Tag: Rolls (Page 8 of 8)

Rolls-Royce Engine Issues To Hit Air New Zealand Earnings

January 29, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Air New Zealand expects much weaker earnings in its 2019 financial year, it said on Wednesday, citing higher costs after problems with some Rolls-Royce engines.

New Zealand’s flag carrier said it expects pretax earnings of between NZ$340 million and NZ$400 million (£178 million to £209 million) for the year to June 30, against initial guidance of NZ$425 million to NZ$525 million.

Air New Zealand is one of several Boeing 787 operators affected by maintenance issues on Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 engines. Problems with a deteriorating compressor in the engines had forced a number of airlines to ground flights.

Earnings will take a hit of about NZ$30 million to NZ$40 million from the resulting schedule changes, Air New Zealand said.

The carrier also said revenue growth has slowed, though lower jet fuel costs offer some relief.

“We are concerned with our latest outlook, which reflects the softer revenue growth we are seeing in the second half,” said Chief Executive Christopher Luxon, adding that the company has begun a review of its network, fleet and cost base to ensure the business is on a strong footing going forward.

The company said it will elaborate on annual guidance when it reports half-year results on Feb. 28. It expects to declare an interim dividend of 11 cents per share.

Separately, Air New Zealand said it carried 4.5 percent more passengers in December 2018 than it did a year earlier.

(Reporting by Ambar Warrick in Bengaluru; Editing by David Goodman)

EASA Certifies A330neo for “Beyond 180 Minutes” ETOPS

January 29, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved the A330-900 for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin engine aircraft Operations) “beyond 180 minutes” diversion time. This significant achievement means that operators of the A330neo, which is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, will benefit from the most efficient, reliable and direct long-range routings.

The approval, which includes ETOPS 180 min. capability in the aircraft’s basic specification, now also includes the option for “ETOPS 285 min.” This extends the potential air diversion distance to around 2,000nm. The U.S. FAA’s respective ETOPS certification is expected soon.

A330neo operators which choose the ETOPS 285 min. option will be able to serve new direct ‘non-limiting’ routings. Meanwhile, operators flying on existing routes (currently flown with up to 180-minute diversion time) will be able to traverse a straighter, quicker and more fuel efficient path, and also have access to more – and possibly better equipped – en-route diversion airports if needed.

The granting of this ETOPS capability is a testimony to the aircraft’s design and systems maturity, which has been demonstrated to be as good as its predecessor – the versatile and extremely reliable A330-200/A330-300 family, proven over many millions of flights.

The A330neo is a true new-generation aircraft family comprising the A330-900 and the smaller A330-800. The A330-900 in particular is the lowest seat-mile cost 300-seater which incorporates highly efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, a new 3D-optimised wing with greater span and lighter composite materials, plus new wingtip Sharklets. Together, these advances bring greater range (around 7,200 nm with a three-class cabin) and 25% lower fuel consumption compared with older generation aircraft of similar size.

The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders to date from 120 customers. More than 1,400 A330s are flying with over 120 operators worldwide. The A330neo is the latest addition to the leading Airbus twin-engine widebody family, which alongside the A350 XWB, offer unmatched space and comfort combined with unprecedented efficiency levels and long-range capability.

In 2009, the Airbus A330-200/-300 became the first airliner family to gain an ETOPS ‘Beyond 180min’ certification, which was granted by EASA.Airbus twin-engine airliners have accumulated over 20 million ETOPS flight hours, most of which have been accumulated by the A330 Family.

Notes for Editors:

“ETOPS” is a set of rules initially introduced by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in the mid-1980s to allow commercial operations with twin-engine aircraft on routes beyond 60min flying time from the nearest airport and which were previously operated only by aircraft with more than two engines. These rules, which are now named “EDTO” (Extended Diversion Time Operations) by ICAO have been progressively revised to allow operations beyond 180min diversion time.

Story and image from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus Delivers First A330neo To TAP Air Portugal

November 26, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

TAP Air Portugal has taken delivery of the world’s first new generation widebody A330neo and, as the launch airline, will be the first to benefit from the aircraft’s unbeatable operating economics, increased range, and Airbus’ new Airspace cabin offering passengers the best in class comfort. The Portuguese carrier will take delivery of a further 20 A330-900s in the coming years.

TAP Air Portugal’s first A330-900 is leased from Avolon. It features 298 seats in a comfortable three-class lay-out with 34 full-flat business class, 96 economy plus and 168 economy class seats. The Airspace by Airbus cabin offers more personal space, larger overhead storage bins, advanced cabin lighting and the latest generation in-flight entertainment system and connectivity. The aircraft will be deployed on routes from Portugal to the Americas and Africa.

“I am delighted to welcome the first Airbus A330-900 into our expanding fleet. Its unbeatable economics and efficiency will power our business forward,“ said Antonoaldo Neves, TAP Air Portugal CEO. “The A330neo will give us a lot of operational flexibility thanks to its commonality with the other Airbus aircraft in our fleet. This aircraft will be the first equipped with the new Airspace cabin, which is a new concept shaped to meet TAP’s ambition to offer the best product in the industry to our passengers,“ he added.

“Handing over the first ever A330neo to a long standing Airbus customer, TAP Air Portugal, is a very important milestone for Airbus,” said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “Through continuous innovations, the A330neo, our newest widebody aircraft, will offer maximum value and efficiency to our customers and superior comfort to their passengers. This occasion marks another step forward to meeting our industry’s goal for sustainable aviation,” he added.

The A330neo is a true new generation aircraft building on the A330’s success and leveraging on A350 XWB technology. It incorporates the highly efficient new generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, and a new higher span 3D optimised wing with new sharklets fully optimised for the best aerodynamic performance. Together these advances bring a significant reduction in fuel consumption of 25 percent compared with older generation competitor aircraft of a similar size. Moreover, new composite nacelles, a fully faired titanium pylon and zero-splice air inlet technology provide the A330-900 with state-of-the-art aerodynamics and acoustics .

Today, TAP Air Portugal operates an Airbus fleet of 72 aircraft (18 A330s, 4 A340s,and 50 A320 Family aircraft). The single-aisle fleet includes 22 A319ceo, 21 A320ceo and four A321ceo, one A320neo and two recently delivered A321neo.

The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders from 120 customers. More than 1,380 A330s are flying with over 128 operators worldwide. The new A330neo is the latest addition to the leading Airbus widebody family, which also includes the A350 XWB and the A380, all featuring unmatched space and comfort combined with unprecedented efficiency levels and unrivalled range capability.

@TAPAirPortugal @Airbus #A330neo #TAP330neo

Story and image from www.airbus.com

Rolls-Royce Engine Issues To Hit Air New Zealand Earnings

EASA Certifies A330neo for “Beyond 180 Minutes” ETOPS

Airbus Delivers First A330neo To TAP Air Portugal

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