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Recently in Airlines Category


Japan Airlines has been in possession of its first two 787s since last Sunday when it took delivery of Airplanes 23 and 33. Both departed Everett the following day for Tokyo - Haneda and Narita Airports, respectively - and will begin formal commercial service on April 22 when the Japanese capital is linked for the first time to Boston's Logan International Airport.

The aircraft are outfitted with 186 seats, the airline's long-haul configuration and feature 42 lie-flat B/E Aerospace MiniPod seats in a 2-2-2 configuration for executive class passengers, and in economy 144 Recaro CL3510 seats in 2-4-2 arrangement. JAL is also the launch customer for the i8000 series in-flight entertainment from Thales.

Like All Nippon Airways, JAL has added a stand-up bar unit from JAMCO at door two below the LED-lit archway. However, this bar looks to be exclusively for its premium customers, not those in economy. 

Additionally, JAL has tailored the 787's custom LED lighting to fit its branding with four distinct color schemes to reflect the Japanese seasons with greenblueorange and pink lighting for the aircraft's four cabin zones.

In addition to the video walk-through above (which can be compared to ANA's configuration), I've included more than 200 photos of the delivery ceremonies, interior tour, external walk-around and flyaway of both JA825J and JA822J below the fold.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I D-ABYA RC022

Lufthansa has announced Washington, DC's Dulles International Airport will be the German airline's first destination for its 747-8 Intercontinental, which will be delivered around April 23, according to Lufthansa Technik.

The company did not specify a date for the aircraft's planned daily operation from it Frankfurt base to Dulles, but will replace its 747-400 on the route, operating as Lufthansa flight 419, says Cristoph Franz, the carrier's president and chairman.

The three-class 386-seat 747-8 features the company's new business class product and Boeing's 787-style bins and LED lighting.
Japan Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner JA822J/N1003W ZA177

JAL take first (and second) 787 on March 25
Japan Airlines, second customer for the 787, will contractually take delivery of its first 787 on March 25 before a flyaway departure to Tokyo the following day. The final regulatory hurdle before delivery was cleared earlier this week when the Federal Aviation Administration gave final approvals to both the original Block 4 and PIP1 GEnx-1B engines. The two GEnx configurations will be interspersed among the early GE-powered 787 deliveries. 

There are strong indications that JAL will not take delivery of not one, but two 787s on Sunday, the program's first dual delivery. Delivery of Airplane 23 (JA822J) is firm at this point, while Airplane 33 (JA825J) may be slated for a late afternoon Monday flyaway as well, say program sources.

I'll be traveling to Seattle late Sunday for the delivery ceremonies and JAL interior unveiling on Monday.

Pratt & Whitney PW1500 certification trials
The PW1524G, Bombardier's CSeries CS100 engine, has begun major FAA certification trials with icing runs at the engine-maker Manitoba, Canada facility. Certification tests official began in mid-January with low pressure turbine stress tests. The engine has undergone more than 1,350h of full testing and nearly 250h under the wing of the company's Boeing 747SP test bed. As of last week, P&W had completed 2000h split between the PW1500G and MRJ's PW1200G engines covering more than 5,000 cycles. 

Trent 1000 reliability tops 99.9%
Five months after its introduction with All Nippon Airways, the Trent 1000 engine has topped a dispatch reliability of 99.9%, says Rolls-Royce. The engine-maker notes it is the best introduction of a new RR engine, which has flown more than 4,000h since its late October service entry.
JAL 787-8 JA822J

Japan Airlines is preparing to become the second 787 customer, as Boeing nears imminent certification of GEnx-1B engines and a restart of deliveries that were stalled in early February by required repairs following improper shim installation in its aft fuselages. 

The airline has completed both route proving and maintenance training following a quiet visit of GEnx-1B-powered 787 test aircraft ZA005 to Japan for service ready operational validation (SROV) trials that lasted from February 20 to March 9.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO, Jim Albaugh, says JAL will take delivery of its first aircraft in "the weeks to come".

Airplanes 23 and 33, both with 186 seats and registered JA822J and JA825J, respectively, are expected to be handed over to the carrier in late March, say program sources, ahead of the April 22 start to Boston-Tokyo-Narita services. 

Service from Narita to New Delhi and Moscow, as well as Tokyo-Haneda to Beijing are slated to start following the 787's inaugural US service.

Boeing is nearing an imminent certification for GEnx-1B engine-airframe approval for its 787, a milestone expected to be paired with 330min extended operations (ETOPS) approval, says the program's top engineer.

"The work's all done, it's just a matter of churning through all the paper work at this point," says Mike Sinnett, 787 chief project engineer of the 330min ETOPS requirements, "So now it's just rolling it through the process with the GE [certification] coming in the next couple of days, [JAL] will be able to seek operational approval and we'll be done."

JAL's Boston link will not require a 330min ETOPS certification, though the aircraft will meet requirements to fly routes that require a diversion airport between 3h and 5h 30min flying time.

GE says its pairing certification of GEnx-1B 787 will include both its baseline Block 4 and Performance Improvement Package (PIP1) configurations, the latter of which is expected to deliver a 1.4% improvement in specific fuel consumption, due to an increase in the number of low pressure turbine (LPT) blades.

JAL's first 787 is fitted with PIP1 engines, says GE. Boeing completed flying for engine-airframe certification with Boeing on Airplane 35, a production model for Air India, on 23 February.

United Airlines, which takes delivery of six 787s this year, is expected to be the first to require the 330min requirement for its routing between Houston, Texas and Auckland, New Zealand.

180min approvals for Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered 787s were granted ahead of its October 2011 service entry, 330min certification was split into a second block of requirements with a "software adjustment" to the low fuel quantity indication necessary to meet US Federal Aviation Administration regulatory criteria.

Engine approvals were granted to Rolls for 330min ETOPS certification for its Trent 1000 in May 2011 and to GE on the baseline Block 4 GEnx-1B in December 2011, and again on March 8 for its PIP1 configuration.

To date, Boeing has delivered five 787s, all to All Nippon Airways, which is flying its aircraft on a majority of domestic routes, as well as a sole long-haul connection between Tokyo-Haneda and Frankfurt, Germany.

ANA expected its sixth 787 in February, Airplane 40, and JAL its first, but both required repairs to shims in the aft fuselage, slowing near-term deliveries. As of March 5, Boeing had conducted repair work on five 787s, a number expected to climb further as inspection continue.


On March 1, Boeing began receiving structural shipments at the Everett factory's Position 0 at a rate of 3.5 aircraft per month for pre-integration and Postion 1 followed to the higher rate as well with the recent loading of Airplane 61, LOT's first 787, for final body join.

Albaugh expects Airplane 66 to be its first 787 that will not require change incorporation work following final assembly, an assessment that has extended beyond previous internal assessments that Airplane 63 would be the company's first "right to pre-flight" 787.

Mapping out its climb to 10 787s per month by the end of 2013 spread across three final assembly lines, Boeing is nearing a June activation of its surge line at its Everett, Washington factory and first delivery from its Charleston line.

Rather than double the pace of its primary Everett line, operational since May 2007, Boeing will initially build up to mirror the current 3.5 aircraft per month rate on its surge line, advancing the factory's 787 output to five per month by years end with the surge's 1.5 per month contribution.

"That second line will basically replicate what we're doing on the first line. So in terms of getting up to five per month, we already know how to do that so this is a matter of replication," says Pat Shanahan, Boeing senior vice president of airplane programs. 

"We'll fold it back into having just one line in Everett," he adds of the surge line, "but in the interim as we wait to bring on the 787-9 it's risk protection. So we've got kind of this belt and suspenders approach in Everett, so we're doubled down on getting to five, and then when we introduce the -9, we're rate protected if we want to run -8's down one line and -9's down another."

Though as the output across the supply chain and final assembly accelerates, Charleston's mid and aft-fuselage facilities remains the biggest "pinch point" to watch for Albaugh, despite delivering to final assembly to 100% completion of assembly. 

Charleston facilities are likely to break to the higher five aircraft per month rate mid-year, say those familiar with the plan, but with more than fifteen center fuselage undergoing integration at a time on three lines, Boeing must advance production in South Carolina well ahead of its final assembly operations to meet its planned rate increases.

"The work cells can only handle so many jobs," says Albaugh. "We want to make sure we don't overload the work cells. We've had an issue to date with change traffic with a lot of late parts. We have been able to resolve the change traffic. We have been able to resolve the parts issues. 

"And for the first time, our mechanics are starting to see planned work, time, after time, after time, and we will get the learning and we will sneak up on the rate changes rather than force them," says Albaugh.

Photo Credit Mitrebaud

Last week, we saw switch-by-switch detail of the A320 and 737 Classic's cold-and-dark start-up procedures. This week, we join the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for a delivery of a brand new 737-700 to Southwest Airlines. AOPA magazine editor-in-chief, Tom Haines - who you should be following on Twitter - is our guide for the handover of N967WN. This particular 737-700 first flew on September 24, 2011 and departed Boeing Field as Southwest 8700 just a few days later on October 3. Today's Movie Monday runs just under 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Big thanks to Bradley Cooke for sending this my way.
SWA-737-800-Renton_1000.jpg
A first for Southwest

After its 11 day trip down the 737's moving final assembly, Southwest Airlines' first 737-800, the company's first new 737 variant since 1997, is out in the open on the flight line at Renton Municipal Airport wearing the airline's signature Canyon Blue colors. 

This aircraft, wearing registration N8301J and extended operations (ETOPS) tags, left the paint hangar about four days ago and will be the first of 33 delivered to the largest 737 customer in 2012. MORE PHOTOS

Along with the Boeing Sky Interior, the aircraft will also feature the airline's new Evolve interior. For an airline known for its incremental DNA, the name Southwest has given to its new interior is quite fitting. 

APEX magazine editor-in-chief Mary Kirby explains the biggest small change:
However, the most profound changes have been reserved for Southwest's seats. The carrier is retaining the B/E Aerospace-manufactured 'Innovator II' seat frames on its Southwest 737-700s, but will add fixed wing head rests; new, thinner, more durable foam fill; and lightweight E-Leather synthetic leather seat covers. It is also removing the under-seat floatation device  - and instead adding life vest pouches - to create a lower profile seat, which in turn creates weight savings of nearly six pounds per seat.
While the change will also accompany a 1in reduction in seat pitch from 32in to 31in, Southwest says it preserves the same amount of body space for each seat. More importantly, that single-inch change allows for an extra six seats per 737-700.

Because each seat is made lighter by nearly six pounds, Southwest shaves 635 pounds per aircraft (even with the extra row) and is expected to result in more than $10 million in ongoing annual cost savings. 

It is estimated that for every 500lbs of empty weight removed from a 100 to 200 seat aircraft equates to a roughly a 1% improvement in fuel burn. In this case, the 635lb savings in empty weight is traded by making room for six more 200lb paying passengers.

As near-term delivery slots are scarce with the added worldwide demand for narrowbody aircraft set to reach 84 deliveries per month split between Boeing and Airbus in 2013, Southwest is focusing its attention over the next two years to building its 737-800 fleet.

All of Southwest's 2012 and 2013 deliveries from Boeing are for the larger 175-seat -800, a total of 74, though by the end of 2013, the airline will add the equivalent of 16 new 143-seat 737-700s during this same period without a single new -700 joining its fleet. Same 737-700 fleet, 2,300 more seats to sell.

The price tag for these 16 737-700s? A $60 million up front investment in Evolve, approximately the cost of two 737s (after discounts*).

Photo Credit Drew Ramsey

*According to Southwest's most recent SEC 10K filing, the $2.14 billion investment in 74 737-800s delivered in 2012 and 2013 will cost the airline an average of $28.9 million each.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I D-ABYA RC022

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I D-ABYA RC022

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8I D-ABYA RC022

EVERETT -- Sometimes running late pays off. 

I was zipping out the door this morning for the last day of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference in Lynnwood and running a few minutes late (as those who know me I am sometimes prone to be) when Lufthansa's first 747-8 taxied into position on Runway 16R at Paine Field. 

RC022 operating at Boeing 22, registered D-ABYA, did a quick rejected takeoff test turned around at the end of 16R and departed to the north a few minutes before 9 AM PT. 

The aircraft is expected to be handed over to Lufthansa in March. 

The full set of photos of D-ABYA's first takeoff, which were shot through a barely cracked window of my hotel room, are below the fold.
JA805A @ EDDF 01.02.2012

ANA's first 787 flights with JA801A and JA802A on domestic flights within Japan have been nearly flawless, with a 96.3% on time reliability during its first months of service. For JA805A, the first 158-seat 787 in long-haul international configuration, the introduction on the Tokyo-Haneda to Frankfurt route, the first long-haul service, has been anything but smooth.
All Nippon Airways first long-haul international service with its Boeing 787 has faced a rocky start since 21 January with two of its ten flights operating between Tokyo-Haneda and Frankfurt, Germany cancelled due to technical issues with the new aircraft, the airline confirmed.

ANA cancelled flight NH204 on 26 January and NH203 30 January. Other 787 flights to Germany operated on 21, 23, 26 and 28 January.

The 26 January service was cancelled in Frankfurt when the aircraft's flap system failed, while the 30 January cancellation in Haneda was due to "a temporary failure of the computer software which monitors and controls the aircraft", said ANA, adding "the aircraft has been repaired by replacing the computer's concerned parts and loading software."
Of the five 787 deliveries to ANA, JA805A, Airplane 31, delivered on December 30, is operating exclusively on the airline's long-range international flights.

Photo Credit Carsten Gurk
NAS-737-Max-Winglet_560.jpg
To date, Airbus and Boeing have split three of the five announced 737 Max customers: American Airlines, Aviation Capital Group and now Norwegian Air Shuttle.
 
Norwegian's order for 100 737-8s is a big boost for the re-engined jet as it grows its firm backlog and hardly a surprise as the northern European airline is one of Boeing's stalwart narrowbody customers. Though accompanying that order were 100 more Airbus A320neos.

Fundamentally the "minimum change" Max is a derivative development from today's Next Generation 737, just as the Next Generation family was a derivative of the 737 Classic. With 75% non-commonality, the 737-600, -700, -800 and -900 unlocked the Classic's customers to consider the A320. 

The consequence of Boeing's changes to the 737; a new tail cone, widespread structural re-gauging, engine development and a raised nose gear make the Max a manageable, yet expensive (which Boeing disputes), undertaking, concluded Bernstein Research in a report earlier this week. But the result, as illustrated by Norwegian's A320neo order, may also be an unlocked 737 market for Airbus and Boeing to fight over.

Photo Credit Boeing & Airbus
AA-777-300ER-Archway.jpg
With its 1,000th unit coming down the line for Emirates, Boeing's 777 continues to evolve from its earliest incarnations. The latest interior catalog offerings, now selected by American Airlines, include a 787 and 737-style Sky Interior LED-lit entryway for its 777-300ERs, which enter the fleet in December. Long-time Boeing interior design firm Teague was believed to have been working on this feature for a while now.

The features of its 777 were hinted about last year when, just days after its bankruptcy filing, the carrier announced what would be aboard its new twin. 
Arranged in a three-class cabin configuration, the new 777-300ER will provide the airline with more passenger and cargo capacity than any other aircraft in its fleet today. Customers will be welcomed into the aircraft by unique mood lighting. American will be the first carrier to use a dramatic archway and ceiling treatment on the 777-300 to create a feeling of spaciousness.
At that point, American's news release did not include any images or additional details about the interior. Whether the Sky Interior-inspired lighting will run the length of the 777 isn't clear from the photos release by the airline. Further, the carrier appears to be an early customer for the formerly branded Panasonic Fusion in-flight entertainment system, now known as the Integrated Smart Monitor, a photo of which is below the fold.

Additional photos of its business and first class seating are available on American's Facebook page.

UPDATE 3:46 PM ET: While Boeing and American have focused on upgrades to evolve the 777's interior, the company has been finding ways to improve the environmental efficiency of building and delivering each aircraft. While environmental efficiency is the banner under which 10 improvements have been made to the manufacturing process, the bottom line is how to reduce the cost to build each 777 through continuously improving and optimizing its processes.


Photo Credit American Airlines

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