Tag: united (Page 3 of 38)

JAL and REGENT sign agreement to study Seaglider operations in Japan

October 8, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Tokyo, Japan – Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 9201) and REGENT Craft Inc. (Headquarters: United States, CEO: Billy Thalheimer, hereinafter referred to as “REGENT”) have announced the signing of a comprehensive partnership agreement to establish a system for seaglider operations in Japan. The agreement follows a strategic investment in REGENT made earlier this year by JAL Innovation Fund, the CVC of JAL. Through this agreement, the two companies aim to implement next-generation mobility where people can move safely and comfortably with zero emissions.

The all-electric seagliders being developed by REGENT are wing-in-ground effect craft that fly several meters above the water on a cushion of air trapped between the wings and the water’s surface. Seagliders are attracting attention as a new form of sustainable mobility, further expanding the possibilities of new transportation methods that do not place a burden on the environment, as well as the development of new markets.

The new agreement signifies a commitment to deepen business development between the two companies. With the goal of establishing a system of seaglider operations in Japan, JAL aims to utilize its accumulated knowledge of safe operation while REGENT brings its technological expertise to the table. Together, the companies will collaborate to drive awareness and understanding of seagliders in the region, identify jurisdictions for seaglider operations by JAL and JAL Group operators, develop infrastructure for seaglider operations – including a planned demonstration flight in 2025 – and obtain certification for the safe operation of electric seagliders. In addition, JALUX Co., Ltd. (location: Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Satoru Takahama) will act as a sales agent for the maritime craft.

Nidec and Embraer receive approval for joint venture to develop Electric Propulsion System

October 5, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Kyoto, Japan, October 6, 2023 – Japan’s Nidec Corporation (OTC: NJDCY) and Brazil’s Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) welcome the unconditional approval from all necessary regulatory authorities for the establishment of their joint venture, Nidec Aerospace LLC. The transaction combines the complementary synergies and distinct areas of expertise of two world-class engineering conglomerates to develop Electric Propulsion Systems (EPS) for the aerospace sector.

Vincent Braley, chief of staff for Nidec’s Motion and Drives business in the United States, has been appointed the CEO of Nidec Aerospace with immediate effect. Braley brings broad experience in business development and management to his new role to lead the joint venture’s future growth.

Unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June, the business combination aims to unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio of products and services worldwide, driven initially by the growth of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry. The UAM market is emerging and could create a USD 1.5 trillion market by 2040, according to Morgan Stanley Research.

United Airlines Orders 50 More Boeing 787 Dreamliners

October 3, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Seattle, Washington, October 3, 2023, PRNewswire – Boeing (NYSE: BA) and United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) announced today the carrier is expanding its 787 Dreamliner fleet, exercising options to order 50 787-9 airplanes and securing an additional 50 options. The new Dreamliner order provides United additional flexibility as the airline modernizes its global fleet over the next decade.

With 150 firm orders, United has the largest Dreamliner orderbook on record and is positioned to become the largest 787 operator in the world. Today’s announcement follows the airline’s record-setting purchase of 100 787 airplanes last year.

As the first airline to operate all three models in the 787 family, United’s existing fleet consists of more than 70 Dreamliners. The fuel efficiency and reliability of the 787 provide United with the flexibility to fly its expansive global route network.

The enhanced efficiency and performance of the 787 reduce fuel use and emissions by up to 25% compared with the airplanes it replaces, depending on the configuration. The 787-9 has a globe-spanning range that allows carriers to fly up to 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 km) while seating up to 296 passengers.

The 787 is the best-selling widebody in history with more than 1,800 orders from 87 customers – including more than 870 repeat orders from 56 repeat customers. In the last year, customers have placed nearly 350 orders and commitments for the 787 family.

United Airlines orders an additional 60 A321neo aircraft

October 3, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Herndon, Virginia, 3 October 2023 – United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) has placed an order for 60 additional Airbus A321neo aircraft, supporting the airline’s “United Next” initiative to integrate new aircraft into its fleet and standardizing and enhancing its global network. United previously ordered 50 A321XLRand 70 A321neo aircraft. With this new order, the airline’s direct purchase commitment from Airbus is now for 180 A321 aircraft.

The A321neo provides superior environmental performance featuring the lowest CO₂ emissions per seat in its class. Its significantly lower carbon footprint will support United along its journey to reduce its CO₂ emissions.

United’s A321neo aircraft will feature the unrivaled Airbus’ Airspace cabin, which includes a unique welcome area and the latest full LED lighting technologies (which helps to reduce jet lag); new slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; improved window views with redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; new large overhead bins; and additional elements to enhance the passenger experience.

LATAM receives first A321neo aircraft & orders 13 more

October 2, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Hamburg, Germany, October 2, 2023 – LATAM Airlines (OTC: LTMAY) has taken delivery of its first A321neo leased from AerCap Holdings NV (NYSE: AER) and placed an order for 13 additional A321neo aircraft to further expand its route network and drive its regional growth. This is the first delivery of a committed backlog of 76 A321neo aircraft. In total, LATAM has 111 A320 Family aircraft to be delivered.

The newly delivered A321neo for LATAM can seat up to 224 passengers and feature Airbus’ Airspace XL bins in the cabin. The larger bins provide a 40% increase in storage space and facilitates 60% more carry-on bags, allowing a more relaxed boarding experience for passengers and cabin crews. The newly delivered A321neo flew to its destination with 49% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates are the main group of airlines in Latin America, with presence in five domestic markets in the region: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in addition to international operations throughout Europe, Oceania, the United States and the Caribbean. Today, LATAM operates 240 Airbus aircraft and is the largest Airbus operator in Latin America. In July this year, LATAM took delivery of a new Airbus A320neo, the first delivery using 30% SAF.

Joby Aviation selects Dayton, Ohio for first scaled manufacturing facility

September 19, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Santa Cruz, California and Dayton, Ohio, September 18, 2023 — Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial passenger service, today announced it plans to locate its first scaled aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.

The Wright Brothers, who invented and flew the first powered aircraft, lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first airplane factory in the United States there in 1910. The city is also home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories which has played a key role in supporting Joby’s development.

Joby plans to build a facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year at the Dayton International Airport, supporting up to 2,000 jobs. The 140-acre site it has selected has the potential to support significant further growth over time, providing enough land to build up to two million square feet of manufacturing space. Construction of the scaled Ohio facility is expected to start in 2024 and it is expected to come online in 2025. Joby plans to use existing nearby buildings to begin near-term operations.

The State of Ohio, JobsOhio and local political subdivisions have offered incentives and benefits of up to $325 million to support the development of the facility, while Joby plans to invest up to $500 million as it scales operations at the site. Joby is also announcing today that it has been invited by the U.S. Department of Energy to submit a Part II Application for financing under the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program, which provides access to low-interest loans for clean energy projects and would support the scaling of the facility.

Joby’s long-term investor, Toyota, who worked with Joby on the design and successful launch of the company’s Pilot Production Line in Marina, California, plans to continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi in Ohio.

Click the link below to watch the Joby aircraft rollout!

Thaicom contracts Airbus for a OneSat flexible telecommunications satellite

September 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France, September 11, 2023 – Thaicom PCL (THCOM), a leading Asian satellite operator and space technology company, has selected Airbus Group SE (AIR) for its new generation software-defined high throughput satellite.

Airbus will provide one of its latest designed satellites – a fully reconfigurable OneSat. This Thaicom satellite will provide extended connectivity in Ku-band over the Asia-Pacific region for millions of users. Thaicom has launched and operated eight geostationary satellites. This is Thaicom’s first flexible satellite, allowing for more adaptability on coverage, frequency and capacity which is crucial in such a dynamic region.

Positioned in orbit at 119.5° East, this state-of-the art satellite will enable Thaicom to propose to other partner operators a share of its satellite’s payload capacity, lowering their costs and still ensuring they have separate control of their individual payload capacity and flexibility.

Airbus will design and manufacture the satellite, and also provide ground control segment components. Airbus plans to deliver the satellite in 2027.

Airbus OneSat can be fully reconfigured in orbit, capable of adjusting the coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly” to meet evolving mission scenarios. It builds on the heritage of Airbus’ ultra-reliable Eurostar geostationary telecommunication satellites and the company’s constellation expertise with OneWeb. Development of the OneSat programme is supported by ESA, as well as the French Space Agency (CNES), and the UK Space Agency.

LATAM Group receives new Boeing 787-9

September 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Santiago, Chile, September, 2023 – LATAM group (OTC: LTMAY) has received delivery of a new Boeing 787-9 directly from Charleston (United States) to Santiago (Chile), and is the only group of airlines in South America operating this model.

The Boeing 787-9 is equipped with advanced technology that allows it to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20-30% compared to the previous technology thanks to its lightweight materials, state-of-the-art engines, and modern aerodynamics.

Its arrival is part of LATAM group’s fleet renewal and modernization strategy, which will enable it to have 37 Dreamliners including the 787-8 variant by the end of this year, becoming one of the most modern and efficient fleets in South America. With this, the LATAM group aims to finish 2023 with a fleet of 332 aircraft, of which 78 are Wide Body and 254 are Narrow Body.

LATAM group’s new aircraft will feature 300 seats and has the capacity to cover an approximate distance of 14,010 km. Additionally, it boasts larger windows, spacious overhead compartments, technology that detects and counteracts turbulence for a smoother flight, and onboard diagnostic systems that allow the aircraft to self-monitor and automatically report maintenance requirements to ground systems.

Norwegian Air welcomed 2.1 million passengers in August, 2023

September 10, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NAS.OL) had 2,141,613 passengers in August, up 7 per cent from August 2022. The capacity (ASK) was 3,527 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 3,006 million seat kilometres. In August, Norwegian operated an average of 80 aircraft with a regularity, share of scheduled flights taking place, of 99.6 percent. The impressive results came despite operations being impacted by high winds and floods caused by Storm Hans in Southern Norway, as well as the outage at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) in the UK on 28 August. Punctuality was at 82.4 percent in August, the share of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time. However, 98.0 per cent of all departed flights arrived on schedule or within one hour of scheduled arrival time, the highest level so far this year.

Solid operations and positive booking momentum

The outlook for this autumn continues to be positive. Capacity has been adjusted to meet the seasonal variation in demand for the coming winter. Norwegian is excited to release the summer programme for 2024 next week, with further routes to new destinations being added in November.

About Norwegian

Norwegian is the largest Norwegian airline and one of Europe’s leading low-cost carriers. The company has around 4,500 employees and offers a comprehensive route network between Nordic countries and destinations in Europe. Since 2002, more than 300 million passengers have flown with Norwegian. The most important task has been to offer affordable plane tickets to all and to offer more freedom of choice along the journey.

Norway Panoramic view of Lofoten Islands in Norway with sunset scenic

Saab opens new radar production site in Fareham, Hampshire, England

September 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Saab (SAAB-B.ST) UK’s Sensor Systems business operates from Saab’s site in Fareham, with a team also located in Farnborough. The skilled staff in Fareham primarily produce and integrate the new Deployment Set, a configuration of the Giraffe 1X highly mobile, compact, rapidly deployed, software-based, 3D AESA radar. This increases Saab’s production capacity for its Giraffe 1X Deployment Set and the first units are already in production at the Fareham site.

Saab UK’s Sensor Systems business will also act as a Centre of Excellence developing follow-on UK Intellectual Property in the radar domain. It will also grow to maintain existing radars in-service with the UK Ministry of Defence, such as Giraffe 1X and Giraffe AMB air defence radars and artillery locating MAMBA (Arthur) radars.

Saab UK’s Fareham site has been growing with the announcement in February 2023 of the expansion of its Underwater Systems business of Seaeye autonomous and remotely operated vehicles. Across the UK, Saab has eight principal sites which focus on software engineering, underwater robotics, training services, radars and more.

Saab UK’s presence has been growing at pace, with employee numbers quadrupling through consolidation, acquisition and organic growth, bringing together the best of Swedish and British innovation.

The whole site in Fareham benefits 400 jobs at Saab, in established and future roles across various business activities.

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