Tag: AIRBUS

Airbus Delivers 323 Aircraft in First Half

Reuters reports, “Airbus confirmed on Monday it had delivered 323 airplanes in the first half of the year, up 2% from 316 in the same period of 2023. The world’s largest planemaker also said in a monthly bulletin that it had won 327 gross orders in the first six months of 2024, or a net total of 310 after cancellations.”
Full Story (Reuters)

A400M Operators Set to Receive New Upgrades, Support Package

Aviation Week reports, “Airbus’ A400M airlifter is set to receive a series of upgrades as part of a new agreement between the launch customer nations. The upgrades package, called Block Upgrade 0, will update the turboprop-engine transport aircraft’s flight management systems, ensure the wider fleets are compliant with NATO requirements, and improve the aircraft’s communications capabilities.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Airbus Completes Loading of Autonomous Helicopter in First Demo

Defense News reports, “Airbus U.S. Space and Defense has conducted its first demonstration as part of a program to build an autonomous, uncrewed version of the UH-72 Lakota transportation helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Lakota variant, which Airbus calls the UH-72 Logistics Connector, is the company’s bid for the Marines’ Aerial Logistics Connector program, senior manager for business development Carl Forsling said Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Washington.”
Full Story (Defense News)

Airbus Sets New Speed Target for Next Compound Rotorcraft Demo

Aviation Week reports, “Airbus Helicopters has set a new speed target of 240 kt. (276.1 mph) for the next round of flight testing of its Racer compound high-speed rotorcraft. The Racer is currently in maintenance after its first 8 hr. of flight testing, during which it achieved speeds of 227 kt. in June after just seven flights.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Airbus Sets Sales Record in 2023

The Wall Street Journal reports Airbus set a record for the highest number of orders in a single year, with 2,319 gross orders last year, more than doubling its orders compared to 2022 and 29.1% higher than its 1,796 record set in 2014.
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

SAS, Airbus to Cooperate on Hydrogen Infrastructure at Nordic Airports

FlightGlobal reports that Scandinavian operator SAS “is to co-operate with Airbus and local partners to explore the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at Nordic airports.” The companies “aim to gain improved understanding of hydrogen aircraft operations, supply, and refueling requirements to develop the hydrogen ecosystem in Sweden and Norway.” It will also “look at selection procedures for determining which candidate airports could be chosen for initial hydrogen-aircraft operations.” The study, “in which Swedish and Norwegian airport operators Swedavia and Avinor will participate, will consider over 50 sites.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)

Airbus Unveils Completed CityAirbus NextGen Prototype

Aviation Week reports, “Network Airbus has unveiled the completed prototype of its CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing advanced air mobility aircraft. The fully assembled aircraft was displayed March 7 during the formal opening of the company’s new CityAirbus test facilities in Donauworth, Germany.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

 

 

 

 

Video

CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL prototype
(Airbus Helicopters; YouTube)

Airbus Pauses CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL Program

Aerotime reports, “Airbus announced on January 27, 2025, that it is pausing the development of its CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft … Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, highlighted the uncertainty over the capabilities of the current generation of batteries as the key reason for the suspension of this program.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Airbus Helicopters Opens 3D Printing Center

Aviation International News reports that Airbus Helicopters “has opened a new 3D printing center at its Donauwörth, Germany site, expanding in-house capacity for this technology.” The airframer now “operates three machines for components made of titanium, four for plastic, and one for aluminum.” Airbus is “using the process for serial production parts as well as for components for prototype aircraft such as the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL and the high-speed Racer experimental compound helicopter.” Airbus Helicopters Managing Director for Germany Stefan Thomé said, “Among other advantages, 3D printing can reduce the weight of aircraft components, which leads to less fuel consumption. Such potential can bring financial benefits and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions during operations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Airbus Working to Improve A220 Autothrottle Design

Aviation Week reported that Airbus is “working on improving the A220’s autothrottle design, after several reports of crew errors that could have led to a tail strike or more serious incidents.” The aircraft’s autopilot “will be modified, too.” In the meantime, procedures “are temporarily added in the takeoff phase.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Comlux Delivers First Completed ACJ TwoTwenty to Five Hotels

Aviation International News reports that Comlux delivered the first completed ACJ TwoTwenty to launch customer Five Hotels and Resorts. Airbus Corporate Jets partnered with Comlux in 2020 “to bring the executive variant of the Airbus 220 single-aisle airliner to the business aviation market.” Comlux is “designing and installing the interiors on the first 16 of the TwoTwenty; at least 10 have been ordered to date.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Wizz Air Orders 75 More A321neos

Aviation Week reports that Wizz Air shareholders attending the carrier’s annual general meeting “have voted in favor of buying a further 75 Airbus A321neo family aircraft.” The firm order “takes Wizz Air’s total order for the largest variant of the Airbus single-aisle family to 434.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription publication)

Airbus Outsells Boeing as Both Rack Up Huge Order Totals in Paris

Bloomberg reports that at the Paris Air Show, Airbus came in ahead of The Boeing Company “in the closely watched contest for airplane orders thanks to a massive haul from India that highlights Asia’s growing importance to aircraft demand.” Airbus’ order totals included a “record-setting deal for 500 narrowbody jets from low-cost carrier Indigo, the biggest airline in the world’s most populous country.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)

Airbus Seeing New Materials Shortages Emerge in Aerospace Supply Chain

Aviation Week reports that “Airbus is seeing new materials shortages emerge in the aerospace supply chain as other issues that have dominated in recent months begin to settle down.” Airbus Chief Operating Officer Alberto Gutierrez told ShowNews at the Paris Air Show that there are “new difficulties with raw materials, particularly aerospace steel.” According to Aviation Week, “steel is used in some aircraft parts that are exposed to particularly strong forces, such as the landing gear, and it is also used in castings and forgings.” Gutierrez said that the lead time for steel orders “used to be eight months – now it is 20 months.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Demand for Freighters Expected in Years to Come

Aviation Week reports that Airbus is predicting that shippers “will need 560 widebody freighters of more than 80-ton capacity from 202-41. Boeing expects demand for 515 widebody freighters over the same period.” Although much of this demand will reportedly “be satisfied by new-make cargo aircraft…new ventures are moving steadily toward converting Boeing 777s to meet the requirements for heavy cargo aircraft.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)