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)
Tag: increase
Terran Orbital Announces Satellite Production Increase
Space News reports that on Thursday, satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital “plans to accelerate production at its factory in California, promising deliveries in 30 to 60 days” beginning next year. Terran Orbital Cofounder, Chairman, and CEO Marc Bell said the company is marketing this effort as a “responsive space initiative” to shorten production timelines. Bell said the 30-60 day service “will be available in late 2024.” The company will “rely on increased automation and robotics systems to speed up production, said Bell.”
Full Story (Space News)
USN, Marines Increase F-35 Collaboration with Asia-Pacific Allies
FlightGlobal reports that US Navy Rear Admiral Christopher Stone “says that work continues to refine missions for the Lockheed Martin F-35, including working closely with operators of the type in the Asia-Pacific.” Admiral Stone “is the commander of Task Force 76/3, an experimental unit formed in 2022 that seeks to more deeply integrate the USN and US Marine Corps (USMC) at the leadership and operational levels in the Asia-Pacific region.” A focus “is improving joint capabilities amid the growing military threat from China.” The task force “comprises 11 warships centered on USS America, an amphibious assault ship that operates three USMC types: the short take-off and vertical landing version of the F-35, the F-35B, in addition to rotorcraft such as the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey and Sikorsky CH-53K.” Stone said of the F-35, “These fifth-generation aircraft are incredibly capable. The capabilities that the aircraft itself provides in terms of sensor coverage and weapons capability are truly breathtaking.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – subscription publication)
Boeing Will Increase 737 MAX Production Rates ‘Very Soon’
Reuters reports that Stan Deal, The Boeing Company’s commercial aircraft business leader, said the company will increase 737 MAX production above the current rate of 31 jets per month “very soon” and is completing final submissions for certification of the 737 MAX 7 by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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Airbus Is Hiring Thousands of Workers for Aircraft Production Increase
Reuters reports that Airbus is better prepared for the challenge of securing enough people to handle jet production increases than it was before the pandemic, a senior executive said. The European planemaker plans a two-thirds increase in production of best-selling A320neo-family single-aisle jets to 75 a month in 2026 from 45 now. In Germany, its second-largest base, Airbus plans to hire 3,500 staff for the second year in a row to handle the ramp-up and feed projects on decarbonization and industrial systems.
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Bombardier Jet Deliveries to Increase This Year Despite Continued Supply Chain Challenges
Reuters reports that on Thursday, Bombardier forecast higher business jet “deliveries for 2023 despite supply-chain problems expected to subside but not disappear this year, chief executive Eric Martel said.” Canada’s Bombardier expects “to deliver more than 138 jets in 2023, compared with 123 last year, after strong demand for private flying lifted its quarterly results above expectations.” Martel told reporters of the company’s experienced supply chain issues, “Today there are less suppliers that have issues but those that remain have sometimes deeper issues which we need to work with.” He made a fresh case “for Bombardier to be included in any plans by Canada to buy reconnaissance jets.” Late last year, he “voiced concerns that such a contract could potentially go directly to U.S. planemaker Boeing.”
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Boeing Expects Demand for Air Cargo to Increase
Reuters reported that The Boeing Company believes air cargo traffic will double over the next two decades with the “world’s freighter fleet expanding by more than 60%.”
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Business Aircraft Flight Hours Increase Despite Fuel Costs
Aviation Week reported that the hours “of business aircraft utilization rose by 15% to around 690,000 hours in June 2022 despite the cost of fuel soaring to $4.12 per gallon from $1.75 in June last year.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
GAMA Finds General Aviation, Business Aviation Deliveries Climb
Aviation International News reports that the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has found that general aviation aircraft “billings rose by more than 5 percent to $9.1 billion from $8.6 billion, while business jet deliveries increased by nearly 10 percent in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year.” OEMs “delivered 289 business jets in the first half of the year, paced by Textron Aviation, which improved its previous total by 15 additional aircraft deliveries equating to a 20 percent increase year-over-year.”
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GAMA Reports Q1 Increase in Plane Deliveries, Led by Small Aircraft
Aviation International News reports that according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, “the first quarter brought good news for the general aviation industry in terms of deliveries,” as “overall airplane deliveries rose nearly 15 percent year-over-year, while helicopters handovers climbed 7 percent” and airplane deliveries “were led by smaller aircraft, causing a $300 million decline in billings from a year ago, to $3.7 billion.” GAMA found that “turboprop airplanes saw the largest gain, soaring by more than 30 percent over the first three months of 2021, with higher-end pressurized models receiving a 39 percent boost.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)