aviation

The European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) has awarded the Rolls-Royce Trent
7000 powered Airbus A330-900 its Type
Certiicate, allowing irst customer deliveries
to start shortly. Two A330-900s were involved
in the light test and certiication programme,
completing around 1,400 hours in under a
year following the type’s maiden light on
October 19, 2017. In agreement with launch
customer TAP Air Portugal, its irst-built
aircraft has served as a demonstrator for
route proving trials around the world, during
which it visited more than 12 countries.
Guillaume Faury, president Airbus
Commercial Aircraft, said: “This new-
generation aircraft with unparalleled
efficiency and lexibility from short- to
long-haul routes has tremendous market
potential. We look forward to delivering the

irst aircraft equipped with the new Airspace

cabin to customers soon.”

According to Airbus, the A330-900 and

its smaller sibling, the -800 offer the lowest

seat-mile costs for a 300-seat airliner.

Featuring a new 3D-optimised wing and

sharklets using lighter composite materials,

coupled with Trent 7000 engines will, the

manufacturer conirmed, signiicantly reduce

fuel consumption by up to 25% compared

with older generation aircraft. Operationally,

the A330neo shares a common pilot type

rating with the larger A350 XWB, which

facilitates minimal light training costs and

maximum pilot productivity.

Airbus is clear to start deliveries of its Trent

7000-powered A3330-900s after the type

received its Type Certiicate from EASA.

Airbus

Airbus Achieves A330-

Certification

IN BRIEF

AIRBUS has delivered the irst aircraft partially

powered by sustainable jet fuel from its Mobile

inal assembly line in Alabama. The latest

A321-231 for JetBlue Airways, N997JL (c/n

8473), was delivered on September 20 with a

15% mix of sustainable jet fuel in its tanks. A

further four A321s are due to be handed over to

JetBlue this year using the Air BP supplied and

certiied fuel.

AIR BELGIUM has decided to suspend the

carrier’s sole scheduled service which was to

Hong Kong claiming a Chinese partner had

not fulilled its obligations in ticket pricing and

traffic volume. The Brussels South Charleroi-

based carrier launched twice-weekly lights

earlier this year but suspended the link on

October 1. The airline reported: “Under these

conditions, Air Belgium is unwilling to carry out

the winter programme as initially planned and

to endanger its inancial position.” The carrier

conirmed it hopes to resume services to Hong

Kong next spring but will continue to undertake

ACMI charter work in the interim. It will also

press ahead with plans to introduce links to

secondary destinations in mainland China.

Authorities in Canada have awarded UK-

based manufacturer BRITTEN-NORMAN

type certiication for the turboprop version

of its BN2 Islander. The newly-approved

aircraft, known as the BN2T, is powered by

two Rolls-Royce B17 turboprops with Hartzell

three-bladed propellers. Commenting on the

approval, Lara Harrison, business development

manager at Britten-Norman said: “Canadian

certiication of our more powerful Turbine

Islander will give operators the option of

beneiting from the Islander’s characteristic

rugged reliability with the added beneit of an

increased payload.” 

BAE SYSTEMS REGIONAL AIRCRAFT has

completed the engineering and installation of

an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast

ADS-B (Out) modiication on a pair of Avro RJs

for two different operators, leading to the award

of EASA approval for this major modiication.

ADS-B is a surveillance technology in which

an aircraft determines its position via satellite

navigation and periodically broadcasts it,

enabling it to be tracked.

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 7

Primera Air

Collapses

After 14 years in business, the Icelandic-

owned, Danish-registered budget airline,

Primera Air, ceased operations at

midnight on October 1. The carrier had

offered low-cost lights from Stansted

and Birmingham to North America earlier

this year, but the majority of its work was

to Mediterranean holiday destinations.

The carrier issued a press release just

hours before it ceased lights explaining

that it had been unable to ind long-term

inancing, leaving it with “no choice” but

to ile for bankruptcy. It had also claimed

that the late delivery of Airbus A321neo

airliners had forced it to cancel lights

and lease replacement aircraft, thereby

increasing its operating costs.

A Boeing 767-33A(ER) is being added to Kam Air’s leet and was undergoing maintenance in
Budapest prior to service entry. The former AeroSvit Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines jet will
be re-registered YA-KMR (c/n 25534) when it’s delivered to the Kabul-based carrier. Ilgaz Deger

Kam Air Adds Long-Range Jet

SkyWork Ceases Operations

Swiss regional carrier SkyWork Airlines

has collapsed after repeated attempts to

bolster the business were unsuccessful.

In a French language press release, the

airline reported: “After failed negotiations with

a possible partner, SkyWork is unable to

provide the inancial guarantees necessary

for the continuation of its activities.”

The Bern-based company has voluntarily

returned its Air Operator Certiicate to the

Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA)

and is currently undertaking bankruptcy-

related proceedings. Media reports from

Switzerland suggest that up to 11,

customers with upcoming bookings may

be affected.

The closure marks an abrupt end for the

airline that had only recently revealed plans

for a new domestic connection between

Geneva and Lugano, due to launch later

this autumn.

SkyWork employed more than 100 staff

and served 22 European destinations from

its Bern hub, using a leet of six Saab 2000

turboprops. It was responsible for almost

two in every three commercial lights

serving the Swiss capital, prompting the

airport’s management team to reassure

travellers that all remaining airline

operations are unaffected. They are also

seeking other carriers to reinstate services

to the most popular destinations.