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. 

Air Transat Selects Pratt & Whitney GTF™ Engines to Power 17 A321neo Family Aircraft from AerCap

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 18, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Air Transat today announced the selection of Pratt & Whitney GTF engines to power 17 firm-order A321neo family aircraft: 2 A321neo and 15 long-range A321LR aircraft, the latest variant of the A321neo. All aircraft will be leased from AerCap. This follows the Air Transat announcements in 2017 and 2018 stating its agreements with AerCap for a long-term leasing arrangement. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019.

"We're thrilled for Air Transat and grateful for the confidence they're placing in the GTF engine," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "Our history with Air Transat goes back to the JT8D-powered Boeing 727. Together with AerCap, we're building a great relationship that will allow Air Transat to enjoy the full benefits of the GTF."

Since entering into service in early 2016, the GTF engine for the A320neo family aircraft has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 percent, to reduce NOx emissions by 50 percent to the regulatory standard and to lower the noise footprint by 75 percent.

Boeing Signs Commitments for 40 High-Capacity 737 MAX 8s, 53 MAX 8 Airplanes

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 18, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and four customers have signed commitments for a total of 93 737 MAX airplanes, including a carrier that has committed to 40 of the high-capacity version of the MAX 8 airplane. The commitments, valued at nearly $11 billion at current list prices, were announced at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow.

The agreements will be reflected on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website when they have been finalized. The four unidentified customers hail from the airline and airplane leasing industries.

"Today's announcement is yet more proof of the strong demand that we continue to see around the world for the 737 MAX airplane family," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for The Boeing Company. "The best-in-class capabilities of the 737 MAX - its superior efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort – are driving the long-term success of this popular program."

The 737 MAX family is designed to offer customers exceptional performance, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range to open up new destinations in the single-aisle market. The MAX family provides operators a 14-percent improvement over today's most efficient single-aisle airplanes. The high-capacity MAX 8 variant, which can accommodate 200 seats, offers up to a 20-percent fuel efficiency improvement per seat.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating nearly 4,700 orders from more than 100 customers worldwide. Projections show both numbers will continue to grow significantly.

According to the Boeing 2018 Commercial Market Outlook released this week, airlines will need 31,360 new single-aisle airplanes, such as the 737 MAX, over the next 20 years. That represents a 6-percent increase over last year's forecast. Analysts say the demand is fueled by the success of low-cost carriers and a big requirement for single-aisle jets for growth and replacement.

The 737 MAX incorporates the latest CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays and other features to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. For more information and feature content, visit www.boeing.com/commercial/737max.

LOCKHEED MARTIN AND THALESRAYTHEONSYSTEMS JOIN FORCES TO PROVIDE THE NATO ALLIANCE WITH BATTLESPACE INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM

NATO countries soon to be protected by the development of an advanced territorial Ballistic Missile Defence to protect The Alliance's European populations and territories

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 17, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and ThalesRaytheonSystems are joining forces to provide the NATO Alliance with a territorial Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) command and control capability.  This Teaming Agreement, signed in the presence of Raytheon and Thales, the two shareholders of the joint venture, establishes a transatlantic team that combines the depth and breadth of decades of expertise from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, with the European air command and control capabilities of Thales.  The overall team will include industry representatives from across the Alliance to deliver a low risk capability for NATO's Air Command and Control BMD program.

At the 2010 Lisbon Summit, NATO leaders decided to develop a Missile Defence Capability to protect all NATO European populations and territories against ballistic missile attacks.  The Alliance's Heads of State and Government stated that they see this as a core element of NATO's collective defence task in view of the growing threat of the proliferation of ballistic missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.  The focus of the Programme is the upgrade, test and integration of NATO's command and control (C2) systems and underlying communication network to enable effective information exchanges between various NATO and national missile defence systems. This integrated system-of-systems architecture will provide NATO forces, whether deployed within or beyond NATO's area of responsibility, with the capability to defend NATO populations and territories.

Dave Gulla, vice president of Mission Systems and Solutions, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, stated, "Our companies are committed to providing the best technical and program talent available to provide a low risk and operationally relevant NATO BMD capability.  We are confident that this teaming framework creates the best value for NATO and ensures delivery of a timely and effective territorial BMD capability."

"Lockheed Martin delivered the Defence Design System for NATO's BMD planning capability. We will leverage that success, as well as our expertise in command and control, weapon system development and systems integration to achieve the Alliance goals," said Dr. Rob Smith, vice president of C4ISR for Lockheed Martin's Rotary and Mission Systems.  "Lockheed's success in delivering the C2 capability for US Ballistic Missile Defense System is a result of our focus on end user needs.  We delivered a very complex C2 capability that is intuitive and effective for mission execution.  We accomplished this in partnership with Raytheon and other US companies and we look forward to delivering this capability with Thales and TRS." 

"This teaming agreement is perfectly aligned with our four companies orientations towards both system of systems innovative solutions and reinforcing existing partnerships, which proved its value through the previous joint successes such as Theater Missile Defense," said Thomas Got, Head of the Air Operations and Weapons System line of business for Thales Group.  "Our companies will join the best of each in meeting NATO's command and control needs."

According to Eric Marceau, CEO of the TRS Joint Venture, "This Teaming Agreement codifies the relationship established with Lockheed Martin in 2008 to deliver NATO's Theater Missile Defence capability.  It will further our collaboration to deliver the full spectrum capability the Alliance requires for territorial Ballistic Missile Defense.  This team will provide the operational command and control capability for the protection for all NATO European populations, territory and forces against the threats posed by ballistic missiles."

Boeing, Seacons Trading Announce Order for Boeing Business Jet MAX 7

Momentum continues to grow for BBJ MAX program with 20 orders worldwide

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 17, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that Seacons Trading Ltd has ordered a Boeing Business Jet MAX 7. The announcement during the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow showcases the continuing momentum for the new BBJ MAX family.

"We are excited to announce the BBJ MAX 7 order," said Dudy Purwagandhi, CEO of Seacons Trading Ltd. "We already operate a BBJ NG as well as a G550 and we've chosen the BBJ Max 7 because it offers more room and more range. The BBJ MAX 7 has features and capability that allow us to meet our very long distance and demanding international flights with the best passenger comfort in its class."

Mr. Samsudin Andi Arsyad,Chairman of Seacons Trading Ltd, witnessed the signing

Based on the new 737 MAX airplane, the BBJ MAX delivers 14 percent better fuel efficiency thanks to advanced engines and improved aerodynamics. The model also features 787-style flight deck displays and multiple advanced new systems.

"We are delighted that Seacons Trading has selected the best in-class capabilities of the BBJ MAX," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for The Boeing Company. "The BBJ MAX family is perfectly suited for the demanding private jet market with its ability to superior range, fuel efficiency, and greater cabin space."

Customers from around the world have placed orders for 20 BBJ MAX airplanes, including all three models: the BBJ MAX 7, BBJ MAX 8, and BBJ MAX 9. The first delivery is set for later this year.

The BBJ MAX family offers customers more range, comfort, and space than any business jet in its class. The jet is capable of flying 7,000 nautical mile (12,964 km) and features a lower cabin altitude, an integrated airstairs, and personalized interiors to match any preference and need.

Boeing, Aviation Capital Group Announce Order for 20 737 MAX 8s

Order raises lessor's direct purchase of 737 MAX airplanes to 100

Portfolio includes MAX 8, MAX 9 and MAX 10 variants

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 17, 2018/PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Aviation Capital Group (ACG) today announced an order for 20 737 MAX 8 airplanes at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow. The order, valued at $2.34 billion at list prices, raises ACG's 737 MAX direct-buy order quantity to 100.

"The 737 MAX is core to our strategic growth plans, as the airplane continues to command strong interest in the marketplace," said Khanh T. Tran, CEO of ACG. "This order expands our diverse portfolio, which includes three 737 MAX variants, providing us with more flexibility and some of the most advanced single-aisle jets to serve our customers."

The new orders will appear on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website once all contingencies have been met.

ACG first joined the 737 MAX family in 2012, placing orders for the MAX 8 and MAX 9. The lessor added to its portfolio last year by joining the launch group for the 737 MAX 10, the largest variant with the lowest operating cost per seat.

"We are pleased to extend our partnership with ACG as they continue to expand their 737 MAX portfolio," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing, The Boeing Company. "This order reflects continued market demand for the best single-aisle airplane in its class. The 737 MAX will deliver exceptional performance and market-leading economics to ACG's world-class customers for many years to come."  

According to the Boeing 2018 Commercial Market Outlook released this week, airlines will need 31,360 new single-aisle airplanes, such as the 737 MAX, over the next 20 years. That represents a 6-percent increase over last year's forecast. Analysts say the demand is fueled by the success of low-cost carriers and a big requirement for single-aisle jets for growth and replacement.

The 737 MAX family is designed to offer customers exceptional performance, with lower per-seat costs and an extended range to open up new destinations in the single-aisle market. The 737 MAX incorporates the latest CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays and other features to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 4,600 orders from 100 customers worldwide. For more information and feature content, visit www.boeing.com/commercial/737max.