Flight international

THIS WEEK

fiightglobal.com 15-21 August 2017 | Flight International | 9

Wind data focus of

Dubai crash probe

This Week P

C

Series launch operator Swiss

intends to gradually increase

the number of Bombardier CS

flights to London City from the

initial single rotation per day.

At a media briefing before the

type’s first commercial flight to

London City on 8 August, Swiss’s

CSeries chief pilot, Peter Koch,

said it intended to eventually op­

erate five CS100 flights a day to

the central London airport, with­

out specifying a timeframe.

FlightGlobal schedules data

shows that on weekdays Swiss

operates five or six London City

flights from Zurich and two from

Geneva. The Lufthansa group

carrier plans to start CS100 flights

from Geneva in March 2018.

Most of Swiss’s London City

flights are being operated with

leased Embraer 190s and the car­

rier’s remaining BAE Systems

Avro RJ100, but the latter was to

be retired on 14 August.

Koch says ground space re­

strictions at London City will, for

the time being, limit the CSeries

operation to one aircraft at a time.

However, London City chief

operating officer Alison Fitz­

Gerald says the airport is “testing”

operations with a pair of CSeries

aircraft simultaneously. Expan­

sion plans, which will be in place

by 2022, should also increase ca­

pacity for CSeries movements.

Until 21 August, Swiss will re­

strict CS100 flights at London

City to a maximum of 91 passen­

gers, subsequently rising to 108.

Although the CS100 can accom­

modate 125 passengers, Swiss

has implemented the cap due to

reduced braking capability in wet

conditions on London City’s

1,200m (3,940ft) runway.

Bombardier gained approval

for the CS100 to operate at Lon­

don City in April. In order to

make the aircraft fit for the air­

port’s 5.5° approach, the Pratt &

Whitney PW1500G powerplants’

full authority digital engine con­

trol system has been adjusted to

lower idle power versus normal

operations, Koch says.

In addition, the fly­by­wire

flight control system has been

modified to extend two spoiler

panels on each wing – at slightly

different deflection angles – to

stabilise speed during descent. ■

Initial flight took place on 8 August, with aircraft limited to 91 seats

Bombardier

Airbus

PRODUCTION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Airbus feels pain from Neo delivery slide

Only nine A320neo-family jets

were delivered by Airbus during

July, the lowest monthly total

since January.

But they included four with

Pratt & Whitney PW1100G en-

gines – the highest number since

five were delivered in March.

Five A320neos fitted with the

rival CFM International Leap-1A

engine were delivered.

Airbus remains under pressure

over single-aisle output, particu-

larly with delivery of PW1100G-

powered aircraft, as a result of a

technical issue with the engine.

It has been aiming to deliver

about 200 A320neos this year.

Total A320neo deliveries in the

first seven months reached 68

aircraft – of which 48 were

Leap-equipped. ■

A

ir Lease (ALC) is looking to

accelerate the delivery of

some of its Boeing aircraft to off­

set delays to certain Airbus types

in 2018, and has urged both air­

framers to examine their supply

chains in the light of planned

rate rises.

Delivery delays to Pratt &

Whitney­powered A320neo­fam­

ily aircraft and Rolls­Royce Trent­

powered A330­900neos are “slid­

ing right” month­by­month in

2018, John Plueger, chief execu­

tive of the Los Angeles­based les­

sor, said during a second quarter

earnings call on 3 August.

Steven Udvar­Hazy, chairman

of ALC, describes the delays to

the A330neo as the “Rolls­Royce

situation”, a reference to the

type’s late­running Trent 7000

powerplants, and notes that the

re­engined widebody has yet to

begin flight testing.

As a result of the delays, Plue­

ger says the lessor is looking to

advance some of its Boeing deliv­

eries into 2018 and may temper

its aircraft sales programme.

ALC is scheduled to take 17

A320neo­family aircraft in 2018,

as well as seven A330­900neos,

its fleet plan shows.

The A320neo has been plagued

by delivery delays, largely related

to its PW1100G engines.

No significant problems have

yet emerged with the alternative

CFM International Leap­1A pow­

erplant, or with the ­1B on the

Boeing 737 Max, but ALC is urg­

ing caution as both airframers

begin ramping up narrowbody

output to historic highs.

“I would strongly encourage

the OEMs to carefully review

their production rates closely and

realistically,” says Udvar­Hazy.

However, he notes that delays

are not yet being seen at the Seat­

tle airframer. “It just seems Boe­

ing has its programmes under

control,” he adds. ■

OUTPUT EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC

Lessor ALC warns on rate rises as delays mount

FLEET MICHAEL GUBISCH ZURICH

Swiss bullish over CSeries’ City growth

Carrier will eventually operate multiple flights to London airport with CS100s, but infrastructure restricts movements

Air Lease has already taken

several re-engined twinjets