If Aeroflot cancels the order of 18 A350-800 model migrating to -900 or -1000 variants, Airbus could officially announce that the -800 as we know it today, will not be built.

Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot is to consider adjusting details of its A350 order, although the airline has not disclosed the nature of any amendments.

It discussed its fleet modernization during a regular board meeting at the end of August, which included the lease of 50 Boeing 737-800s and -900ERs and a batch of A320s.

But the board also considered “changes in the material terms” of its purchase of 22 A350s.

Aeroflot has not indicated the extent or the nature of these changes.

Its order includes 18 of the shorter A350-800 variant, and Aeroflot is one of the few remaining customers for the type. Aeroflot’s other 4 A350s are all -900s.

The -800 has not secured an order for over 4 years and its backlog has depleted as customers migrate to the larger -900.
Aeroflot says it will discuss further the fleet issues at a shareholders’ meeting in mid-October.

It is advancing its plans for a low-cost carrier which, the airline says, will “substantially increase” the availability of air transport in Russia. Aeroflot will allocate funds from its 2013 and 2014 budgets to establish the operation.

Concerning the A350-800, Airbus has declared that they had decided to focus on two larger wide-body models. During the Paris Air Show in June, Didier Evrard Head of Program said that there is no allocated MSN for first A350-800 yet. And only 3 before, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker (who cancelled an order for the A350-800 and boosted orders for larger types), said the 270-seater would likely not be built. "This is what they (Airbus) told us," he told reporters at a trade fair.

Airbus has also announced in July the Regional variant of the A350-900 with the same engines than previously planned for A350-800. In last 4 years, with no order for A350-800, several customers have converted to larger variants of the A350 family.


Based on the article “Aeroflot hints at amending A350 order details” published in Flight Global.

Fabrice Bregier Airbus CEO about the A350 XWB Program: "Still a lot on our plate, but so far so good". Video

Click the picture to watch the video released by Airbus where Fabrice Bregier talks about his first flight on the A350 XWB.

Some interesting news and data will be deeper commented on comming posts.

For example, that in the MSN1 there are lavatories for the test crew.

Delta orders ten A330-300 instead of A350 XWB because “they want to see the new technology in action before signing on.” The new-plane smell is rare at Delta.

“It is an opportunistic order that allows Delta to buy economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft." said Delta CEO Richard Anderson


Delta Air Lines has announced an order for 10 A330-300 HGW (and additional 30 A321); it can be considered a victory for Airbus because this is the first Airbus order from Delta in 20 years. Delta (with American Airlines and Continental Airlines) was 1 of 3 US airlines to sign a 20-year exclusive supplier agreement with Boeing, later cancelled after a demand from the European Union.

Delta has just proved again that Airbus and Boeing have much work to do if they are to win significant orders from it for their latest technology airliners like the A350 XWB or 787s.

Its aversion to paying a premium for the advertised benefits of new technology jets over the capital expenditure and reliability savings it sees in paying ‘run-out’ model prices for new jets available today has certainly caught the attention of other airlines with similar needs to replace old jets and add capacity to take up growth opportunities.

This is not to suggest for a moment that Delta or similarly inclined airlines won’t in future buy the new technology jets on offer. It is just that they won’t pay a premium for them for delivery in the early years they are on offer and potentially unable to deliver on the promised benefits with sufficient service reliability to meet Delta’s business case.

By selecting the existing designs, Delta likely took advantage of closeout savings on the aircraft it ordered. The A321 is being succeeded by the A321neo, and the A330's new technology cousin is Airbus' A350."

Delta´s order for the Boeing 787 was deferred to at least 2020 because new Delta Management team didn’t like what was happening with the 787-8 program. And in 2020, Delta may choose to acquire a different model of the 787 than the original -8, or if it still doesn’t like what it sees, persuade Boeing to replace that order with a different model, maybe from the 777 family.




Based on the article “Delta rejects new models with classic Airbus order” published in Crikey

How to change a Trent XWB engine on an A350 XWB only by a team of 3 people. Maintenance and safety focused development by Airbus.

We could watched it in April/2013 with the engines loading on the MSN1. Airbus has tailor-made an electrical hoist kit to precisely control load and ease positioning of engines, while improving safety for maintenance staff and the aircraft.

The electrical hoist kit replaces the manual hoists used on the currently used bootstrap, adding significant advantages including speed, better load control and man-hour savings.

The system is just as flexible as traditional manual bootstraps, with the electrical hoists cabled to a mobile power unit located in the control box.

One of the clear advantages is that rather than using up to 8 engineers, safe engine maneuvering may be performed by only 3; one on the control box at the front of the engine, and one to each side.

Click the picture to watch the video with 2 phases (lifting and approaching) of the positioning. The engines are lifted in perfect balance to the pylon, then 2 operators positioned laterally with hand-held devices smoothly position the engine in the final approach to the pylon.

The benefits of this easy-handling kit is a reduction of around 30% of the time needed for the removal or installation of outboard engines that implies lower maintenance costs while optimizing aircraft availability.

Engine characteristics for all of Airbus’ aircraft are pre-programmed, and can be easily selected on the central control unit’s touch screen.


Based on the article “Electrical hoist kit to ease engine mounting” published in Fast Magazine 52

72 hours for the MSN1 since mid-August. 16 flights in 20 days is a good progress for the A350 XWB Flight Test Program which has more than 160 flight hours.

Airbus has completed over 160h of flight testing -31 missions- with the first A350 prototype, having resumed the campaign on 15/August following a short break of a month after undergoing modification to its flight-test installation in July.

These upgrades in the MSN1 included the fitting of a device beneath the aft fuselage which appears to be linked to high-attitude take-off testing, although Airbus says these minimum-unstick tests have not yet been conducted and are not scheduled for the "immediate future".

The MSN1 is being constantly upgraded for conducting test with new test installations. The left wing fairing is one of the aircraft areas that Airbus has been studying very carefully over the last flights.

The second aircraft to join the flight test campaign is being completed in the FAL. The MSN3, that is going to be painted next week, has the target to airborne by the last day of September.

 

The third aircraft MSN2, already with cabin crew area installed is in the station 30, and as watched during last Friday visit of French ambassadors, it has a white tail; it is covering a special livery that will be shown before the end of the year.

The forth aircraft MSN4 has also started the final assembly, with major fuselage and empennage sections in the FAL since mid-August.

Based on the article “Airbus steadily clocks up A350 flight hours” published in FlightGlobal

Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier demonstrates confidence on the A350 XWB joining a test flight onboard the MSN1

Airbus President & CEO, Fabrice Brégier has enjoyed his first experience on-board the A350 XWB MSN1 during a routine test flight which lasted close to 3 hours and took place over the south-western part of France.

“I am immensely proud to have flown on board the A350 XWB, our latest technology marvel,” said Fabrice Brégier. “The aircraft is a very smooth ride and I was particularly impressed by the maturity of the aircraft at such an early stage in its life. The new cockpit layout with the large screens and head-up display are amazing and I am confident that pilots are going to love being behind the controls of this machine.”

Based on the press release “Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier gets first-hand experience of A350 XWB”

The A350 XWB enters in the campaign for the German Federal Election.

Airbus presses current German government to complete the pending payment in order to avoid missing the 19% of the workload and Germany wants commitments on job allocation not only for A350 XWB program.

With the German election looming over the horizon in September, as well as the French economy in the doldrums, jobs are a sensitive issue where political interference props up again.

German daily newspaper Die Welt has reported that talks between Airbus and the German government had broken down over the payment of a loan of 623 million Euros ($825 million) for the development of the A350 XWB, citing documents sent by Airbus to its sites in Germany. The payment is due for 26 months.

Germany's economics ministry has said it remains open to talks with Airbus and expects a "constructive solution" in the row between the company and the government over funding for the A350 XWB and guarantees for jobs in Germany.

Airbus tends to finance the development of new models with loans from Germany, France, Spain and the U.K., and repays them once the models are sold.

Germany has already paid EUR500 million toward the A350's development cost and is holding back on freeing up the remainder of the loan to get assurances that it will get its fair share of work on the next-generation Airbus medium-haul, single-aisle aircraft.

Die Welt reported Airbus blames the government for the "failure" of negotiations due to its withholding of the funds, and the article said the company warns of far-reaching consequences for German sites and employees.

 

According to Airbus, the German share of the work on the A350 is 34%, but so far Berlin has only paid for 15%, Die Welt said, meaning Airbus will have to reduce the amount of work conducted in Germany, with hard consequences for German locations and employees.

The ministry said the announced step by Airbus is "not comprehensible" since the 2 sides have come closer on their positions in recent talks.

"The outstanding loan amount is about taxpayer money, and its payment can therefore only be carried out under certain conditions," ministry spokesman Holger Schlienkamp said in an emailed response to the Welt article. "Airbus has agreed to strengthen Germany's R&D research and development capacities, on this point the economics ministry expects concrete suggestions and their implementation".

“The German government will work closely (with EADS) during the upcoming restructuring process and will place great importance on Germany’s interests as an industrial location,” German economy minister Philipp Roesler commented some weeks ago.

At issue is Germany's insistence on getting more work on future A30X series, notably some responsibility for design and research, work that is currently carried out at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, France.

Based on the article “A350-Streit zwischen Regierung und Airbus eskaliert” published in Die Welt and based on the article “German Economics Ministry: Solution Possible on Airbus A350 Launch Aid” published in Wall Street Journal.