operations and JetBlue University.
From locations in Orlando, New York and Salt Lake City, JetBlue University offers new hire and recurrent training for JetBlue’s airports, customer support (reservations), flight operations, inflight, system operations, and technical operations (maintenance) crewmembers, as well as pilot training services for a variety of other airlines around the world.
Pfingstler comes to JetBlue from United Airlines where she served as the managing director, network operations, air traffic control strategy. Previously, she held positions with the Federal Aviation Administration, the International Air Transport Association, and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. She spent the first decade of her career as a New York City-based pilot in both the corporate and Part 121 airline arenas.
Pfingstler holds a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She is a Board Member of NASA’s Advisory Council Aeronautics Committee and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Marignane, France, July 19, 2023– Airbus (OTC: EADSY) Helicopters has received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for the H175 helicopter. This certification will allow H175 deliveries to begin in China, one of the most demanding markets worldwide for civil helicopters with a growing need for the super-medium segment. Four H175s will be delivered to Chinese customers in 2023.
To sustain the helicopter market growth in China, Airbus Helicopters is committed to jointly work with the Chinese industry to develop the Chinese civil market with products such as the H175, aiming to serve the interests of the Chinese people and the economy. In service since 2015, Airbus’ H175 belongs to the super-medium class of helicopters. Combining long-range with advanced quality of flight, it provides the best solution for a number of missions, including offshore crew change, SAR, all public services, and private and business aviation. The 53 H175s currently in service have accumulated over 185,000 flight hours in 13 countries.
Wichita, Kansas (July, 11, 2023) – Textron Aviation (NYSE: TXT) today announced it has been awarded a contract by AvMet International LLC (AvMet), based in Fargo, North Dakota, for one Beechcraft King Air 360CHW (cargo door, heavy weight) and four Beechcraft King Air 260 aircraft. The Beechcraft King Air fleet will support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology program for cloud seeding.
AvMet and its partners Weather Modification International (WMI) and Fargo Jet Center (FJC) will work collaboratively to equip the four King Air 260 aircraft with a Cloud Water Inertial Probe (CWIP), Data Logger with aircraft tracking, and cloud seeding equipment. The King Air 360CHW will be rigged with Cloud Seeding equipment, a research laboratory and an instrument package for studying cloud physics and aerosols.
The aircraft will be modified at WMI’s headquarters in Fargo with sister company Fargo Jet Center LLC (FJC). FJC’s Part 145 Repair Station, which is an authorized service facility for the family of Beechcraft King Air aircraft, teamed with WMI to certify the Federal Aviation Administration approved Supplemental Type Certificate modifications for cloud seeding and atmospheric research equipment. Together, Textron Aviation, WMI and FJC will provide the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology with the newest technologies in cloud seeding and atmospheric sciences instrumentation.
Endless Special Mission Possibilities
When government, military and commercial customers want airborne solutions for critical missions, they turn to Textron Aviation. The company’s aviation solutions provide the high performance and flight characteristics required to address the unique challenges of special mission operations. With unparalleled quality, versatility and low operating costs, Textron Aviation products are preferred for air ambulance, ISR, utility transport, aerial survey, flight inspection, training and a number of other special operations.
The Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 with the registration D-ABPA and the future name “Berlin” will be delivered to Lufthansa following certification by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) this summer.
The ultra-modern long-haul “Dreamliner” aircraft will consume an average of around 2.5 liters of kerosene per passenger and 100 kilometers flown. That is around 25 percent less than their predecessor aircraft. The CO2 emissions are also improved accordingly.
The Boeing 787-9 “Berlin” will have an improved cabin product – including direct aisle access for all guests in Business Class. Following several weeks of planned cabin refurbishments at Lufthansa’s maintenance in Frankfurt, the aircraft will be deployed initially on domestic German routes for training purposes. The first intercontinental scheduled destination of the Lufthansa “Dreamliner” will be Toronto.
In total, the Lufthansa Group has ordered 32 Boeing “Dreamliner” with delivery between 2022 and 2027.
Saab (OTC: SAABF) has received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) regarding new equipment for Gripen E. This is a supplementary contract to the original Gripen E contract from 2013. The order value amounts to approximately SEK 1.4 billion.
The original contract, regarding development and modification of Gripen E, signed in February 2013, was based on the terms that certain equipment from the existing Gripen C/D fleet within the Swedish Armed Forces should be reused.
Instead of reusing equipment from the Gripen C/D, new equipment is acquired for a part of the total Swedish order of 60 Gripen E aircraft. This approach secures the availability of the Swedish Gripen C/D fleet in service, while Gripen E is being delivered and introduced to the Swedish Armed Forces.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Making its appearance at the first edition of the Selangor Aviation Show is Embraer’s E195-E2, the world’s most efficient and sustainable single-aisle jet. Showcasing a stunning “TechLion” livery that covers the entire aircraft’s fuselage, the E195-E2’s appearance at the Selangor Aviation Show comes after the aircraft’s presence at the Dubai Air Show earlier in the month. Featuring Embraer’s two by two passenger seating, the commercial jet sits up to 146 passengers.
In its 2021 market outlook, Embraer foresees a demand of 60 new commercial aircraft under 150 seats in Malaysia over the next 10 years. Driving this demand is the opportunity for aircraft under 150 seats to complement larger aircraft prevalent in the country and enhance the viability of establishing new routes or increasing the frequency of existing routes. This includes the boosting of direct connectivity within Peninsula Malaysia, as well as connectivity between cities in Peninsula Malaysia to East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak).
With a range of 2600nm (~5.5 hours of flight time), the E195-E2 is the largest of the three aircraft in the E-Jets E2 family. It entered into service at the end of 2019 following type certification from three major world regulatory authorities – the FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration), EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and ANAC (the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency). It is currently operated by KLM, which has 53 Embraer E-Jets in its fleet, Azul which operates 55 E-Jets and flies to more than 100 destinations in Brazil, as well as airlines in Switzerland, Spain, Belarus and Nigeria.
Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets that seat up to 150 passengers. The commercial aircraft manufactured by Embraer are being operated by airlines in more than 130 airlines across over 70 countries, including airlines in the US (all the major carriers), British Airways, KLM, Japan Airlines and airlines in China.
We are in mourning today for the people who lost their lives due to the derailment of the Empire Builder train Saturday, near Joplin, Montana, on the BNSF Railway, as well as the many others who were injured. We have no words that can adequately express our sorrow for those who lost a loved one or who were hurt in this horrible event. They are in our thoughts and prayers.
We are fully cooperating with the investigation, working closely with National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Railroad Administration, local law enforcement and response agencies. We share the sense of urgency to understand why the accident happened; however, until the investigation is complete, we will not comment further on the accident itself. The NTSB will identify the cause or causes of this accident, and Amtrak commits to taking appropriate actions to prevent a similar accident in the future.
Amtrak’s immediate and sustained focus is on doing everything we can to help our passengers and crew, especially the families of those who were injured or died, at this painful and difficult time. Our Incident Response Team has been initiated. We have sent emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs. Individuals with questions about their family and friends aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. We have also established a Family Assistance Center in Great Falls, Montana, and we will have family assistance liaisons at that site to reach out to those injured and their families to make sure they get what they need. We have dispatched nurse case managers to support those hospitalized. As soon as Amtrak has permission, we will access the accident site to retrieve the personal effects of our passengers and crew.
We want to extend our deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Joplin and greater Liberty County communities and other Montana counties and their selfless first responders, hospital staff and law enforcement for their immediate and ongoing help to support of all those aboard the Empire Builder for responding with such urgency, compassion and patience.
Garmin International Inc. (Nasdaq: GRMN), a unit of Garmin Ltd., today announced it has received Federal Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certificate approval for the GFC 600 digital autopilot in select Pilatus PC-12/41 and PC-12/45 aircraft. The GFC 600 digital autopilot is optimized to meet the demands of turbine aircraft, delivering superior in-flight characteristics and operational capabilities such as Vertical Navigation (VNAV), automatic Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) switching when paired with a GTN Series navigator, enhanced go-around capability and much more.
The GFC 600 certification for the PC-12 boasts superior integration with a TXi flight display configured as a primary flight display (PFD) to provide owners and operators an advanced autopilot solution that considers the wide range of speed and performance characteristics of these turbine aircraft. Further, the GFC 600 incorporates solid-state attitude with robust self-monitoring capabilities to provide superior autopilot performance, greater reliability and renowned safety benefits. Environmentally hardened autopilot servos designed for harsh operating conditions contain brushless DC motors offering improved performance and reducing maintenance requirements when compared to decades-old servo designs on the market today. Standard mark-width (6.25-inch) design of the GFC 600 mode controller ensures the autopilot controller allows for routine installation into the aircraft’s avionics stack.
Going beyond traditional autopilot capabilities such as altitude hold, vertical speed and heading modes, the GFC 600 also includes altitude preselect, VNAV, Level Mode with the LVL button, underspeed and overspeed protection and more. Pilots can also select, couple and fly various instrument approaches, including GPS, ILS, VOR, LOC and back course approaches when paired with a compatible GPS navigator.
Additional benefits of the GFC 600 digital autopilot for turbine aircraft include:
Premium functions and advanced capabilities such as altitude pre-select on a TXi flight display configured as a PFD and indicated airspeed hold mode;
Built-in GPS roll steering capability eliminates the need for external roll steering converters, allowing for smoother navigation tracking when installed with a compatible navigator;
Yaw Damping (YD) mode minimizes yawing oscillations while also helping to maintain coordinated flight;
Flight Director command bars displayed on a TXi flight display configured as a primary flight display (PFD);
Coupled ‘go-arounds’ during missed approach sequencing with a remotely-installed go-around button that commands the Flight Director to display the appropriate pitch attitude required for the missed approach procedure and activates a loaded missed approach when paired with a GTN 650/750 or GTN 650Xi/750Xi navigator;
Control wheel steering allows the pilot to adjust pitch, roll, altitude hold, vertical speed or airspeed references using the control yoke while the autopilot is engaged.
Financial results significantly impacted by COVID-19, 737 MAX grounding, and commercial widebody programs
777X program recorded $6.5 billion pre-tax charge; first delivery expected in late 2023
737 MAX began receiving regulatory approval to resume operations and restarted deliveries
Revenue of $15.3 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($14.65) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($15.25)
Full-Year 2020
Revenue of $58.2 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($20.88) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($23.25)
Operating cash flow of ($18.4) billion; cash and marketable securities of $25.6 billion
Total backlog of $363 billion, including more than 4,000 commercial airplanes
Strengthening safety processes, improving performance, managing liquidity and transforming for the future
Table 1. Summary Financial Results
Fourth Quarter
Full Year
(Dollars in Millions, except per share data)
2020
2019
Change
2020
2019
Change
Revenues
$15,304
$17,911
(15)%
$58,158
$76,559
(24)%
GAAP
Loss From Operations
($8,049)
($2,204)
NM
($12,767)
($1,975)
NM
Operating Margin
(52.6)%
(12.3)%
NM
(22.0)%
(2.6)%
NM
Net Loss
($8,439)
($1,010)
NM
($11,941)
($636)
NM
Loss Per Share
($14.65)
($1.79)
NM
($20.88)
($1.12)
NM
Operating Cash Flow
($4,009)
($2,220)
NM
($18,410)
($2,446)
NM
Non-GAAP*
Core Operating Loss
($8,377)
($2,526)
NM
($14,150)
($3,390)
NM
Core Operating Margin
(54.7)%
(14.1)%
NM
(24.3)%
(4.4)%
NM
Core Loss Per Share
($15.25)
($2.33)
NM
($23.25)
($3.47)
NM
*Non-GAAP measure; complete definitions of Boeing’s non-GAAP measures are on page 6, “Non-GAAP Measures Disclosures.”
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] reported fourth-quarter revenue of $15.3 billion, reflecting lower commercial deliveries and services volume primarily due to COVID-19 as well as 787 production issues, partially offset by a lower 737 MAX customer considerations charge in the quarter compared to the same period last year (Table 1). GAAP loss per share of ($14.65) and core loss per share (non-GAAP)* of ($15.25) reflected a $6.5 billion pre-tax charge on the 777X program and a tax valuation allowance, partially offset by a lower 737 MAX customer considerations charge. Boeing recorded operating cash flow of ($4.0) billion.
“2020 was a year of profound societal and global disruption which significantly constrained our industry. The deep impact of the pandemic on commercial air travel, coupled with the 737 MAX grounding, challenged our results. I am proud of the resilience and dedication our global team demonstrated in this environment as we strengthened our safety processes, adapted to our market and supported our customers, suppliers, communities and each other,” said Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun. “Our balanced portfolio of diverse defense, space and services programs continues to provide important stability as we lay the foundation for our recovery. While the impact of COVID-19 presents continued challenges for commercial aerospace into 2021, we remain confident in our future, squarely-focused on safety, quality and transparency as we rebuild trust and transform our business.”
The return to service of the 737 MAX in the U.S. and several other markets was an important step, and Boeing continues to follow the lead of global regulators and support its customers. Since the FAA’s approval to return to operations, Boeing has delivered over 40 737 MAX aircraft and five airlines have safely returned their fleets to service as of January 25, 2021, safely flying more than 2,700 revenue flights and approximately 5,500 flight hours.
Boeing now anticipates that the first 777X delivery will occur in late 2023. This schedule, and the associated financial impact, reflect a number of factors, including an updated assessment of global certification requirements, the company’s latest assessment of COVID-19 impacts on market demand, and discussions with its customers with respect to aircraft delivery timing.
Click the link below to read the full press release!
Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) has accepted delivery of its first Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane, marking a new phase of modernizing the airline’s fleet in the coming years. Alaska pilots flew the aircraft on a short flight yesterday from the Boeing Delivery Center at Boeing Field in Seattle to the company’s hangar at Sea-Tac International Airport with a small group of Alaska’s top leadership on board.
Alaska’s first 737-9 is scheduled to enter passenger service on March 1 with daily roundtrip flights between Seattle and San Diego, and Seattle and Los Angeles. The airline’s second 737-9 is expected to enter service later in March.
Teams from across various divisions at Alaska will now follow a strict readiness timeline that guides the actions that must be taken before the start of passenger flights. The process – involving rigorous rounds of test flying, verifying and specific preparations – will take five weeks:
Maintenance technicians will undergo training to become even more acquainted with the new aircraft. They will receive at least 40 hours of “differences training,” which distinguishes the variations between the new MAX and the airline’s existing 737 NG fleet. Certain technicians will receive up to 40 additional hours of specialized training focused on the plane’s engines and avionics systems.
Alaska’s pilots will put the 737-9 through its paces, flying it more than 50 flight hours and roughly 19,000 miles around the country, including to Alaska and Hawaii. These “proving flights” are conducted to confirm our safety assessments and those of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and to ensure a full understanding of the plane’s capabilities in different climates and terrain.
Our pilots will receive eight hours of MAX-specific, computer-based training prior to flying the aircraft over the course of two days, which includes at least two hours of training in Alaska’s own certified, state-of-the-art MAX flight simulator. That’s where they fly several maneuvers specific to the aircraft and better understand the improvements that have been made to the plane.
Deliveries of Alaska’s 737-9 aircraft by Boeing will be flown with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which helps the aviation industry reduce CO2 emissions on a life-cycle basis. The SAF will be used on all MAX aircraft deliveries and will be supplied by Epic Fuels.
Alaska announced a restructured order agreement with Boeing in December 2020 to receive a total of 68 737-9 MAX aircraft in the next four years, with options for an additional 52 planes. The airline is scheduled to receive 13 planes this year; 30 in 2022; 13 in 2023; and 12 in 2024. The agreement incorporates Alaska’s announcement last November to lease 13 737-9 aircraft as part of a separate transaction.
These 68 aircraft will largely replace Alaska’s Airbus fleet and move the airline substantially toward a single, mainline fleet that’s more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly. The 737-9 will enhance the guest experience and support the company’s growth.
Alaska Airlines receives delivery of its first Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft on Jan. 24, 2021.
