A350 includes a new Satellite Navigation System for precision landing approaches.

“For the first time on the A350 we have a new system called the Satellite Landing System,” explained Jean-Francois Bousquie, an Airbus flight test engineer focused on avionics.

“This allows pilots to perform precision landing approaches guided by EGNOS (or its US equivalent WAAS), offering vertical guidance down to a minimum of 60 m before the pilot sights the ground to make the go/no-go decision on the final landing descent.”

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System, or EGNOS, can provide horizontal and vertical guidance to anywhere in Europe, without the need for any additional airport-hosted infrastructure.

The largest international airports use Instrument Landing System (ILS) infrastructure, with radio beams offering a truly precision landing capability, including the ability to ‘autoland’ when visibility is at its worst.

Even with larger airports, in many cases only their busiest runways are equipped with ILS, because it is expensive to install and maintain.

So EGNOS offers a cost-effective way of safely increasing use of remaining runways, boosting the flexibility of any given airport.

“By reducing the value of the ‘minima’ – the lowest safely guided altitude – for non-ILSrunways, EGNOS increases the efficiency and safety of aircraft landings,” added Mr Bousquie.

“Every qualified commercial airline pilot has been trained on ILS, to follow its radio beam. So theSatellite Landing System works by having them follow the same type of cues as much as possible on a ILS ‘lookalike’ basis, employing all available navigation data including EGNOS.”

A pair of onboard Multi Mode Receivers manage the A350’s radio sensors, compute the deviations and ensure interface with display and guidance systems.

All pictures. Source: pst1.pixnet.net

Based on the article “New Airbus A350 comes EGNOS-capable” published in spacenewsfeed.co.uk

China Airlines will start A350 flights to Europe in 2016.

China Airlines will start receiving the first 4 A350s in the end of 2016.

In 2017 there are planned 6 more deliveries and last 8 aircraft in 2018.

The first planned routes will join Taipei-Taoyuan airport with Amsterdam-Schiphol (via Bangkok), Vienna and Rome-Fiumicino (via Delhi).

China Airlines has also planned a route between also Taipei and Vancouver with their A350-900s that will be configured in 3-class interior with 306 seats.

 All pictures. Source: pst1.pixnet.net

Based on the article “China Airlines scheduled A350 deliveries, starting Q3 2016” published in Talkairlines.

Airbus and Rolls-Royce to announce a partnership on A350 predictive maintenance.

According to information in L´Usine Digitale, Airbus and Rolls-Royce are in discussion to develop a partnership on the A350. It should be formalized in the coming weeks, probably at Paris Airshow.

Why this approximation? To offer airlines a global expertise of predictive maintenance of the aircraft: Airbus will be in charge of the equipment (hydraulic systems, fuel, air, water...) and Rolls-Royce in charge of th engine.

The A350 is able to record in-flight 400.000 data through thousands of sensors. It will allow to understand the behavior of the aircraft, and after analyzing these “big data”, to conduct themaintenance-interventions even before failures occur.

Today, Services represent only about 5% of the turnover of Airbus (40 billion euros), despite an annual growth of more than 15% in the past 5 years. The partnership with Rolls-Royce will allow an important increase of this figure.

Based on the article “Partenariat imminent entre Airbus et Rolls-Royce dans la maintenance predictive” published in L'Usine Digitale

Lufthansa Technik will support Finnair´s A350 fleet

Lufthansa Technik has won a 12-year contract to provide component support for Finnair’s forthcoming fleet of A350s.

The airline is set to be the 1st in Europe to operate Airbus’ all-new widebody, with 4 of its 19 aircraft order set to enter service in the 2nd half of the year.

Source: romain6082

While Finnair’s MRO teams will provide line-maintenance on the aircraft, under the new “total component support” contract Lufthansa Technik will provide repair services on components and access to spares.

Source: Petri Vuori

The deal is the first component maintenance contract that Lufthansa Technik has secured for the A350.

Based on the article “LHT to support Finnair’s A350 fleet” published in MRO Network

2nd customer´s A350 takes to the sky.

Airbus has started test flights with a 2nd customer’sA350-900 as the MSN14 aircraft for Vietnam Airlines completed last Monday 1/June its first flight.

Source: Jujug Spotting

This aircraft is to be delivered to the carrier in the “middle of the year” after completing the cabin installation, said Airbus.

Vietnam Airlines is leasing the A350 from AerCap and plans to deploy it initially on the Hanoi-Paris route.

Source: dn280tls

Vietnam Airlines has ordered 14 A350s including 4 to be acquired via lessors.

Source: Airbus

Qatar Airways  has already 3 of the type in service and will receive another 5 in coming months.

Finnair is aiming to put its first A350 into service in October while Latin American operator TAM will receive its 1st around Christmas.

Based on the article “Vietnam A350 performs maiden flight” published in FlightGlobal

TAP deliveries for 12 A350 could be postponed 1 year.

Portuguese Government vetoed TAP "cost-cutting plan" that was considering to postpone delivery of 12 A350 aircraft. 

The measure, which was included in the TAP restructuring plan designed by the team of Fernando Pinto, was vetoed by the Government because it would mean a substantial change in the strategy and business plan that investors had access when they decided to enter the race to privatize TAP.

TAP proposed the postponement by 1 year of the order (deliveries currently scheduled between 2017 and 2019), in order to temporarily suspend payments to Airbus which have already begun earlier this year. 

However, the weekend before the Restructuring Plan arrived to the Ministry of Economy on 25/May, the measure was rejected by the Government.

One of the investors included in the sort-list "see with good eyes this measure". David Neeleman, owner of Blue has included in his proposal this possibility. It is not known however if it will remain on the final offer being delivered on Friday.

The other investor interested in TAP, Efromovich (which controls Group Avianca) will also improve the offer initially presented on 15/May.

Based on the article "Governo vetou plano de cortes de custos da TAP que adiava entrega dos A350" published in Publico.

Philippine Airlines considers buying the A350.

Philippine Airlines will consider buying Airbus' A350 jet as it seeks to boost its long-haul services, the carrier's top executive said last week speaking at the Manila leg of Airbus sales tour.

Philippine Airlines currently uses Boeing's 777 aircraft for its long-haul operations, having retired its last Boeing 747 jumbo in September last year.

"There will be a need for us to get more long-haul aircraft for expansion to North America, Europe," Philippine Airlines President Jaime Bautista told journalists.

"Of course we will study it very carefully," he said, asked whether Philippine Airlines is interested in A350.

Meanwhile Cebu Air Inc, which operates Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air, appears less interested in the A350 at this point.

"I think the fleet strategy always follows the network strategy," said Lance Gokongwei, Cebu Air's chief executive, also attending the Airbus event.

"The A350 is very ideal for long haul, we don't have any long-haul routes at this point that require this range."

Based on the article “Philippine Airlines studying whether to buy Airbus A350 jet” published in Reuters.