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Scramble 468

Airbus

A350-900ULR

On 23 April, the new Ultra-Long Range version of the Airbus

A350-900, designated as the A350-900ULR, made its first

flight. The aircraft took off from Toulouse around 10:45am

and landed a few hours later.

The A350-900ULR was introduced in October 2015. It fea-

tures a higher MTOW of 280t and a 17% higher useable fuel

capacity as well as some aerodynamic tweaks, which include

extended winglets, a further slight twit of the wing, trailing-

edge extension and a clean-up of the upper wing fairing. All

these measures will stretch the range of the A350-900ULR

to 17,960 km compared to the 15,000 km for a “standard”

A350-900. The higher fuel capacity of the A350-900ULR does

not involve the installation of additional fuel tanks, but is

achieved by an adaption of the fuel system within the exist-

ing tanks (plumbing of pipes), which increases the fuel capac-

ity with 24,000 litres. This method to raise the fuel capacity

without additional fuel tanks makes it easier to re-configure

an A350-900ULR back to standard A350-900 specifications if

required by the operator.

Airbus has already announced in 2016, that it will enhance

the standard A350-900 with an optional 280t MTOW, and

the same aerodynamic clean-up and power plant improve-

ments as of the A350-900ULR. This enhanced A350-900 will

have a 2% lower fuel burn than the current A350-900. With

this 280t MTOW option, this enhanced version will have the

same MTOW of the A350-900ULR, but according to Airbus the

combination of the larger fuel capacity an fewer passengers

(Airbus expects the A350-900ULR will be equipped with an

extended premium class cabin, which will give the aircraft a

seat count of roughly the half of the standard A350-900) the

A350-900ULR will still have more range.

Launch customer of the A350-900ULR is Singapore airlines,

which will use this version for flights between Singapore and

the US. The first delivery of the 350-900ULR to Singapore

Airlines is scheduled for August 2018. Singapore has ordered

seven A350-900ULRs. Singapore Airlines is one of the largest

customers for the A350 XWB Family, having ordered a total of

67 A350-900s, including the seven Ultra Long Range models.

Boeing

B737 -800 vs 737-8

In Scramble 467 we made a mistake in the text about the roll-

out of the 10.000th Boeing 737. MSN 42571 is a Boeing 737-8

and not a Boeing 737-800. We are obviously still not com-

pletely used to this new variant and automatically assume

that a new 737 in Southwest colours is a 737-800. (Correction

Scramble 467 – Page 32). The 10.000th 737 was registered as

N8717M and ferried to Phoenix on delivery to its new owner

on 30 March 2018.

B737 -800 Boeing Converted Freighter

Mid-April saw the delivery of the first Boeing Converted 737-

800. MSN 32740 (line #1444) was delivered to lease company

GECAS which has leased the aircraft to West Atlantic. Subject

aircraft was originally delivered to Futura in February 2004

and besides Futura has flown passengers for Ryan Interna-

tional Airlines, Travel Service and Sunwing Airlines, before

being converted at Shanghai in 2017. The conversion was

completed in November 2017 and the aircraft was ferried to

Victorville (CA) for flight tests and certification. Early April,

US and European regulators certificated the 737-800 Boeing

Converted Freighter, clearing the way for its delivery to

West Atlantic. West Atlantic will receive four more B737-800

Boeing Converted freighters within the next eleven months.

The aircraft was converted by Boeing Shanghai Aviation Ser-

vices, a China based Boeing branch. Besides Boeing, there are

two more options for 737-800 conversions. Miami (FL) based

Aeronautical Engineers Inc. (AEI) and IAI Bedek from Israel

also have launched conversion programmes for the 737-800

B737 BBJ MAX 8

On 16 April 2018 Boeing celebrated the fly away of the first

BBJ of the new Boeing 737 MAX series. The aircraft was flown

from Seattle-Renton (WA) to Sussex County Airport, George-

town (DE) where it will be outfitted with an auxiliary fuel

tank, which will enable the aircraft to fly up to 12,297km

(some ~ 5,500km more than the standard 737 MAX 8 and ~

1,480 km more than its predecessor the 737 BBJ 2). Later this

year, the aircraft will be ferried to Indianapolis (IN) for inte-

rior modifications. It will eventually be delivered to its new

undisclosed owner in the second half of 2019. The first Boeing

Manufacturers News

Civil News

The first converted Boeing 737-800 was certified and delivered to launch customer West Atlantic in April this year. The conversion took place

in 2017 at Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, a China based Boeing branch. After completion of the conversion in November 2017, the aircraft

was ferried to Victorville (CA) for flight testing and certification. It was delivered to West Atlantic as G-NPTA on 15 April. During its conversion

and certification process it was registered as N346PH. (Victorville (CA), 15 April 2018, Boeing Company)