More Consolidation on the Horizon
BOEING AND Embraer are believed to
be close to an agreement that would
combine both organisations’ commer-
cial aircraft entities into a single new
company. It is understood that Boeing
will hold an 80-90% stake in the entity,
which would be based in Chicago.
It had been reported that talks were
progressing slowly because of the
Brazilian government’s reluctance
to back a wholesale merger of the
Brazilian aerospace manufacturer for
fear of losing control of the company’s
defence programmes. The defence
ministry has used stronger language
saying control of Embraer “is a matterof national sovereignty”.
Speaking to investors early in February
Boeing’s President, Chairman and CEO
Dennis Muilenburg declined to com-
ment on the reports of progress being
made, but did say the consolidation
with Embraer would be “a great strate-
gic fit”. He also said that the company
was also working to address the
Brazilian government concerns.
It holds a so-called ‘golden share’ in
Embraer, which means it can veto any
transactions. However, according
to people close to the ongoing talks,
Embraer’s military operations will
remain outside of any deal with Boeing,and this part of its business will
continue under Brazilian control.
Talks were first disclosed by The Wall
Street Journal late last year, forcing
both companies to issue a joint state-
ment confirming discussions had
taken place, but there was no
guarantee there would be a transaction
as a result. The possible combination
is being viewed by aviation analysts as
part of Boeing’s strategy to
counter rival Airbus’ proposed
controlling interest in Bombardier’s C
Series programme and to protect its
interests in the smaller commercial
aircraft market.EASA Issues A320neo Family Directive
THE EUROPEAN Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) has issued an emer-
gency Airworthiness Directive regarding
Airbus A320neo Family aircraft pow-
ered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM
geared turbofan (GTF) engines. The
edict, issued on February 9, follows
what EASA describes as “several occur-
rences of engine in-flight shut-downs
(IFSD) and rejected take-offs involving
A320neo aircraft”.
The agency’s directive said: “While
investigation is ongoing to determine
the root cause, preliminary findings
indicate that the affected engines,
which have high pressure compres-
sor aft hub modification embodied
from engine serial number (ESN)
P770450, are more susceptible to IFSD.”
Meanwhile, in a statement Pratt &
Whitney said: “We continue to evalu-
ate the impact of findings relating to a
knife-edge seal on the High-Pressure
Compressor (HPC) aft hub on a limit-
ed number of PW1100G-JM engines."
The company implemented an engi-
neering change in mid-2017 that was
intended to improve the durability of
the knife-edge seal for this engine.
To address this potentially unsafe
condition, Airbus has issued its own
Alert Operators Transmission
instructing airlines to de-pair affected
engines and discontinue extended-
range twin-engine operational
performance (ETOPS) for aircraft fit-
ted with these engines.
Airbus confirmed there are currently
113 PW1100-powered A320neo
aircraft in service, flying with 18
customers. It is understood that
21 aircraft have one of the modified
engines, while 11 have been flying with
both engines in that configuration.
Pratt & Whitney has delivered more
than 50 new engines to Airbus’ final
assembly lines to await installation on
customer aircraft.
(Photo Airbus)http://www.airlinerworld.com 19News Review • International
Lund, Sweden-based Telair International
has received certification for its flexible
loading system for all current production
and in-service Boeing 737 aircraft. It will
enable operators to carry containerised
cargo in the lower hold of the aircraft,
along with bulk-loaded bags. Lessor
GECAS will launch the system to 737-
freighter conversion customer aircraft
entering service this year from its order
for 30 converted jets, signed at the 2017
Paris Air Show.Aerion Corporation and Lockheed
Martin have signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) to explore
the feasibility of joint development of
the world’s first supersonic business
jet, the Aerion AS2. Both companies
will work together over the next 12
months to develop a framework
for all phases of the programme,
including engineering, certification and
production. Aerion expects the AS2’s
maiden flight to take place in 2023 with
certification following two years later.
(Photo Aerion Corporation)Rolls-Royce has test run its advanced low
emissions combustion system (ALECSys)
demonstrator engine housed within an
adapted Trent 1000 for the first time on
a test bed at its Derby facility. Optimised
to a new lean-burn and low-emission
combustion system, the technology will
feature in both the company’s Advance
and UltraFan programmes. ALECSys
improves the pre-mixing of fuel and
air prior to ignition, delivering a more
complete combustion of the fuel and
lower NOx emissions.Boeing and Oerlikon have signed a five-
year collaboration agreement to develop
standard materials and processes for
metal-based additive manufacturing –
popularly known as 3D printing. Both
companies will use the data from this
collaboration to support the qualification
of additive manufacturing suppliers to
produce metallic components using
a variety of machines and materials.
Currently, Boeing has around 50,
3D-printed parts flying on its commercial,
space and defence programmes.Viking Air has signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with Mahindra
Aerospace to form a strategic alliance
to collaborate on developing regional air
transportation for India. The multiple-
seating and landing-gear configurations
of both companies’ aircraft will provide
airlines with options suited to India’s
varied geography, operating conditions
and regional connectivity requirements.in brief
Boeing Deliveries
Air Canada took delivery of its 32nd of 37 Boeing 787 Dreamliners it has on order from the US
manufacturer. The jet, C-FVLQ (c/n 38357) is the 24th example of the larger -9 the Canadian flag
carrier has introduced into its fleet. ADAM TELZLAFF
Boeing delivered the following aircraft in January:
737-800 23
Avia Capital Leasing, Bank of Communications Leasing, BOC Aviation (2), China
Development Bank Finance, COPA Airlines, Jet2.com (2), Norwegian, Ryanair (6),
Southwest Airlines (3), Standard Chartered Bank, Virgin Australia Airlines, Xiamen
Airlines (3)737 MAX 8 6 Air Canada (2), Air Lease Corporation, Aviation Capital Group, GE Capital Aviation Services, TUI Travel
737-800A 2 US Navy (2)
747-8F 1 UPS
767-300F 1 FedEx
777-300ER 3 Air India, Swiss International Air Lines
787-9 8 Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Air France-KLM Group, CIT Aerospace, Qantas, United Airlines (2), Virgin Atlantic Airways
Tot al 44