Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

An initial maximum weight increase of 900kg (2000lb) or the equivalent of ten passengers will be provided but further increases will require heavier gauge wing skinning, strengthened undercarriage and a strengthened carryover box. It is hoped these changes will be available from 1996 (along with extra fuel capacity in the tailplane), allowing a 122,700kg (931,900lb) maximum takeoff weight (currently 395,400kg/ 871,700lb) and an increase in payload range from the current 7200nm (13,300km) to 8000nm (14,800km).

The structural modifications will also be suitable for the proposed stretched 747-X, which will carry about 20% more passengers that the present -400 and operate at about the same gross weights as the modified 747-400, while offering the relatively shorter ranges of earlier 747 variants.

This variant would feature a three metre plug fore and aft of the wing centre section and an extension of the upper deck to increase accommodation in the bubble by at third. Engines of around 62,000lb thrust would be required and the aircraft would accommodate between 500 and 650 passengers in typical three class international and all economy short range configurations. Range would obviously be compromised against revenue payload though the new variant would still be able to operate at max pax over sectors of up to 5000nm.

There has been considerable interest from Asia on this model with Japan being a likely first customer.

 Boeing Plans Long Range 767:

Intended to challenge the Airbus A340 in the long range marketplace, Boeing is studying a new version of its 767 twinjet offering a range of 7200mm (13,300km), 1130nm (2100km) greater than the current 767- 300ER. Based on a previous long range 767 study, the 767ERY’ features the 767-300 fuselage length in combination with a larger wing (with winglets) holding more fuel and modification of the fuel system in the horizontal tail surfaces. The centre fuselage, wing skin and spars plus undercarriage would be strengthened to cope with an increased maximum weight of 440,900lb (200,000kg), a 47% increase over the original 767-200. Cruise would also increase from Mach 0. 8 to Mach 0. 82-84 thanks to the new, more effi cient wing.

Engines in the 62,500lb thrust class will be needed and Boeing says that only two years development time is required to get the aircraft into service once it is launched.

P&W Powered Ilyushin Revealed:

Due to have recorded its first flight by the time these words are read is a Russian Ilyushin Il-96M widebody airliner powered by four Pratt & Whitney PW2337 turbofan engines.

The aircraft was rolled out at Moscow in late March and is scheduled to be certificated by the Commonwealth of Independent States and the US Federal Aviation Administration in 1995.

Pratt & Whitney is providing 10 PW2337 engines for two test aircraft with six already delivered. Letters of intent covering 30 Il-96Ms have been received from Russia International Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways and Far East Aviation. The aircraft can carry 318 passengers over a range of 6000nm (11,500km).

 Continental Cancels Airbus:

Shortly after Northwest Airlines’ cancellation of orders for 50 Airbus A320s and 24 A340s, the European manufacturer now has to deal with further cancellations, this time from Continental Airlines, which continues to labour on in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Continental has cancelled its firm order for 20 A330/340s along with options on a further 18 aircraft, a contract worth some $US4. 2bn. Airbus has responded by offering an alternate proposal which involves replacing the existing contract with one or more new contracts covering various types and amounts of aircraft. On a happier note for Airbus, its 1000th aircraft the first A340-300 for Air France – was handed over In late March this year.

Airbus may not be the only manufacturer to suffer from Continental’s cancellations: the airline has been discussing with Boeing its $US5. 9bn orders for 50 (plus 50 options) 737-300s and 25 (plus 25) 757s.

 United Defers Boeing Orders:

United Airlines and Boeing have reached an agreement to rearrange the delivery of 49 orders worth $US2. 7bn, the move being a major part of Boeing’s recent decision to reduce the production rate of some models. (refer p6 Mar 93 AA).

The 49 orders have been reclassified as purchase options, but United will suffer the loss of significant deposits if it does not take delivery of the aircraft before 2000. The change represents all United orders with Boeing after August this year, except for the 777, for which the airline has 34 firm orders and 34 options.

Affected are orders for 31 737s, eight 747s, two 757s and eight 767s. United will take delivery of its first 777 (for which it is launch customer) in May 1995 and 10 more will be in service by the end of that year. It has, however, modified its 1996 777 delivery schedule. Orders for four A model aircraft will be converted to longer range B models for delivery to United in 1998 and 1999.

Fokker 70 Flies:

The prototype of the Fokker 70 made its maiden flight on April 2 this year.

The first flight took place from Woensdrecht, in the Netherlands, Fokker Aircraft Service’s home base with the aircraft landing at Schiphol, from where flight and certification testing will be based. By now the aircraft’s flight envelope was planned to be fully opened, which should allow it to make its public debut at the Paris Airshow in June.

A shortened version of the Fokker 100, the Fokker 70 is the company’s first step towards what it calls the Fokker Jetline family, which is planned to also involve a stretch of the original airframe out to the F130. Certification of the 70-80 seat jet is currently scheduled for October 1994.

Casa Seeks China Deal:

Spain’s CASA is looking to get its CASA 3000 70 seat high speed regional turboprop programme moving by seeking a sales and coproduction deal with China.

CASA is the latest to try to exploit China’s potentially lucrative 70 to 80 seat market, ATR, Saab and Fokker having also courted the Chinese recently. It is considered that even if China agrees to some arrangement on the 3000 it will not be sufficient to launch the aircraft and CASA is therefore also talking to other manufacturers including British Aerospace and several from Europe.

CASA is hoping to have the 3000 in the air by December 1995. It will feature a 350 knot (650kmh) cruise speed and a wing constructed entirely of carbon fibre.

Bargain Tristars:

Long time Lockheed L1011 Tristar operator Cathay Pacific has been picking up extra examples of the trijet airliner lately, and for very good prices.

In recent times, Cathay has bought 12 ex Eastern Airlines Tristars for $US12m each and spent a further $US8m refurbishing them. The aircraft are proving to be useful ‘fill ins’ while the airline awaits delivery of its Airbus A330s from 1995. In February this year Cathay added a 19th Tristar to its fleet, this aircraft being purchased from storage at Mojave, California, for a mere $US5m. The Tristar’s RB211 engines were overhauled in Hong Kong by Cathay subsidiary HAECO while British Airways overhauled the airframe before it entered service with sister carrier Dragonair.

 American Grounds DC-10s:

As part of its substantial fleet and cost reduc tion plans, American Airlines will ground half of its 49 strong McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 fleet from June this year.

Twenty five DC-10-10s will be withdrawn from service over a period of six months while the remaining-10s and ten-30s will be retained in service. The airline had to decide whether to ground older DC-10s or its new Airbus A300-600Rs, the latter winning a reprieve due to their substantially lower fuel consumption, less costly maintenance and two (rather than three) man flight crew.

Fokker Jobs Go:

Following its recent decision to reduce production of the F50 regional turboprop from 50 to 27 annually and that of the F100 jet from 59 to 40 per year, Fokker has now announced it will be shedding 2118 of its current 12,500 workforce.

Of those lost jobs, the company estimates that 1789 will be as the result of forced redundancy after taking natural attrition and relocations into account. Fokker says the action is the result of the “continuing crisis in the world’s aviation industry” and the necessity to maintain the cost price of the aircraft at their present levels in light of reduced production rates.

The company says it doesn’t expect an upturn in the airliner market until 1995.

GPA Cancels Atr:

Leasing company GPA has cancelled firm orders and options for 14 ATR42 and 11 ATR72 regional turboprops, the latest in a series of cancellations which have affected Airbus, Boeing, Fokker and de Havilland Canada.

GPA is currently undergoing major financial restructuring and has recently had its debt rating lowered by Moody’s Investors Services. Despite this, GPA announced the lease of 203 aircraft in the year to the end of March and 58 new aircraft were purchased during the year. Twenty one new customers appeared on GPA’s books during the period. and its fleet list totals 483 aircraft.