A320neo Family takes centre stage during Day 3 of the Farnborough Airshow

The brightly-coloured A321neo exhibited at this week’s Farnborough Airshow serves as a highly visible reminder that Airbus’ A320 Family of single-aisle aircraft meets the operational needs of airlines worldwide, and provides a ready-made solution for the middle-of-the-market jetliner category.

On display at Farnborough is the first A321neo for easyJet, adding this longer-fuselage version to the low-cost European airline’s existing fleet of more than 300 A320 Family aircraft. In easyJet’s configuration, the A321neo seats 235 passengers.

easyJet has a total of 30 A321neo aircraft on order, with the initial six to be delivered by year-end, according to CEO Johan Lundgren.

“The A321neo’s larger size will help us grow, especially at slot-constrained airports, where we can meet the traffic demands,” Lundgren told journalists during a delivery event press conference.

The Airbus middle-of-the-market solution

On the subject of how the air transport sector’s middle-of-the-market requirements can be met by aircraft manufacturers – which once again was a point of discussion and debate during the Farnborough Airshow – Airbus CEO Tom Enders said the answer already exists.

“We have no problem with the middle-of-the-market segment, because we already are there, and we’re strongly positioned,” Enders explained at the press conference. “This is based on our strong portfolio: the A321/A321neo, with its single-aisle capacity of up to 240 seats; as well as the widebody A330/A330neo. While our competitor pushes out a middle-of-the-market aircraft decision, there’s no need for us to respond with a brand-new aircraft development.”

Digital transformation reaches new heights with Skywise

In addition to being one of the largest operators of A320 Family aircraft, easyJet was among the first airlines to join Airbus’ Skywise open data platform, which is a key element in Airbus’ digital transformation strategy. Skywise provides a single access point for the sharing of information, the conducting of data analysis, and the enabling of informed decision-making.

Lundgren said the carrier’s participation as an airline ‘early adopter’ of Skywise underscores easyJet’s firm commitment to harnessing the power of cloud-based big data analytics, with the promise of evolving the air transport sector in the years to come.

“With Skywise, easyJet already has prevented some 100 technical delays during the year-to-date that otherwise would have cost money and caused problems for our customers,” Lundgren said. “This is just one example of what connectivity can do if we work together to drive improvements in this area. I am very pleased with the results so far.”

Suppliers join the Skywise collaboration

In parallel with easyJet’s first A321neo delivery here at Farnborough, Airbus used the biennial air show to announce that Skywise has now been extended to the supply chain – with 10 companies already collaborating as ‘early adopter’ suppliers.

Skywise was formally launched in June 2017 at the Paris Air Show, and the platform’s development since then has been extremely impressive, with an exponential ramp-up in its use, according to Marc Fontaine, Airbus’ Digital Transformation Officer.

“With 22 airlines signed up during the first year, Skywise is managing more than 2,500 aircraft, dealing with 3.5 petabytes of aviation data at this stage,” Fontaine told journalists at Farnborough. “The platform has logged data from some 12 million flights and over 25 million maintenance actions have been recorded from the maintenance systems of participating airlines.”

Three of the ‘early adopter’ suppliers are collaborating with Airbus on strategic use cases in three domains: a supply chain application called ‘Dispatch,’ with Premium Aerotech as lead partner; the ‘Object Explorer’ quality application, for which Thales serves as the key partner; and ‘Spotlight,’ an aircraft operability application involving a partnership between easyJet, Liebherr and Airbus.

Another day at Farnborough…more Airbus jetliner orders

In the latest single-aisle new business announced at the Farnborough Airshow, Mexico’s Viva Aerobus has firmed up an amendment to this ultra-low-cost carrier’s existing purchase agreement for 25 incremental A321neo jetliners and the up-sizing conversions of 16 A320neo aircraft to the A321neo configuration. With this latest order, the all-Airbus operator’s total order book grows to 80 A320 Family aircraft, and airline’s total backlog from 36 to 61 aircraft.

Wrapping up Airbus’ activity today at Farnborough was the signature of an undisclosed customer’s commitment for six A330neo Family aircraft, and Uganda Airlines’ signing of a memorandum of understanding for two A330neo aircraft in the A330-800neo configuration. 

Satellites and big data analytics provide new eyes to protect the sea: Leonardo’s SEonSE platform is now online

•  Based on a proprietary  patent,  leveraging  the  use  of  cloud  computing  and  big  data analytics,  SEonSE  provides  real-time  maritime  surveillance  services  to  detect  illegal activities,  support  environment  monitoring  and  fight  piracy

•  SEonSE merges  data  coming  from  various  sources,  such  as  COSMO-SkyMed  and Copernicus  satellites,  the  exactEarth  service  providing  the  position  of  vessels,  the  world registry  of  ships,  meteorological  and  oceanographic  information 

•  SEonSE will  be  used  by the  European  strategic  research  programme  OCEAN2020  for naval  surveillance  and  maritime  safety

Farnborough,  17  July  2018  –  SEonSE  (Smart  Eyes  on  the  SEas),  Leonardo’s  geospatial  maritime security  platform,  goes  online  today.  Thanks  to  the  use  of  cloud  computing  and  of  advanced  big  data analysis  models,  SEonSE  makes  it  possible  to  access  in  real-time,  even  from  tablets  or  smartphones, customised  information  on  what  happens  at  sea. 

The  announcement  was  made  at  the  “Farnborough  International  Airshow”  exhibition  being  held  in  the United  Kingdom,  where  the  solution  implemented  by  e-GEOS  (a  joint  venture  between  Telespazio  80% and  ASI  20%)  was  presented.  This  platform  integrates  data  coming  from  multiple  sources  and  provides multiple  services  for  maritime  security  and  surveillance,  monitoring  of  illegal  traffic,  environment protection  as  well  as  fight  against  piracy. 

“With  SEonSE,  maritime  security  can  fully  leverage  on  the  advantages  offered  by  digital  technology.  A huge  amount  of  data  is  automatically  processed  in  real-time  for  the  protection  of  people  and  the maritime  environment”  declared  Luigi  Pasquali,  Leonardo’s  Coordinator  of  Space  activities  and Telespazio’s  CEO.  “This  revolutionary  platform  is  based  on  the  knowledge  of  an  industrial  Group, Leonardo,  a  leader  in  the  development  and  supply  of  integrated  systems  and  technologies  for  maritime domain  awareness,  and  on  25-years  of  experience  in  the  Earth  observation  domain,  with  e-GEOS  as an  international  leader.” 

SEonSE  processes  information  acquired  from  satellites  and  coastline  radars  and  merges  them  on  an automatic  and  continuous  basis,  thanks  to  proprietary  algorithms,  with  positioning  data  sent  by  vessels (AIS,  VMS,  LRIT),  registries  of  ships  and  various  databases  along  with  meteorological  and oceanographic  information.  This  data  is  then  compared  with  historical  information  and  customary behaviors,  making  it  possible  to  identify  anomalous  activities  and  potential  threats  to  security.  The  result is  timely  and  easily  accessible  information,  crucial  to  identifying  possible  risks  which  are  signaled  by automatically  generated  alerts  to  intercept  the  vessel  in  question,  to  plan  the  actions  of  the  relevant authorities  and  to  trace  secure  routes  in  hostile  environments. 

Crucial  in  terms  of  security  and  monitoring  is  the  contribution  of  satellite  images,  which  allow  the observation  on  a  global  scale  of  cooperating  or  non-cooperating  vessels  –  therefore  even  the  ones  that do  not  comply  with  identification  requirements  at  sea  –  in  any  weather  conditions,  in  remote  areas,  by day  and  night.  SEonSE,  in  particular,  combines  the  high  resolution  and  the  flexibility  of  the  Italian COSMO-SkyMed  radar  satellite  constellation  with  the  frequency  of  programmed  acquisitions  of  the Sentinels  of  the  Copernicus  European  programme.  In  addition,  the  platform  already  allows  the integration  of  data  generated  by  the  constellations  of  mini-satellites,  like  Planet  and  BlackSky,  granting a  non-stop  and  complete  updating  of  the  situation  at  sea. SEonSE  also  leverages  on,  in  real-time,  over  7  million  AIS  signals  sent  every  day  by  about  165,000 vessels  which  are  managed  by  exactEarth,  the  worldwide  leader  in  Satellite  AIS  data  services,for  global tracking  of  commercial  ships.  e-GEOS  and  exactEarth  have  signed  a  partnership  agreement  at  the Farnborough  show. 

SEonSE  is  based  on  an  e-GEOS’  patent  for  the  processing  of  satellite  data,  already  used  in  many activities  for  maritime  security  and  in  international  projects,  like  OCEAN2020,  the  European  Defence Fund  strategic  research  programme  for  naval  surveillance  technology  and  maritime  safety,  that  is  led  by Leonardo. 

Airbus launches SmartForce – services bringing the power of data to military operations

NH90 FAMET (Spanish Army)
©Anthony Pecci/Airbus Helicopters

Farnborough, 16 July 2018 – Airbus is extending its highly successful introduction of advanced data analytics in the civil aviation community to the defence market with the launch of SmartForce.

Airbus Defence and Space together with Airbus Helicopters are launching the SmartForce suite of services to enable military operators to exploit the data gathered by their aircraft to enhance operational safety, boost mission availability and reduce maintenance support costs. Operators can benefit from services to improve troubleshooting, optimize maintenance effort, predict maintenance actions and plan smartly for material demand.

The system incorporates on-site private data clouds to support specific military security requirements but also lays the ground for operational data-sharing between willing allies. 
The resulting enhanced decision-making reduces the maintenance burden and boosts fleet availability.

It will enable substantially more efficient maintenance by drilling into the wealth of data acquired by new generation helicopters and aircraft such as the NH90, A400M and A330 MRTT resulting in new standards of aircraft availability and the freeing of resources to focus on mission execution.

Head of Military Aircraft Services at Airbus Defence and Space, Stephan Miegel said: “SmartForce helps military operators to accelerate their own digital transformation in order to allow them to improve their operational readiness. Our vision is to enable data-driven new capabilities to support our customers in extracting more value from our in-service products. By breaking information siloes, Airbus teams can more rapidly perform root-cause analysis and faster trouble shooting, providing our customers with more efficient customer support.

“Our digital analytics services support the goal of enhanced mission readiness of our operators’ aircraft. They optimise maintenance practices, enable better informed and data-driven decision-making, and provide predictive solutions which all contribute to reduced workload and costs.”

Airbus Helicopters EVP Support / Services Matthieu Louvot said: “SmartForce will play a key role in fulfilling our greater goal of supporting our customers by leveraging the value of data for simpler, safer and more efficient operations.

“Our Connected Services offer will now be able to encompass the diversity of our customers with both Skywise Connected Services for civil operators and SmartForce for military operators.”

SmartForce builds on the successful experience of Airbus with its Skywise open data platform for the civil sector which now hosts the data of more than 2,000 aircraft at over a dozen airlines following its launch last year.

To satisfy military security requirements, SmartForce incorporates robust security measures such as geographic isolation, the use of accredited personnel, and monitoring by national cyber-security authorities.

STARLUX Airlines selects A350 XWB for long range services

STARLUX Airlines of Taiwan has selected the all-new A350 XWB for its future long haul fleet, following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of 17 aircraft, comprising 12 A350-1000s and five A350-900s. The agreement was announced at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK by Chang Kuo-wei, founder and Chairman of STARLUX Airlines and Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

The news follows a decision by the airline earlier this year also to select Airbus for its regional single aisle fleet, with a plan to finalise leases for 10 A321neo aircraft from third party lessors by the end of the year.

STARLUX Airlines is a new full-service airline based in Taipei and founded by Taiwanese aviation veteran Chang Kuo-wei, former Chairman of EVA Air. The carrier will develop a network spanning destinations across Asia and long haul services to North America. The carrier will launch regional operations in early 2020, followed by long haul services early in 2022.

The A350 XWB is an all new family of mid-size wide-body long-haul airliners shaping the future of air travel, featuring the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.

The Airspace cabin which, on top of the aircraft spaciousness and quietness, provides better ambience, design and services, contributing to superior levels of comfort and well-being, and setting new standards in terms of flight experience for passengers in all classes.

Sichuan Airlines orders 10 Airbus A350 XWBs

Airbus confirmed at the Farnborough Airshow a deal agreed earlier in 2018 that Sichuan Airlines, based in the Southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, has selected the A350 XWB to become the latest aircraft in its fleet.

Sichuan Airlines operates the largest all-Airbus fleet in China with over 130 Airbus family aircraft. In addition to its domestic network, Sichuan Airlines now operates on over 30 international routes, including routes from Chengdu to Moscow, Sidney, Dubai and Vancouver. The airline also leased four A350 XWBs, with the first one to be delivered by this year.

The newly introduced A350 XWBs, which is a strong supplement to Sichuan Airlines’ Airbus fleet, will be deployed on its non-stop long haul international routes, such as Chengdu to North America and Europe.

The A350 XWB is an all new family of widebody long-haul airliners shaping the future of air travel. The A350 XWB features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs. The A350 XWB features an Airspace by Airbus cabin offering absolute well-being on board with the quietest twin-aisle cabin and new air systems.

By the end of June 2018, Airbus has recorded a total of 882 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 46 customers worldwide, already making it one of the most successful wide-body aircraft ever.

2018 list price: A350-900 US$317.4m