Airbus’s new 74,000 square metre A350 final assembly line (FAL) has been inaugurated by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Airbus president and chief executive officer Fabrice Brégier. Attendees at the official ceremony in Toulouse saw the first flyable aircraft, MSN1, taking shape on the line before its first flight scheduled for mid 2013. Fuselage
Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines and Seattle-based Anaesthesia Outreach have delivered nearly nine tonnes of medical supplies to Ethiopia’s largest hospital in what is the first flight under Boeing’s Humanitarian Flight Delivery program. The equipment included several anaesthesia machines, patient monitoring equipment and intensive care beds. This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members. Login Become
Airbus has begun flight testing its first A321 fitted with fuel-saving ‘Sharklets’. The aircraft took to the air in Hamburg, joining the ongoing certification program for the new wingtip design. Jetstar Asia will be the first Singapore-based Airbus operator to begin using sharklets on its new A320s. Qantas claims the devices will save the airline
Boeing has begun building the first 777 at the increased rate of 8.3 per month, the highest production rate ever for a twin-aisle airliner. The production rate represents a 20 per cent increase over the previous seven per month rate, and has been made possible through the employment of additional staff and new equipment such
Boeing and Korea’s Samsung have agreed to conduct joint research and development on inflight entertainment and communications systems. The companies will initially start development of lighter weight advanced displays and wireless networking that offer more capabilities for onboard entertainment and air-to-ground communication. This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members. Login Become a Member
The 10 metre vertical tail plane of the first flyable A350 has been painted up at the manufacturer’s facility in Germany. This is the first component of the A350 to be painted in Airbus’s distinctive livery, using environmentally-friendly, chromate-free primer paint. Mating of the fuselage components will be complete by the end of November, with