Tag: Europe

N3 to Add MRO Capacity in Expansion at Arnstadt Site

Aviation Week reports that Rolls-Royce engine maintenance specialist N3 Engine Overhaul Services “is targeting the overhaul of nearly 200 engines next year and plans to expand capacity at its facility in Germany over the next two years to facilitate future ramp-ups.” The Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce joint venture “plans to invest €150 million ($167.3 million) at the Arnstadt site, located in the Thuringia region in central Germany.” N3 says the project “aims to further establish it as an important European location in the global maintenance network for Rolls-Royce aircraft engines while creating hundreds of new jobs.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

ESA’s JUICE Jupiter Probe Glides Past Moon in Historic Flyby

Scientific American reports, “Europe’s JUICE Jupiter probe swung by the moon for a ‘gravity assist’ on Monday (Aug. 19), and it snapped some photos to commemorate the historic encounter.  JUICE (short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) came within a mere 465 miles (750 kilometers) of the lunar surface on Monday evening, on the first leg of an unprecedented gravity-assist doubleheader.”
Full Story (Scientific American)

Ariane 5 Retirement Leaves Europe With a Launch Crisis

Spaceflight Now reports that Europe is “facing months without its own independent access to space for large satellites following the retirement of its heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket this week after notching up its 117th and final mission over 27 years of operations.” Ariane 6 is still “undergoing final development and testing.” It is behind schedule “and is unlikely to fly until the very end of this year, with some industry experts suggesting it may not make its maiden flight until later in 2024.” The situation for Europe “is compounded by its smaller vehicle, the Vega-C, remaining out of action following an in-flight failure last December and Russian Soyuz rockets no longer being available for European launches.” An older version of the Vega “is scheduled to fly in September.” European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher stated recently “that the continent finds itself in the midst of ‘an acute launcher crisis’ because of the ‘unavailability of home-grown rockets.’”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Ryanair, Boeing In Talks Over 737 MAX Order

Bloomberg reported that Ryanair Holdings “is reported to be in talks to purchase between 150 and 200 Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft, in a deal that would boost confidence in the grounded jet as it prepares for a return to service.” Ryanair “is discussing a mix of Max 200s, the version it has already ordered, and the bigger Max 10, the Irish Independent reported Friday.” A “purchase of that size would total at least $18.7 billion at list prices, making it the biggest plane order in a 2020 market.” The order “would also provide a morale-builder to Boeing as it brings its most popular jet back into commercial use.” Ryanair “currently has 135 737 Max-200s on order, plus another 75 options, according to its website.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)

EASA Executive Director Sees November Ungrounding of Boeing 737 MAX

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company’s grounded 737 MAX could “receive regulatory approval to resume flying in November and enter service by the end of the year, Europe’s chief aviation safety regulator said on Friday.” European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Executive Director Patrick Ky said, “For the first time in year and a half I can say there’s an end in sight to work on the MAX.” EASA “expects to lift its technical ban ‘not long’ after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, probably in November, but national operational clearances needed for individual airlines to resume flying in Europe could take longer, he said.
Full Story (Reuters)