Chinese Sales Push for Islander
Britten-Norman and Beijing Fangyuan
General Aviation Company (BFGA) have
agreed to promote and sell the BN-
Islander across China.
The manufacturer says the twin-engined
Islander is ideally suited to small regional
airlines that need an aircraft to meet their
short-haul, high-frequency needs. It also
added that the type has own in someof the world’s harshest and most rugged
environments, including operations from
unprepared surfaces that are as short as
1,150ft (350m). The agreement was signed
on July 14 and will also support BFGA’s
ambition to grow China’s general aviation
market which is continuing to expand at
a fast pace. William Hynett, who is the
Britten-Norman chief executive, remarked:“China is one of the few countries in the
world that has yet to enjoy the bene ts
that the Islander and its associated
equipment has to offer, and as such we
are very pleased to be entering into this
new agreement. Initial signs are already
very positive, and with BFGA’s support we
are hoping to turn this early interest into
positive sales.”Electric Aircraft Demo Flight in Norway
Slovenian company Pipistrel has test own its Alpha Electro G
electric-powered aircraft in Norway. The demonstration sortie
around Oslo in the two-seat trainer in June was piloted by the
director of the state-owned Avinor company, Dag Falk Pedersen
and the Norwegian Minister of Transport, Ketil Solvik-Olsen. Avinor
operates most of Norway’s public airports and is a driving force
behind the introduction of electric-powered aircraft.
Tine Tomažicˇ, director of Pipistrel Vertical Solution, the company
responsible for all the research and development within thePipistrel group, attended the recent event. He said afterwards:
“It is our honour to see the technology we developed being used
and accepted so overwhelmingly well. We remain committed to
developing novel electric ight concept[s] that will change the way
we travel today and see the Alpha Electro as an important step in
achieving this goal. It is important that manufacturers, operators and
the authorities recognise the importance of teamwork, especially
when it comes to introductions of novel technologies, and we see
Norway as an invaluable partner in pursuit of the future of ying.”CIVIL NEWS
8 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018
The rst ultra-long-range Airbus A
XWB to be delivered to launch customer
Singapore Airlines was rolled out of the
paintshop in the carrier’s distinctive livery
at Toulouse, France, on July 30. Now at an
advanced stage of production, the aircraftwill undergo further testing before being
delivered to the airline in the coming months.
The carrier will operate the A350 XWB on
non-stop services from Singapore to the US.
Singapore Airlines has ordered seven
A350-900s, and all are in various stagesof assembly. The rst of the type to have
own has successfully completed its ight
test programme, which focused on the
redesigned fuel system. It is now being
tted with its cabin.
The widebody Ultra Long Range A350-
900 is the latest variant of the A350 XWB
family and will have an extended range of
up to 9,700nm (17,964km). It is capable
of ying over 20 hours non-stop. This has
been achieved by a modi ed fuel system,
which increases the aircraft’s fuel carrying
capacity by 6,340 US gal (24,000 lit)
without the need for additional fuel tanks.
At the end of June 2018, the European
manufacturer has recorded a total of 882
rm orders for the A350 XWB from 46
customers worldwide.The Ultra Long Range A350 XWB shortly after
being rolled out in Singapore Airlines’ livery.
Singapore A350 XWB Out of Airbusthe PaintshopNepal Airlines has taken delivery of its rst Airbus A330-243. The aircraft, carrying the test registration F-WWCT (c/n 1872), was handed over to the
carrier on June 26 when it was re- registered 9N-ALY and named Annapurna. It will be operated under a lease agreement from HiFly X Ireland. EurospotNepal Airlines’ First Widebody