AviationWeek.com/awst AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/JANUARY 15-FEBRUARY 1, 2015 25
ing the sort of long-range sectors the
A321LR is targeting. However, despite
Boeing’s deep reservations about the
market size for a straight replacement
of the 757, the company is more opti-
mistic about the prospects for a clean
sheet MOM concept. Boeing believes
there could be a larger potential mar-
ket for a more capable new aircraft
that straddles the 737 and 787 capacity
gap, but with better operating econom-
ics and greater range than the 757.
“Over the last year, we have visited
30 customers around the world to ad-
dress the requirement for an airplane
larger than the 737 MAX 9 that can fl y
a bit farther,” says Boeing Global Sales
and Marketing Senior Vice President
John Wojick. “We are trying to un-
derstand how large that marketplace
is and whether an investment in that
market space can be justifi ed.”
Boeing’s comments came during a
briefi ng to mark the record-breaking
1,432 net orders taken during 2014.
The tally, valued at $232.7 billion in list
prices, exceeds the 1,355 orders taken
in 2013 and broke the previous all-time
high set in 2007. The company deliv-
ered 723 aircraft last year, a signifi cant
increase compared with the 648 built
in 2013.
Airbus delivered 629 aircraft in
2014, three more than a year earlier.
It posted 1,456 net orders, compared
with 1,503 in 2013. c
I
n early February the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will consider
whether airliners should be equipped with a tracking data broadcast system that sends
regular position updates to airline operators, a fl ight data recorder that automatically
deploys (and fl oats) after a crash, and a tamper-proof distress reporting unit that will
transmit aircraft position and identifi cation to a global network of rescue coordination
centers when unusual attitudes, speeds, accelerations or other triggering events occur.
The recommendation for a Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (Gadss),
which includes the airborne equipment coupled with new global information-sharing
networks for air traf c service providers and rescue coordination centers, comes from
an ICAO and industry working group formed after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines
Flight 370 in early March. The group, which is working in conjunction with the Interna-
tional Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Aircraft Tracking Task Force, will ask ICAO to
debate and fi nalize the concept of operations as a fi rst step in creating new global stan-
dards. IATA is calling on its member airlines to begin voluntarily tracking aircraft at 15
min. intervals, largely with existing onboard equipment.
The working group’s recommendations include a 2020 forward-fi t equipage target
and a fully operational state by 2025, with all aircraft, air traf c control and rescue co-
ordination centers fully compliant. At takeof , Gadss would begin sending position, time
and identifi cation information at least every 15 min. to the airline’s operational control
center (AOC), potentially using a third-party company to provide the tracking services.
If anomalies arise in fl ight, the tracking system would automatically enter an “abnor-
mal” mode and begin sending out position, time and identifi cation updates at approxi-
mately 1 min. updates, with airlines, controllers and rescue services alerted. If extreme
conditions are detected, the tamper-proof autonomous distress tracking system would
automatically begin sending tracking data to rescue services, with the deployable re-
corder ejecting in the case of an accident. cJohn Croft Washington
AFFIRMATIVE TRACKING
Air Lease Corp. has signed
a memorandum of understanding
for 30 Airbus A321LRs.AIRBUS CONCEPT