(Reuters) – An AirBaltic A220 flight diverted to France on Wednesday because of an engine issue is the fourth reported case involving the Pratt & Whitney engine powering the Airbus jet, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
The A220-300 flight, traveling from Riga, Latvia, to Malaga, Spain, was diverted to Bordeaux because of a technical failure in the left engine, France’s Bureau d’Enquêtes et ‘Analyses (BEA) said on Twitter. The flight landed safely.
Airbus SE and United Technologies Corp, maker of the Pratt PW1500G engines, confirmed in statements that they were aware of the flight and working “to provide assistance” as required.
The incident follows three emergency landings involving the GTF engine on Airbus’s smallest jet, the A220.
“NTSB has accepted delegation for 3 previous incidents so NTSB will also look at the most recent incident,” a spokesman for the U.S. government investigative agency said by email.
“NTSB is in the process of gathering initial data. It is still in the early stage of any investigation cannot make any conclusions at this time.”
Pratt & Whitney has said that a software update for the GTF engine on the A220 is expected in the spring, pending regulatory approval.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert Editing by Leslie Adler)
The new capability for Airbus’ C295 to serve as an aerial tanker brings additional flexibility for this tactical airlifter, further increasing its already-proven versatility and opening additional mission opportunities.
Airbus Defence and Space developed a removable air-to-air refuelling (AAR) kit for the twin-engine aircraft that utilises a 100-ft.-long deployable hose with a “basket” at the end – enabling the transfer of fuel to receiver aircraft equipped with a probe. A remote vision system allows crewmembers aboard the C295 tanker to monitor refuelling operations from the cargo cabin.
Recent flights to test the kit involved an Airbus-owned C295 that refuelled a C295 from the Spanish Air Force, as well as proximity tests with the C295 and a fast fighter aircraft – a Spanish Air Force F-18.
“Customers are increasingly interested in purchasing not just an aircraft, but a versatile platform that can be used for different missions,” explained Martín Espinosa, the Airbus Defence and Space engineering technical manager responsible for the C295’s aerial refuelling test campaign. “The development of the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the C295 forms part of this strategic vision.”
The C295’s aerial refuelling capability would be a highly valuable mission-extender for customers using C295s. These customers include the armed forces of current and future C295 operators responsible for civil and military search and rescue missions.
Additionally, it could serve as a cost-effective platform to train fighter pilots in the skills needed for air-to-air refuelling. “The C295 tanker kit could facilitate training of fighter pilots for missions involving refuelling, or even for AAR services on a lease-by-the-hour basis at a fraction of the cost of heavier aircraft,” explained Luis Díaz-Miguel, the Tactical Airlifters Marketing Manager.
Captain Gabiña, a Spanish Air Force pilot involved in the aerial refuelling tests, gave high marks to the C295 in its new role as tanker. “The degree of difficulty in flight test is always high since it involves performing manoeuvers that no one has done before. It should be noted that due to the positive behaviour of the aircraft, the operation has been good and straightforward,” he said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Boeing Co <BA> said on Friday it is addressing a new software issue discovered in Iowa last weekend during a technical review of the proposed update to the grounded Boeing 737 MAX, a development that could further delay the plane’s return to service.
“We are making necessary updates,” Boeing said in a statement. Officials at the planemaker said the issue relates to a software power-up monitoring function that verifies some system monitors are operating correctly.
One of the monitors was not being initiated correctly, officials said. The monitor check is prompted by a software command at airplane or system power up, and will set the appropriate indication if maintenance is required, company officials added.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not immediately comment. ABC News reported the issue early Friday.
Boeing is halting production of the 737 MAX this month following the grounding in March of its best-selling plane after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people.
U.S. regulators are waiting for an update from Boeing on how they will resolve the issue. A U.S. official briefed on the matter said Friday the FAA is now unlikely to approve the plane’s return until March but it could take until April.
This week, American Airlines Group Inc <AAL> and Southwest Airlines Co <LUV> both said they would extend cancellations of MAX flights until early June.
Also this month, the FAA and Boeing said they were reviewing a wiring issue that could potentially cause a short circuit on the grounded 737 MAX. Officials said the review is looking at whether two bundles of wiring are too close together, which could lead to a short circuit and potentially result in a crash if pilots did not respond appropriately.
U.S. and European aviation safety regulators met with Boeing in an effort to complete a 737 MAX software documentation audit that was begun in November. Documentation requirements are central to certification for increasingly complex aircraft software, and can become a source of delays.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)
BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) – Development of China’s C919 single-aisle plane, already at least five years behind schedule, is going slower than expected, a dozen people familiar with the programme told Reuters, as the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation (COMAC) struggles with a range of technical issues that have severely restricted test flights.
Delays are common in complex aerospace programmes, but the especially slow progress is a potential embarrassment for China, which has invested heavily in its first serious attempt to break the hold of Boeing and Airbus on the global jet market.
The most recent problem came down to a mathematical error, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.
COMAC engineers miscalculated the forces that would be placed on the plane’s twin engines in flight – known in the industry as loads – and sent inaccurate data to the engine manufacturer, CFM International, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. As a result, the engine and its housing may both have to be reinforced, the people said, most likely at COMAC’s expense – though another source denied any modification.That and other technical and structural glitches meant that by early December, after more than two and a half years of flight testing, COMAC had completed less than a fifth of the 4,200 hours in the air that it needs for final approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), two people close to the project told Reuters.
$125 Million Maintenance facility showcases commitment to Houston through new infrastructure investment to support long-term growth for Southwest
Southwest Airlines opens new hangar facility at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston
DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today officially opened a new maintenance facility at William P. Hobby International Airport, highlighting the importance Houston holds for the nation’s largest domestic airline* and underscoring its commitment to Safety while investing in the Bayou City.
The 240,000 square foot maintenance complex, now the largest in the airline’s network, includes offices, training facilities, warehouse space, and a 140,000 square foot hangar. This allows for the nearly 400 Houston based Technical Operations Employees to work simultaneously on up to six 737 aircraft indoors and has space for an additional eight aircraft outside the hangar bays. It replaces Southwest’s smaller Technical Operations facility at Hobby Airport, which opened in 1988.
“This state-of-the-art hangar will support our Technical Operations Team’s unwavering commitment to Safety and maintaining our fleet to the highest standards,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO. “I’m very proud of our hundreds of Technical Operations Employees in Houston for the work they do every day to support our growing operation from Houston’s Hobby Airport, which includes almost 200 departures per day during peak seasons to nearly 70 destinations across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”
A Boeing 737 sits inside Southwest’s new hangar at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston
“We thank Southwest Airlines for its nearly 50-year partnership and commitment to the Houston community,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “Between the direct employment of 5,000 local residents, continued growth in flight activity, and this investment in infrastructure, the airline represents $3 billion in economic impact for Houston each year, and that’s something that makes us proud and thankful.”
“Having similar values allowed McCarthy Building Companies and Southwest Airlines to form an integrated team to address the many entities and hurdles involved with constructing such a high profile project at a major airport. This was instrumental in the success of this project and the teams’ ability to deliver it on time,” said Jim Stevenson, McCarthy’s Houston Division President. “We are proud of our partnership with Southwest and pleased to be part of this important maintenance hangar project that will have such a high impact on its operations.”
The airline is currently investing in aircraft maintenance build-outs at Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Denver International Airport, as well as an expansion of its maintenance facility at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. Including the projects in Denver and Baltimore, the airline expects to have eight maintenance hangars throughout the United States.
Broadcast-quality photos and videos are available for download at the carrier’s online newsroom, swamedia.com/houstonhangar.
(Left to Right: Mario Diaz, Director, Houston Airport System, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO, Original Houston Technical Operations Employees Brad Shelton, Paul Mould, B.J. Ritter, and Landon Nitschke, Southwest Airlines SVP of Technical Operations)
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) – A former Boeing Co employee who warned of problems with 737 production will testify on Wednesday at a U.S. House hearing on the Federal Aviation Administration review of the grounded 737 MAX.
The aircraft has been grounded since March after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people. Federal officials say the FAA is not expected to authorize the plane to fly until January at the earliest.
Former Boeing employee Edward Pierson, who had worked as a senior operations manager in the flight test and evaluation unit, will testify before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the panel said in a notice.
Pierson’s concerns were referenced at an Oct. 30 hearing — though he had not been named previously.
“All my internal warning bells are going off and for the first time in my life, I’m sorry to say that I’m hesitant about putting my family on a Boeing airplane,” Pierson wrote to Boeing management in mid-2018 before the first crash, according to an email obtained by the committee. He warned “the alternative of rushing to build is far riskier.”
Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Monday that “although Mr. Pierson did not provide specific information or detail about any particular defect or quality issue, Boeing took his concerns about 737 production disruption seriously.” He added that after Pierson retired and raised the issue again as recently as this year “those concerns received renewed scrutiny at the highest levels of the company.”
Johndroe added “the suggestion by Mr. Pierson of a link between his concerns and the recent MAX accidents is completely unfounded.”
Pierson could not immediately be reached on Monday.
Representative Albio Sires, a Democrat, on Oct. 30, questioned Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg about concerns raised by a Boeing employee about Boeing’s 737 production and his recommendation that production be halted. Sires said the employee wrote directly to Muilenburg in December 2018 after he had retired.
Johndroe confirmed Monday Pierson was the employee referenced by Sires.
“He raised some good concerns. We went back and took a look at his concerns and in some cases we identified areas where we thought his issues had already been addressed,” Muilenburg said at the hearing. Boeing did not slow production after Pierson’s concerns.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, FAA Aircraft Certification Service Executive Director Earl Lawrence and a member of the FAA’s Technical Advisory Board, Matt Kiefer, as well as former FAA employee G. Michael Collins will also testify.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler and Lisa Shumaker)
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd <MHVYF> is confident that it has the technical and production know-how to build high-tech wings for Airbus SE <EADSY> jetliners, the chief executive of the Japanese conglomerate said on Wednesday.
MHI developed sophisticated production processes at its facility in Nagoya in the process of building wings for the Boeing Co <BA> 787 Dreamliner, Chief Executive Seiji Izumisawa said in an interview.
“We have accumulated expertise in producing aerostructures as a tier 1 supplier, so if the opportunity does present itself we will certainly be willing to consider it,” he said.
It is not yet clear whether Airbus plans to outsource wings on future jets, such as its next-generation single-aisle aircraft, which could come out in about a decade.
Such future work would be important to MHI in part because of Boeing’s decision to bring wing production back in-house on its latest jet, the 777X.
“We do have the capability to produce some pretty complicated components,” said Izumisawa, who said he was involved in developing the 787 wings.
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is seen at the company’s Sagamihara plant in Sagamihara, Japan
Alstom and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) unveiled the life-sized mock-up of the trainset for Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line). The new, iconic and exclusive design for Mumbai meets all technical and manufacturing parameters. The mock-up provides a glimpse of the advanced features that will make daily commute substantially easier for millions of citizens in the city.
Once operational, the Aqua Line will reduce vehicular congestion by offering a better alternative that will be fast, efficient and sustainable. Earlier, in August this year, the scale model of the rolling stock was unveiled by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra in presence of Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of MMRC along with senior officials. At the same event, Line 3 was christened as Aqua Line, inspired by the vital flow of the sea which is an integral part of the city.
Speaking of this milestone, Alain Spohr, Managing Director, Alstom India and South Asia said, “Our objective was to create an appropriate, future-proofed design that is relevant to the people, the city and their expectations. This theme is called – Dynamic Fluidism. All technical and manufacturing parameters have been met in respect to the high interior density layout and space efficiency. We are proud to present this ‘New Face of Mumbai Transportation’. Alstom is committed to support MMRC in easing the transportation challenges of Mumbai. With the project stipulating more than 80% localized manufacturing, this contract further reinforces Alstom’s commitment to invest, grow and Make in India.”
The design takes inspiration from the positive energy of Mumbai and architecture of the city–which is an amalgamation of different styles from around the world. The theme captures evolution of the city’s architectural landscapes over the years.
The exterior theme is a tribute to the energy flowing through the city of Mumbai – the city that never sleeps. Inspired by the vital flow of water and aspiring to be a fast, efficient and sustainable mode of travel, to become the new lifeline for the people of Mumbai.
The interior colour harmony is inspired by the people of Mumbai–always on the move, who turn to the sea for peace and are soothed by its waves and breeze. This inspired the idea to use a unique blend of comfort (beige) and freshness (arctic green) to provide a relaxing and refreshing travel experience.
The trainsets for Aqua Line will be equipped with regenerative braking system aiding significant reduction in carbon emissions. The 177.2 meter-long trainsets will have higher capacity capable of ferrying around 3,000 passengers in one trip to accommodate high passenger flow.
Aqua Line trainset will have safety features that include CCTV cameras, smoke detectors, emergency intercoms, fire extinguishers with large detrainment doors to quickly evacuate passengers in an emergency. The trainsets have appropriate signages, three rows of grab rails, grab handles, poles for holding and dedicated space for passengers with luggage. The design also ensures easy accessibility and comfort for the differently abled, with dedicated space for wheelchair in every car.
MMRC awarded Alstom a contract worth €315 million to supply 31 lightweight, fully-furnished modern passenger trainsets of 8 cars each (total 248 metro cars) for Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) in September 2018. Along with rolling stock, Alstom will also execute the power supply contract and equip Line 3 with Urbalis 400, its latest generation of CBTC signalling technology. The scope of the signalling contract (worth €100 million) includes unattended train operation (UTO), computer-based interlocking and centralised train supervision, platform screen doors, as well as the electrical and mechanical supervisory control and data acquisition system (E&M SCADA).
The Aqua Line has 27 stations (26 under-ground & 1 at-grade), 33.5-km long underground stretch connecting the busiest and most congested regions in Mumbai – one of the fastest growing cities in India. The metro line will connect Cuffe Parade business district in the extreme south of the city to Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone in the north-central. The Aqua Line will be the first underground metro line in Mumbai and will be one of the longest underground continuous stretches in India.
Leonardo’s KRONOS family of radar products are multi-functional, multi-mission solutions
The KRONOS LAND radar is highly mobile and quick to deploy: it can be brought into operation in the field in just 15 minutes
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has ordered Leonardo’s KRONOS LAND radar to provide air surveillance, allowing operators to detect and track targets in tactical environments. Leonardo has announced the contract at BIDEC (Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference) tri-service exhibition, which is taking place at Manama (Baharain) from 28 to 30 October.
Leonardo will also supply communications equipment, twelve months of technical support services, spare parts and a comprehensive training programme for Bangladeshi Air Force personnel with modules in Italy and Bangladesh. As a complete package, this contract will enable the BAF to develop a long-term maintenance capability and preserve the functionality of the system.
Completely designed and developed by Leonardo, the KRONOS LAND is a multi-functional, multi-mission 3D radar for air surveillance and defence, based on latest-generation Full Active-Electronically-Scanned-Array (AESA, also known as E-scan) technology. Leonardo has sold more than 40 KRONOS family systems worldwide.
The contract to supply KRONOS LAND to the Bangladesh Air Force bolsters Leonardo’s presence in Bangladesh. It follows the earlier provision of the RAT31 surveillance system to the BAF for early warning and air defence.
Vistara, India’s full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has signed a long-term contract to partner with Airbus for their Flight Hour Services – Tailored Support Package (FHS-TSP). The contract will cover engineering and maintenance for 62 aircraft, including 23 existing ones.
The FHS-TSP contract provides integrated and guaranteed services ranging from the supply and repair of components to the manufacturer’s unique Fleet Technical Management service. An on-site Airbus team will support the daily maintenance activities, including spares, warehousing and engineering to ensure the highest standards of aircraft technical dispatch and operations.
Under the agreement, Airbus will offer its expertise in the areas of maintenance, engineering, reliability and supply chain management. Airbus will ensure a) timely availability of spare parts b) maintenance planning c) compliance with airworthiness advisories as well as technical records on all aircraft.
“We are delighted to announce the partnership with Airbus to avail the advantages of their TSP programme. Vistara is committed to the highest standards of operational efficiency and innovation and the adoption of this service is part of our continual efforts to maximise customer satisfaction,” said Sisira Kanta Dash, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Vistara.
“Airbus Services’ combined aircraft engineering capabilities, expertise in maintenance operations and data analytics know-how will help Vistara to increase its competitiveness and secure its operations. This contract also reaffirms our commitment to expanding and deepening our Airbus Services footprint in India,” said Rémi Maillard, Head of Airbus Services.
Airbus provides a host of material and maintenance services, which go from initial provisioning and on-request solutions by Satair, Airbus’ 100% subsidiary, to ‘all-in-one’ solutions with material management, maintenance operations and engineering solutions through FHS-TSP. Leveraging Skywise’s digital platform capabilities, the latest applications optimizing aircraft availability include real- time health monitoring and predictive maintenance.
