Airbus Flies High During the 2018 Farnborough Airshow’s Opening Day
(Source: Airbus; issued July 16, 2018)
The company’s presence during Day 1 of this biennial UK aerospace event clearly underscored Airbus’ motto, “We make it fly,” and was paced by announcements covering acquisitions and commitments for both A320neo Family single-aisle jetliners and widebody A350 XWBs.
The best-selling A320’s “unbeatable combination”
Pacing the business activity was Airbus’ single-aisle A320 Family in its NEO (New Engine Option) configurations. Leading the Farnborough Airshow announcements were a Memorandum of Understanding with an undisclosed global lessor for 80 A320neo Family aircraft; a firm order from Macquarie AirFinance Group Limited for 20 A320neo jetliners; Golden Falcon Aviation’s order confirmation of 25 aircraft in the A320neo/A321neo versions for Kuwait’s Wataniya Airways; and Goshawk Aviation Limited’s firm order for 20 A320neo Family jetliners.
Completing today’s announcements was the Letter of Intent with New Delhi-based VISTARA for 13 A320neo aircraft, accompanied by this full-service airline’s intention to phase-in an additional 37 A320neo Family jetliners from lessors; and an agreement for SalamAir, Oman’s first budget airline, to add six new A320neo aircraft to its fleet – of which five are on lease from an undisclosed lessor.
“We have once again demonstrated how the A320neo Family’s unbeatable comfort, performance and economics make it the fastest-selling aircraft in the world,” Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, told journalists attending the Farnborough Airshow.
A350 XWB orders in a strengthening widebody market
Airbus’ widebody A350 XWB also logged new business, with Farnborough announcements today involving a Memorandum of Understanding with Taiwan-based STARLUX Airlines for the purchase of 17 A350 XWBs (12 in the A350-1000 version and five of the shorter-fuselage A350-900s); plus a confirmation that Sichuan Airlines of China is ordering 10 A350-900s.
Airbus’ Schulz said this new A350 XWB business is another sign that sales opportunities remain sold for the widebody sector, which he described as an extremely long-term market.
“I continue to be quite confident for the widebody market picking up again in the next 18 months to two years,” he explained in answering a reporter’s question at Farnborough. “There was a massive wave of widebody orders four to five years ago, and the market had to pause a bit while ramping up in rate, and this is now behind us. I see the market starting to accelerate again, particularly in Asia.”
Flying in the stratosphere with Airbus’ Zephyr HAPS</i>
Airbus’ ‘We make it fly’ motto reached stratospheric heights at the Farnborough Airshow with today’s unveiling of the world’s first series-production assembly line for unmanned High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS), which will build the company’s Zephyr HAPS. Located adjacent to Farnborough Airport, this HAPS facility already is in production.
The Zephyr HAPS provides persistent see, sense and connect capabilities with its ability to fly at stratospheric altitudes while carrying a variety of sensors and payloads. Opening new capabilities for commercial, military and institutional end-users, the diversity of Zephyr missions can range from remote monitoring, mapping and planning, border security and electronic intelligence to wide-area relay and fixed broadband or LTE direct connectivity.
In parallel with today’s HAPS production facility unveiling, Zephyr S is five days into its maiden flight, having taken off from Arizona. Ultimately, the goal is to enable Zephyr flights of 100 days, as Airbus builds its expertise with the HAPS’ combination of solar power and secondary batteries that are charged during the daytime for overnight operation.
Sophie Thomas, Zephyr programme manager at Airbus Defence and Space, said the Zephyr S that currently is airborne already is a success – as it has achieved a new altitude record of 74,000 feet.
SmartForce: support services for military aircraft and helicopters
Airbus’ news during the Farnborough Airshow’s opening day also involved product applications closer to Earth with the unveiling of its SmartForce digital support services, harnessing the power of data-driven intelligence to improve the operational readiness of company-built aircraft and helicopters that are flown by military customers.
By breaking through information siloes, SmartForce can help military operators more rapidly perform root cause analysis and develop faster troubleshooting methods, providing more efficient support.
An important advantage of SmartForce is the secure-platform sharing of aggregated data between operators, increasing the range, scale and effectiveness of the data while respecting national security boundaries. The result is maximum fleet availability and optimised maintenance – enabling rapid and robust decision-making while controlling costs.
SmartForce builds on Airbus’ Skywise aviation data platform for operators of its commercial jetliners, as well as the H-Care Connected Services for helicopter users.
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Salamair to Add Six New A320neo to its Growing Fleet
(Source: Airbus; issued July 16, 2018)
SalamAir is owned by the Muscat National Development and Investment Company (ASAAS) and other Omani private investors.The airline launched services on 30 January 2017 and today operates close to 120 flights per week across 14 regional and global destinations. As an all-Airbus operator, SalamAir currently operates a fleet of three A320ceo aircraft.
The new fleet will support the low-cost airline’s plans to increase connectivity across the region’s under-served and popular short to medium-haul routes.
SalamAir’s Chief Executive Officer, Captain Mohamed Ahmed said, “In less than 18 months since our launch we have connected over half a million passengers across the globe and we continue to gain momentum as a leading budget carrier. With the new A320neo addition to our fleet we look forward to building on this success and expand to new markets while guaranteeing a great travel experience for our passengers.”
Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer said: “As a home-grown brand SalamAir has demonstrated huge potential by addressing Oman’s demand for affordable travel options. The new Airbus A320neo is the best in the industry and will allow the carrier to achieve lower operating costs, greater fuel efficiency and offer the highest standard of passengers comfort.”
Featuring the widest Single Aisle cabin in the sky, the A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 6,100 orders received from over 100 customers, the A320neo Family has captured nearly 60 percent share of the market.
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Macquarie AirFinance Orders 20 A320neo
(Source: Airbus; issued July 16, 2018)
Engine selection will be made at a later date.
Macquarie is one of the world’s largest Airbus lessors with airline customers globally particularly in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
Featuring the widest single aisle cabin in the sky, the efficient A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver more than 15 percent fuel and CO2 savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 as well as 50 percent noise reduction. With more than 6,100 orders received from over 100 customers, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market
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Undisclosed Lessor Commits to 80 A320neo Family Aircraft
(Source: Airbus; issued July 16, 2018)
Engine selection will be made at a later date.
Featuring the widest single aisle cabin in the sky, the efficient A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver more than 15 percent fuel and CO2 savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 as well as 50 percent noise reduction. With more than 6,100 orders received from over 100 customers, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent of the market.
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Goshawk Aviation Limited Orders 20 A320neo
(Source: Airbus; issued July 16, 2018)
Goshawk Aviation is based in Dublin, Ireland, and has an owned, managed and committed fleet of over 220 aircraft including the direct order with Airbus. Goshawk has more than 120 Airbus aircraft in its portfolio (A320 Family including NEO, A330 Family including NEO and A350-900) and the order for A320neo re-enforces the appeal of the world’s bestselling single aisle Family.
Engine selection will be made at a later date.
Featuring the widest single aisle cabin in the sky, the efficient A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver more than 15 percent fuel and CO2 savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 as well as 50 percent noise reduction. With more than 6,100 orders received from over 100 customers, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.
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