Tag: increase

U.S. Air Force Eyes Major Expansion of KC-46A Pegasus Fleet

Aerospace Global News reports, “The Air Force already has around 100 Boeing KC-46A tankers in service, but now it wants to increase that to around 319 eventually. There are rumours it wants to fully replace the KC-135, but that would require an even bigger order. While the aircraft has faced repeated high-profile teething maturation problems, it is the only US tanker aircraft on the market available to replace aging KC-135 and to increase the overall fleet size.”
Full Story (Aerospace Global News)

Blue Origin to Grow New Shepard Fleet

Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin is developing three new suborbital New Shepard launch systems and mulling expanding flight services beyond West Texas, the company said Sept. 28. The current two-ship fleet will be retired by the end of 2027, with the first of three new spacecraft expected to debut next year, Senior Vice President Phil Joyce said during the Global Spaceport Alliance forum ahead of the International Astronautical Congress being held in Sydney this week.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

B-21 Flight Test Pace Speeds Up as USAF, Northrop Plan to Increase Production

Aviation Week reports, “The second B-21 flight test aircraft has already flown a second time since its delivery sortie from Northrop Grumman to the U.S. Air Force, as the company says the bombers are increasing their pace of tests that have validated their predictions. The company and the service are finalizing plans on how to use congressionally added funds to increase production capacity for the bomber, says Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president of Aeronautics Systems at Northrop Grumman.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boeing Posts Smaller Loss as Jet Deliveries Rise

Reuters reports that Boeing reported a smaller second-quarter loss on Tuesday “as the U.S. planemaker ramped up jet production and deliveries, recovering from a regulatory crisis and a major strike that halted most production last year.” Shares of the company rose 1.5% in premarket trading.
Full Story (Reuters)

Southwest Airlines Adding Cockpit Alert System to Increase Runway Safety

The Wall Street Journal reports, “Southwest Airlines is adding a new cockpit-alert system to help its pilots avoid dangerous situations, after carriers navigated a series of close calls at U.S. airports in recent years. The Honeywell-designed system delivers verbal warnings and text alarms if a pilot is about to use the wrong runway, for example, or take off from or land on a taxiway. The Dallas-based carrier said the system has been added to nearly all of Southwest’s approximately 800 aircraft.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

SpaceX Receives FAA Approval to Increase Rate of Starship Launches from Texas

Reuters reports, “SpaceX received key U.S. regulatory approval on Tuesday to increase the annual rate of Starship rocket launches from Texas and booster landings in various bodies of water, allowing” the space company “to significantly expand development of its giant Mars rocket … The Federal Aviation Administration, capping a years-long review, said SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of Texas Starship launches from five to 25 would not have a major impact on the surrounding environment, nor would associated booster landings or potential rocket explosions over the Gulf of Mexico and some international waters.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Embraer Aircraft Deliveries Increase by 33% Year on Year

Aerotime reports, “Embraer has reported strong increases in aircraft deliveries in its latest quarter results, with its Executive Jets segment performing particularly well. On October 18, 2024, the Brazilian planemaker announced that its overall aircraft deliveries had risen by 33% year on year, or by 24% when compared to the same quarterly period in 2023.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Global Airlines Upgrade 2024 Profit Outlook as Travel Skyrockets

Retuers reports, “Global airlines on Monday raised their profit forecast for 2024 and projected industry wide revenues just shy of $1 trillion as a record number of travellers board flights. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it expected the worldwide industry to generate $30.5 billion of profit this year, higher than an upwardly revised $27.4 billion in 2023 as carriers keep a lid on underlying labour costs despite recent strikes.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Early eVTOL Aircraft Deliveries Increase EHang’s Revenues

Aviation International News reports, “Early deliveries of its autonomous two-seat EH216-S eVTOL aircraft boosted EHang’s revenues in the fourth quarter of 2023. Having secured type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on October 13, the Guangzhou-based company is still awaiting clearance for the production certificate needed to advance to higher-volume series production but managed to deliver 23 aircraft in the last three months of last year.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)