Boeing compte livrer le 787 Dreamliner fin 2010

"L'avionneur annonce des essais fin 2009 pour une première livraison au dernier trimestre 2010, soit deux ans et demi de retard sur le calendrier initial. Il va passer une charge de 2,5 milliards de dollars sur ses comptes du troisième trimestre.

Boeing a annoncé jeudi un nouveau calendrier pour son 787 Dreamliner lequel, après des essais en vol fin 2009, commencera à être livré au dernier trimestre de 2010, a annoncé jeudi la firme de Chicago. Ce nouveau calendrier correspond à un retard de deux ans et demi par rapport au planning initial (mai 2008). Malgré tout, Boeing se dit confiant dans la profitabilité de ce programme.

Les sommes comptabilisées jusqu'ici pour les premiers trois essais en vol seront reclassifiées en frais de Recherche et Développement ; ce qui va se traduire par une charge avant impôts estimée à 2,5 milliards de dollars dans les comptes du troisième trimestre de l'exercice 2009.

Boeing avait le 23 juin dernier annoncé un cinquième report consécutif nouveaux pour son nouvel avion commercial, affirmant qu'il ne publierait plus aucun calendrier tant que les problèmes de soudure entre les ailes et le fuselage de l'appareil ne seraient pas résolus." Les Echos

Airbus delivers its 4000th A320 Family aircraft to TAM

"Airbus has delivered its 4000th A320 Family aircraft to Brazilian flag carrier TAM from its Final Assembly Line in Hamburg. The aircraft, an A319, was handed over to TAM in the presence of the President of the Board of TAM, Maria Claudia Oliveira Amaro as well as Airbus President and CEO, Tom Enders.

The aircraft is powered with IAE engines and configured in a comfortable single-class lay-out seating 144 passengers. On the A319's ferry flight from Hamburg to Brazil, TAM will transport goods for schools for handicapped children in the region. The equipment was donated by Aviation without Borders Germany (LOG) and facilitated by the Airbus Foundation.

Maria Claudia Oliveira Amaro, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TAM said: "TAM's acquisition of the 4000th A320 Family aircraft is another milestone in our partnership with Airbus. It will be an even bigger excitement when TAM's aircraft heads for Brazil, as it will also be contributing to an important initiative in the social responsibility arena."

"The delivery of our 4000th A320 Family aircraft to TAM not only speaks for the tremendous success of the A320 programme, but also for our strong relationship with TAM , the largest Airbus operator in the Southern Hemisphere" said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO." Airbus

CSA Czech details job cuts

"CSA Czech Airlines detailed its workforce reduction plans, saying that 860 of its 4,600 employees will be let go and the cuts will affect all areas of the company. The carrier will lay off about 140 pilots (about 25%) and 240 flight attendants, the Mlada fronta DNES newspaper reported. The least affected group will be administrative employees, of whom 15% are to be dismissed." ATW

Air France KLM withdraws from Czech Airlines bidding

"Air France KLM withdrew from the tender process for privatization of CSA Czech Airlines, stating that in the current economic environment it believes "CSA might focus on developing and implementing a standalone recovery plan aimed at restoring its profitability."

The Czech government in April selected AF KLM and the Unimex/Travel Service consortium as the finalists to proceed to a second round of bidding for a 91.5% stake in CSA (ATWOnline, April 21). The Czech-Icelandic consortium is now the only remaining bidder and has until Sept. 15 to submit a binding offer. "We're moving forward. . .now we're doing due diligence," a consortium spokesperson told Dow Jones. The group will submit a bid by the mid-September deadline, she added." ATW

A400M : la perspective d'un premier vol fin 2009 se confirme

" Principale cause des retards de l'avion de transport militaire, le logiciel de régulation du moteur vient de franchir une étape importante de sa certification. La prévision d'un décollage fin décembre est renforcée..." Les Echos

Mandelson fuels clash with US over Airbus aid

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A long-running dispute between the European Union and the US government over state funding for large aircraft makers threatened to reignite yesterday after Lord Mandelson offered Airbus more than £300m of aid while attacking US "subsidies".

The business secretary pledged £340m of repayable launch aid to Airbus, owned by European conglomerate EADS, to help it develop the A350, a family of long-haul jets that will compete with Boeing's successful 777 aircraft and its new 787 Dreamliner.

Speaking at the Airbus plant in Filton, near Bristol, Lord Mandelson hailed the aerospace sector as "one of the UK economy's crown jewels" and said the government "investment" would safeguard thousands of British jobs.

The move comes at a sensitive moment in EU and US relations. The World Trade Organisation is due to make an interim ruling on US claims that soft loans to Airbus violate trade rules. A European countersuit could be concluded by the end of the year.

Lord Mandelson insisted that the UK government funding represented an investment and not a subsidy. "We know about subsidies," the minister said. "You only have to go to the United States to see the sort of subsidies that are provided to Boeing."... FT

Mandelson unveils £340m aid for Airbus

"Lord Mandelson, UK business secretary, on Friday said that the government would give Airbus £340m of repayable launch aid for the A350, a new family of long-haul jets, and launched a sharp attack on US subsidies for its aircraft industry.

The funding is seen as vital to secure the UK’s share of the work on current and future Airbus projects.

Airbus will make about 18 per cent of the plane in the UK, utilising the wing expertise of the company’s plant at Broughton, near Chester, and also the GKN-owned factory in Filton, Bristol, where Lord Mandelson announced the measures.

There had been deep concern in the UK aerospace industry that without government funding, the development of important composite technology could be lost to rivals" Financial Times

Textron looks to UN decision on Sensor Fused Weapon

"

Textron Defense Systems is awaiting the outcome of a United Nations meeting on the Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Treaty nextweek to assess potential market implications for its Sensor Fused Weapon (SFW).

The only area weapon in the US inventory that meets the Department of Defense's goal of delivering a submunition destruction rate of over 99%, the SFW was in combat use in the opening weeks of Operation "Iraqi Freedom" in 2003 when the US Air Force dropped around 100.

Carried by types including the Boeing B-1B and Lockheed Martin F-16, the 453kg (1,000lb)-class SFW deploys 10 submunitions, each of which contains four individual "skeet" warheads. These use a passive infrared array, an active laser sensor and a timeout feature to deliver a "dud rate" of below 1%. Each SFW can destroy multiple vehicles over an area greater than 121,000m² (1.3 million ft²) in one pass, its manufacturer says."

Britain To Loan Airbus $563 Million To Develop A350

"France And Germany Have Also Pledged Financial Support. Britain on Friday agreed to lend Airbus $563 million to develop its A350 long-haul passenger aircraft in a move to create jobs and boost the struggling aerospace sector. The British government said in a statement that it would loan Airbus the equivalent of 394 million Euros ahead of the A350's launch in 2013." Aero News

India's July domestic traffic rises 14%

"Domestic passenger traffic in India has increased by 14% in July from a year before as the airline market showed some signs of recovery. India's airlines carried 3.6 million passengers in July, says the civil aviation ministry. This is up 500,000 passengers or 14% from a year before, according to ATI's records. Jet Airways and its subsidiary Jetlite were the market leaders with a combined 947,000 passengers (26.3%). Kingfisher Airlines slipped to second with 23%. They were followed by Air India (16.2%), IndiGo (14%), SpiceJet (12.5%). GoAir (5.4%) and Paramount Airways (2%)." Flight Global

AVIC's Xingfu Airlines launches operations

"Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) new regional carrier Xingfu Airlines has launched operations and has a fleet of three Xian Aircraft MA60s.

The first flight was on 15 August and it was from its base in Xian to Yan'an city in Shaanxi province and the other route the carrier has launched services on is from Xian to Zhengzhou in Henan province, says an AVIC spokesman in Beijing.

AVIC, which is the country's main state-owned aircraft manufacturing conglomerate, owns 95% of the Xian-based airline which it launched as a means of showcasing its aircraft such as the 50-seat MA60 turboprop.

The airline has also said it plans to add AVIC Commercial Aircraft Corporation (ACAC) ARJ21s." Flight Global

China stalls in efforts to recruit foreign managerial talent

"Aviation Industry Corporation of China's (AVIC) efforts to attract senior foreign talent appears to have come to naught.

A report in state-run China Daily says the six people AVIC has recruited, as a result of its senior recruitment drive, are all Chinese nationals.

These six will take VP level positions in the defence, aircraft, helicopter, international and capital divisions, it says.

Seven senior executive positions remain unfilled in divisions including engines, systems and technology, it adds.

AVIC announced in February it would seek to recruit managers from overseas in an effort to get international expertise and make the company more international.

But it says those that applied for the positions were mostly from China.

The new recruits include Li Jian, who becomes VP of the aircraft division and is a former vice-mayor of Shaoguang city, Guangdong province. He has been VP of Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group since 2002, it adds." Flight Global

Safran : Citigroup relève sa recommandation à "conserver"

"Les analystes de la banque américaine Citigroup ont relevé leur recommandation à "conserver", contre "vendre" auparavant, sur le titre du groupe Safran, spécialisé dans la propulsion et les équipements aéronautiques, a-t-on appris vendredi auprès de sources du..." Les Echos

Will Boeing moves south?

"As Boeing Co. eyes a plant in South Carolina for its second 787 assembly line, aerospace industry officials worry about the future of airplane manufacturing in the Seattle area. “Obviously, it would be a blow to the region if they go elsewhere,” says a spokeswoman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which recently staged a 57-day strike at Boeing factories in the Seattle area. Boeing says it needs the second assembly line to make up for repeated delays in its marquee aircraft, but locating the plant in a right-to-work state could pose a challenge to the company’s powerful unions..." Avianews

China Eastern returns to profit on hedges, government aid

"China Eastern Airlines enjoyed a first-half turnaround, reporting a CNY984.7 million ($143.9 million) profit based on international accounting standards that compares to a CNY212.5 million net loss in the first six months of 2008. CEA credited a CNY2.79 billion hedging gain and "elimination of the civil aviation infrastructure tax that was imposed in the second half of last year, as well as government subsidies," for the result. Operating revenue dropped 15.8% to CNY17.5 billion while expenses fell 15% to CNY16.86 billion owing to lower fuel prices..." ATW Online

Les nouveaux Airbus A320 devraient être assemblés en Allemagne

"La finition des A320 à l'heure actuelle est encore partagée entre Toulouse en France et Hambourg, rappelle le Financial Times Deutschland." Les Echos

Argentine : le Congrès approuve la nationalisation d'une usine de Lockheed

"Le Sénat argentin a adopté mercredi le projet de loi sur la nationalisation de l'ancienne usine militaire d'avions de Cordoba, dans le centre du pays, détenue par le groupe aéronautique américain Lockheed Martin. Le projet de loi, présenté par le gouvernement, a été voté par 52 voix, 0 contre et 11... ... " Les Echos

Aer Lingus to defer Airbus deliveries

"Aer Lingus Group reached agreement with Airbus on deferred delivery of its new long-haul aircraft and terminated lease agreements on two A330s ahead of schedule. One leased A330 will leave the fleet in October, 18 months ahead of schedule, and the second will depart next March, 14 months ahead of schedule. EI already has returned two leased A330s this year and now plans to operate eight long-haul aircraft until 2013." ATW

Bombardier : prêt de 173 M$ du fédéral à SAS

"Exportation et développement Canada a offert un prêt remboursable à hauteur de 173 M$ afin d'aider Bombardier à achever et à livrer une commande passée par la société suédoise Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) pour l'achat d'un maximum de huit aéronefs Bombardier Q400 et CRJ900. L'information a été publiée ce matin sur le site Internet du ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international.

Le financement d'appui sera fourni par le biais du Compte du Canada à condition qu'EDC et SAS s'entendent sur les modalités de la vente, précise le ministère.

Bombardier a, de son côté, confirmé que cette aide du fédéral à SAS est liée à une commande du transporteur scandinave et trois de ses transporteurs affiliés datant de mars 2008 et portant sur 27 biréacteurs CRJ900 NextGen et biturbopropulseurs Q400 NextGen pour une valeur d'environ 883 millions $ US.

La valeur totale des huit aéronefs faisant l'objet du prêt remboursable annoncé par le gouvernement est de 232 millions $ US à 320 millions $ US, a précisé Bombardier, mercredi.

Ottawa justifie cette intervention par l’importance du secteur pour l’économie canadienne. «L'industrie aérospatiale contribue de façon marquée à l'économie canadienne en employant des dizaines de milliers de personnes d'un océan à l'autre, a affirmé le ministre du Commerce international, Stockwell Day. EDC offre un prêt remboursable pour assurer que le secteur de la production aéronautique demeure fort en cette période de ralentissement économique.» " Les Affaires

Retard du programme A380 : plainte en nom collectif contre EADS en Allemagne

"Il est reproché au groupe aéronautique d'avoir été informé dès février 2006 des retards du programme A380, mais de n'avoir communiqué publiquement que le 13 juin 2006, provoquant un effondrement du cours de Bourse. ..." Les Echos

Pentagon Contract Announcement

"BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $76,000,000 modification to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee firm-fixed-price, performance-based contract (N65236-05-D-7861) to provide engineering development, design, procurement, fabrication, configuration, installation, integration, logistics, maintenance, and life cycle support services for security, automation and law enforcement technology support. " Defence Aerospace

EADS To Boost Chinese Communications Network

"EADS Defense & Security said Aug. 3 it has signed a contract for an undisclosed amount with telecommunications operator Beijing JustTop Co. to upgrade capacity and boost coverage of an existing secure Tetra communications network beyond the Chinese capital.The extension of the network is intended to be in service in time for the Oct. 1 celebration of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, an EADS Defense & Security spokeswoman said" Next