Russia asks collaboration to China to develop a competitor of the A350 XWB and 787/777 families but saying that the new wide-body long-haul aircraft “must not be a blind copy of Airbus and Boeing”

Russia and China plan to collaborate on developing a wide-body long-haul passenger airliner, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in Harbin, an aerospace-city in north China where he met with Chinese Government representatives.

The project is only financially viable as a collaboration, as Airbus and Boeing already account for 80% of Russia’s long-range passenger aircraft market, Rogozin said.

He offered no indication of the project’s current status, only saying that Russian aircraft design bureau chiefs were due to meet soon to discuss it.

The future airliner must not be a “blind copy of Airbus and Boeing,” Rogozin said.

Russia and China could also start developing and manufacturing a new heavy-lift helicopter with capacity double that of the Mi-26, the deputy prime minister said.

Based on the article “Russia and China to Develop New Airliner” published in RIA Novosti

The French Government picks up 50 ambassadors to visit the A350 XWB FAL.

The French Ministry of Foreign affairs will be welcomed by Fabrice Bregier Airbus CEO on Friday afternoon. The visit to the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line will not be a “tête à tête meeting” because Laurent Fabius will be accompanied by about 50 ambassadors of France all around the world with their foreign counterparts located in Paris.

The visit enforces the support of the French Government to Airbus when the German Government is trying to get more workload to Germany and also demonstrates the importance of the “Government assistance” when orders for new aircraft are being discussed with many airlines.

The visit of the French ambassadors to Toulouse is part of the traditional "conference of ambassadors” being held in Paris this week.

The MSN2 with the white tail on the back.

Diplomacy and industry came together at Airbus’ Toulouse headquarters during the 2013 French “Ambassadors’ Conference,” with some 50 French ambassadors and foreign diplomats posted in Paris visiting the A330, A380 and A350 XWB final assembly lines. The group was led by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

Based on the article “Laurent Fabius et une centaine d'ambassadeurs chez Airbus vendredi” published in France 3 Midi-Pyrénées

Honeywell technologies and systems onboard the A350 XWB. ELT is not included in any of the work packages for the A350.

Honeywell has an important participation on the A350 XWB. Following systems are included Honeywell´s work packages:

• Auxiliary Power Unit System
• Engine Bleed Air System
• Air Generation System
• Cabin Pressure Control System
• Ventilation and Fan System
• Supplemental Cooling System
• Aircraft Environment Surveillance System
• Flight Management System.

Regarding the (ELT) Emergency Locator Transmitter, which damaged an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 on 12/July in Heathrow, it is not included in any of the work packages for the A350.

It will probably be Buyer Furnished Equipment, meaning, airlines will be free to chose any ELT they want on their aircraft, including Honeywell's.

The Honeywell RESCU 406 AFN is installed on about 6000 planes, Airbus as well as Boeing. The ELT’s power is not tied into the aircraft’s electrical system at all. It uses lithium-manganese batteries which have, until this investigation, never displayed any tendency toward overheating and fire. It is being investigated if a pinched wire in the unit could have sparked a short circuit, igniting the battery; according to sources close to the investigation the remnants of the RESCU 406AFN showed evidence of a kink in the wiring which was likely related to its original assembly rather than something that could have occurred during its installation in the airframe.

Aviation Safety Agencies have issued an airworthiness directive (AD), mandating all airlines with aircraft that carry particular types of Honeywell Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) to check the units’ wiring. Three 787s have so far been found to have damaged or pinched ELT´s wiring.

The AD covers 22 types of aircraft—all Airbus and Boeing types, as well as ATRs, MD-11s, MD-80s and MD-90s.

The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch investigation into the incident is still continuing.



Based on the article “Pinched Wire May Have Caused 787 Transmitter Fire” published in Aviation Week and based on the article “Europe follows Canada’s lead on Honeywell ELT checks” published in ATW.

A350 XWB main customers invest money not only purchasing new aircraft but also on sports-sponsorship, mainly in football teams.

Sponsorship is vital in all airline marketing strategy and assists airlines in expanding brand visibility and establishing lasting and loyal relationships with their customers.

Concerning A350 XWB 2 main customers Qatar and Emirates, they have a similar marketing strategy on the sponsorship activities.

click the picture to watch the video.

Qatar Airways has become the main sponsor of Barcelona Football Club. Qatar Airways and the football team of Barcelona has signed an agreement until 30/June/2016 of 96 million euro. If “Barça” team wins the European Champion League, they will receive additional 5 million euro.

The CEO of the airline, Akbar Al Baker, said that the sponsorship agreement includes “activities that will benefit fans and passengers, by offering tangible rewards to both entities.”

Qatar Airways has made a significant commitment to Barcelona-El Prat Airport, and from December will increase its offer from 7 to 10 weekly flights between Barcelona and the Gulf Emirate.

Qatar Airways “seek sponsorships that link Qatar Airways brand attributes and values with our customers, reinforce brand position efforts (including advertising and promotions), and provide a platform to deliver credibility for our brand.”

On the other hand, Emirates has an impressive portfolio of sponsorships at European club level with partnerships including Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympiacos, and Hamburger SV.

The sponsorship is not limited to football; Emirates also sponsors Rugby, Tennis, F1, Horse Racing, Golf, Cricket, Sailing, Australian Rules Football and several arts, culture and music events all around the world.

“We believe sponsorships are one of the best ways to connect with our passengers. They allow us to share and support their interests and to build a closer relationship with them,” said Emirates CEO and Chairman.


Singapore Airlines sponsorship strategy on sports is limited to the annual Singapore Airlines International Cup horse race. Cathay Pacific sponsors the world-famous Hong Kong Sevens Rugby team.

Airlines avoid association with or sponsorship of activities related to politics, religious affairs, extreme sports (e.g. wrestling and boxing), unfair competition, content with nudity, explicit images, negative behavior and short lead time (i.e less than 12 weeks prior to the event).

A 3-day briefing course is enough for cabin crew to get familiar with the new A350 XWB cabin equipment, systems and procedures.

Cathay Pacific cabin crew participated in the ‘CVFF’ cabin virtual first flight last 25/July in the A350 XWB Cabin Integration and Test Centre.

“We thought this was the right time to put Cabin Zero to the test in a real operational environment with real cabin crew,” says Michel Treillet, Customer Programme Director for the A350 XWB.

“Cabin Zero was developed as an engineering platform but we wanted to take it further “and use it as if it were a real aircraft.”

"For that we needed real cabin crew and so we called on Cathay Pacific for help, based on our experience with them in the past and also because Cathay is a big customer for the A350.”

9 crew were recruited for the exercise, all of them going through 3-days of intensive training prior to the day of the trial.

“I wanted to get accurate information to our crew in advance of the exercise because I knew it would be a big challenge for them, working in a brand new environment with new galley arrangements and standards, and with different types of service equipment” explains Cathay Pacific Inflight Technical Operations Manager Inez Mok, who coordinated with the project team to get a full understanding of the whole process.

The 3-day briefing course included a thorough introduction to Cabin Zero, followed by familiarization procedures for cabin checks, the passenger doors, the flight attendant panel and cabin intercommunication data system.

The day didn’t end when the flight came in for its virtual landing. Passengers were asked to sit down and complete detailed questionnaires about their entire experience on the virtual flight.

The cabin crew went through individual debriefings to give Airbus invaluable feedback on the cabin and its workings, from galley equipment to the layout of crew rest areas.

“What the Cathay crew have given us is valuable input to prepare for the A350’s entry into service,” said Mr. Treillet Customer Programme Director for the A350 XWB, adding that first test aircraft to be fitted with a cabin, MSN002, is now being assembled in Toulouse.

“We will gather all the feedback and take a close look at what things need to be changed or modified. It’s always a challenge to match an engineering platform with the final cabin but I think CVFF has been an invaluable intermediate step in terms of the cabin development.”


Based on the article “Airbus A350 makes its first 'virtual flight'” published in Australian Business Traveler.

Not aircraft competition in the long-haul market but aircraft families competing between Boeing and Airbus. Competitive line up focused on 300 seats.

Airbus and Boeing are both offering two aircraft families for the bulk of the long-haul market, the A330 and the A350 as well as the 777 and the 787. One interesting aspect of the competition is that Airbus is building an all-new aircraft for the larger-capacity segment of that market, while Boeing has decided to initially focus its innovation on the smaller-capacity end of it.

But the new initiatives —the 787-10, the A350-900 regional and even the A330-300 regional— are all targeted at around the 300-seat segment, the main difference being in weight and range.

We revealed earlier that Boeing is planning a lighter weight 777-8, reducing the planned 9,400nm range to 8,500nm to more closely match the A350-900’s weight and specification. While the 777-8 “Lite” has substantially longer range and weight than the “A350-900R,” the concepts bring airplanes to the market that are more closely aligned with airline realities than with maximum performance.

Airbus views the competitive line up thusly:
• A330-200 vs 787-8
• A330-300 vs 787-9
• A350-900 vs 787-10

Because Airbus is focused on the A350-900 at this point, the spokesman said he has no information about offering a Regional aircraft for the A350-800 and -1000 sub-types.

The spokesman says the economics shape up this way:

• The economics of the A330-200 at standard max MTOW is 4% lower than 788 per trip;
• The A330-300 has 6.5% DOC vs 789; and
• The A350-900 has 4% COC per trip vs 781.

Note the distinction between Direct Operating Costs (DOC) and Cash Operating Costs (COC) Airbus claims.

Airbus is emphasizing the greater passenger seat comfort in coach in its airplanes vs the narrower 787: 18 inches vs 17 inches in nine abreast.


Based on the article “Full Circle” published in Aviation Week.

Rolls Royce Trent XWB achieved 10.000 flight cycles

The engine of the Airbus A350 XWB has reached the milestone of 10.000 simulated flight cycles to the test. Currently there are running endurance tests of the Trent XWB in Spain and the United States.

In total, 12 engines have completed more than 5,000 hours in the past 3 years on various test rigs and in the air.

In parallel, the preparations for the tests of a demonstrator for the stronger version Trent XWB-97 (for A350-1000) are ongoing.

Based on the article “Rolls-Royce Trent XWB erreicht 10.000 Flugzyklen” published in Flug Revue