64 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/NOVEMBER 3/10, 2014 AviationWeek.com/awst
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT UPDATET
wo aircraft models key for the short- and medium-haul
market are in fl ight tests and will be for at least the
fi rst half of 2015.
Airbus fl ew its A320neo for the fi rst time earlier this fall
and is quickly building up test hours so the aircraft can be
delivered to its fi rst customer, Qatar Airways, in the third
quarter of 2015. Airbus initially launched the aircraft after
airlines demanded a more fuel-efficient narrowbody and
Bombardier had decided to build its CSeries, which com-
petes with the smallest version of the A320neo family,
the A319neo, and to an extent the A320neo.
The CSeries is also in fl ight tests, but was ground-
ed for around three months in 2014 as Bombardier
and Pratt & Whitney dealt with the fallout from an
uncontained engine failure during taxi tests. At the same
time, Bombardier is working to bring the larger version of
the CSeries, the CS300, to fl ight-test.
Next year also will see the advent of larger twin widebod-
ies. Boeing started deliveries of the 787-9 this year, and the
aircraft will be seen in greater numbers as production is
ramped up next year. Airbus is introducing the A350-900
following its fi rst delivery to Qatar Airways.
Both manufacturers are working hard on the largest ver-
sions of their new twinjet families—the 787-10 and A350-1000.
The two companies also are developing new variants of the
A330, the A330neo; and of the 777, the 777X family. Airbus
has announced a long-range version of the A321, which will
be among the smallest passenger aircraft fl ying transatlantic
routes. At the other end of the spectrum, Airbus is pressed by
key customer Emirates to launch a reengined A380, and Boe-
ing will have to review production rates of its slow-selling 747-8.
As for the regional aircraft sector, it is heading for major
technology upgrades. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), rolled
out late last month, and is expected to fl y for the fi rst time in
2015. It marks the return of a Japanese product to the com-
mercial aircraft market. The MRJ will be competing
against new versions of the Embraer 170/190 family,
the E-2s, of which the fi rst parts have been produced.
The aircraft will be in full development in 2015.
China’s Comac ARJ21, which has been in development
for more than 13 years, is expected to be delivered to Cheng-
du Airlines in early summer. However, the program has ex-
perienced multiple delays totaling eight years. The Comac C919
narrowbody is also scheduled to fl y for the fi rst time next year.
Its Russian competitor, the MS-21, also is nearing fi rst fl ight.
The following profi les were compiled by Forecast Inter-
national, which is also a resource for AW&ST’s Aerospace
2015, which will be published as a double issue dated Dec. 29,
2014/Jan. 5, 2015.
—Jens FlottauWhat’s Coming in 2015
Airbus A318 The A318 is a twin-engine, 107-132-passenger narrowbody jetliner. Initial f ight occurred in January- The European Joint Aviation Authorities certif ed the A318 (with CFM56 engines) in May 2003 , followed by FAA
certif cation a month later. A318 deliveries began in July 2003; 79 aircraft were produced through 2013. A318s
are powered by two 21,600-23,800-lb.-thrust turbofan engines, either the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 or CFM56-5B.
Airbus A319/A320/A321 These models, along with the A318, make up the Airbus A320 family of twin-
turbofan, narrowbody airliners. The initial model was the A320, which made its f rst f ight in February 1987. A320
deliveries began in 1988, followed by the stretched A321 in 1994 and the shortened A319 in 1996. All three
original models are available with CFM56 or International Aero Engines V2500 engines. The A319 typically seats
124 passengers, the A320 carries 150, and the A321 seats 185. Through 2013, Airbus produced 1,395 A319s,
3,544 A320s and 877 A321s. Direct competition for the A320 family is the Boeing 737 series and the Bombardier
CSeries. In December 2010, Airbus launched the NEO (New Engine Option) line of reengined A320 family aircraft.
The NEO variants are offered with either Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM or CF Leap-1A engines. The A320neo’s seat-
ing capacity will be 189 , while the A321neo will accommodate 240 passengers in an all-economy layout. Deliver-
ies are scheduled to begin in 2016. Airbus will continue to offer its baseline A319/A320/A321 models (with the
traditional engine options). Including baseline and NEO models, production of 5,421 A319/A320/A321 aircraft
is forecast from 2014 through 2023.Airbus A330 Airbus developed the A330 twin-engine, widebody commercial passenger transport to replace aircraft such
as the A300, DC-10-10 and L-1011. An A330 prototype f rst f ew in November 1992, with customer deliveries following in
December 1993. Customers have a choice of turbofan engines in the 64,000-72,000-lb.-thrust class: the GE CF6-80E1,
Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Three A330 models are available. The A330-300 seats 335 passengers
in two classes, or 295 in three classes. The A330-200 seats 293 in two classes, or 253 in three. Deliveries of the third
model, the A330-200F freighter, began in 2010. Through 2013, 519 A330-200s, 497 A330-300s and 25 A330-200Fs
were produced. At the 2014 Farnborough air show, Airbus announced the A330neo program, which, like the A320neo
effort, involves installation of new, more-eff cient engines on a popular transport. The program comprises two versions: the
A330-800neo and -900neo, both of which will use the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 turbofan engine. The -800neo retains the
-200’s fuselage length, while the -900neo uses the longer fuselage of the -300. The 42-month development of the A330neo
is expected to have f rst deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2017. Production of 336 A330 series aircraft is forecast for
2014-18, with production likely to phase out during that timeframe in favor of the A330neo. The reengined program is
expected to see production of 640 units between 2016 and 2023. The A330 competes with the Boeing 787.Prepared in conjunction with Forecast International Inc., Newtown, Connecticut For more information, contact Ray Peterson, Fore cast
International’s vice president for research and editorial services at +1 (203) 426-0800, or email him at [email protected]
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