A350 EIS Watchtower: full support from Airbus to Qatar Airways.

With the 2^nd A350 XWB aircraft commencing commercial twice-daily service between Doha and Frankfurt this month, Airbus is developing new ways of working to facilitate the jetliner’s smooth service entry with operators worldwide. 

As part of this approach, Airbus has created the EIS Watchtower program, where team members from different Airbus functions are working closely with Airbus staff based in Doha, Qatar.

“We chose the name ‘EIS Watchtower’ because of lifeguard towers on busy beaches,” explained Thomas Fouché, Airbus’ A350 XWB EIS Watchtower program manager.

“Lifeguards are very alert, monitoring the situation carefully and then triggering actions that avoid or solve problems - we're here to do the same for an aircraft.”

The team is serving as an interface with Doha, using flight test information and data gathered from in-service operations to prioritise issues that are most important for the airline to anticipate problems and accelerate mitigating solutions if needed.  

Fouché explained that this approach has already prevented potential flight delays for Qatar Airways’ A350 XWB aircraft through preventive maintenance measures to address issues before they cause disruptions.

“The EIS Watchtower program is all about collaboration and communication, both of which will matter more and more as additional A350 XWB aircraft enter service,” Fouché said.

“With a steep ramp-up, this collaborative approach can help us avoid the manufacture of aircraft that need to be retrofitted after delivery,” he added.

“Meeting Qatar's high expectations now will give Airbus teams the knowledge they need to continue offering excellent customer support as the fleet grows.”

Based on the press release “Watching out for customers to ensure the A350 XWB’s smooth service entry”

Airbus prepares sale of PFW shares

Airbus is apparently preparing a sale of its majority stake in the supplier PFW Aerospace based in Speyer.

The sale process could start in the next few months, said people familiar with the matter.

Airbus purchased 51% of PFW in 2011 after the German supplier lost access to credit.

PFW was at that time in economic difficulties and it was a critical supplier of innovative lightweight tubing systems for A350.

The current retail value of the shares held by Airbus is estimated at 450 million euros.

Airbus wants to basically focus on value creation in design and manufacture of aircraft and build up linkages with the supply chain.

Based on the article "Airbus bereitet Verkauf von PFW-Anteilen vor" published in aero.de

200 CDs, 50 games, 1.500 TV programs, Italian sleeper suits … in Qatar´s A350 XWB

Those attending the press conference of Qatar Airways at ITB2015 were updated on the latest amenities on board for First, Business, and Economy Class passengers.

First Class passengers will now enjoy luxurious male and female sleeper suits from Italian designer Missoni, complemented by amenity kits by Giorgio Armani.

Business Class passengers will also enjoy Giorgio Armani amenity kits, tailored to male or female passengers and enjoy newly-introduced Ladurée Parisian delicacies, available in both First and Business cabins, while Economy Class passengers will also benefit from a newly-designed amenity kit.

Qatar Airways is also doubling its movie content on board this spring, with a selection of over 500 movies to enjoy, including the world’s latest premieres, while increasing its selection of TV programs from 700 to over 1.500, including the latest box sets, complementing its range of over 200 CDs and 50 games, which caters to all ages.

Based on the article “ITB: 2014 will be remembered by Qatar Airways” published inEturbonews.com

AirAsia could postpone A350 deliveries

Malaysia's AirAsia X will cut flights on unprofitable routes, reorganize staff and defer some aircraft deliveries to turn around the loss-making long-haul budget carrier, said the airline's acting chief executive.

"Capacity reduction and cost-cutting within the organization would be 2 strategies this year," Benyamin Ismail, the acting CEO of AirAsia X said. Squeezed by intense competition in Southeast Asia's crowded aviation business, the airline has lost money for the last 5 quarters.

Benyamin was named acting CEO for an indefinite period after former chief Azran Osman Rani resigned following a management reshuffle last month.

Hit with 3 disasters last year - the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, the same carrier's MH17 shot down over Ukraine, and the crash of the QZ8501 jet operated by an AirAsia X affiliate in Indonesia - demand for air travel in the region has dampened, Ismail said.

Ismail said the airline may look at deferring some plane deliveries and selling slots to potential buyers. "If there are reasonable and keen buyers for those aircraft, we may sell the slots," he said.

AirAsia X will also assess capacity requirements based on plane orders and deliveries coming up in the next few years, he said. This would include looking again at orders for Airbus A350 and A330neo jets, Benyamin said.

The carrier has 10 A350s on order and also ordered 50 A330neo aircraft last year. Ismail declined to give specific details but said the airline would focus on using A330neo for its operations.

Based on the article “Malaysia's AirAsia X to cut costs, may defer plane deliveries: Acting CEO” published in Reuters.

Russia & China begin preliminary design of the A350 future competitor.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) and China’s Comac have begun preliminary design of their proposed joint 250-280-seat widebody airliner, which Moscow now expects to enter service in 2025.

This phase should be completed by July/2015, said UAC President Yury Slyusar, while Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov suggested that full-scale development will begin in 2016.

“We have the money for this,” Manturov said, referring to the preliminary design.

Last November Slyusar, who was then Russia’s deputy industry and trade minister, said that the aircraft would make its first flight in 2021-22. Development cost is now estimated at $13 billion before the ruble’s recent fall in value, he said. Russian industry is keen to work with the Chinese since Beijing can afford to help fund the program.

UAC and Comac, both state-owned, signed a memorandum on cooperation for the program in May/2014. A joint feasibility study was completed in autumn 2014 with positive results, said a UAC official.

UAC is likely to develop and build the composite wing and fin for the widebody while Comac handles the fuselage, said Slyusar.

Although that blueprint assigns the most difficult part of the airframe to Russia, the UAC president pointed out that not all of the technology is coming from his side. “China is now not only a market and investor but is also providing some expertise in technologies needed for our joint project,” he says.

Still, UAC has more experience in major composite structures than the Chinese industry has, although Avic owns Austrian composites specialist FACC.

UAC subsidiary Aerocomposit has developed the carbon-fiber wing for the MS-21 in cooperation with FACC and Diamond Aircraft, another Austrian company. That wing completed fatigue testing at the government aeronautical engineering institute TsAGI near Moscow last spring.

The UAC president hopes that most of the work on the aircraft will be done in Russia. That point should be settled soon, since detailed work distribution will be defined during the current, preliminary design phase.

UAC estimates that the world will need 8,000 widebody airlines through 2033, with 1,000 bought by Chinese airlines.

Although in November/2014 Mikhail Pogosyan, who was then president of UAC, said the joint airliner would have a range of up to 12.000 km and seat 250-300 passengers, current UAC president Slyusar has refined that to 250-280 seats in the basic version and a moderate range of 7.400 km.

Based on the article “Widebody Duo” published in Aviation Week

Emirates could order 50-70 A350s or 787s.

Emirates Airline is looking at an order for around 50 to 70 twin-aisle A350 or 787 aircraft, its president said last week.

Emirates canceled an order for 70 A350 aircraft last year, saying the new plane from Airbus did not fit its original specifications, and Tim Clark said Emirates was now looking at both Airbus and rival Boeing for twin-aisles.

"We'd be looking at 50 to 70. We have to establish exactly what it would be but much would depend on the Dubai hub growth," Clark told journalists at an event during the ITB travel fair in Berlin.

He also said the airline was considering Rolls-Royce engines for an order of 50 Airbus A380 aircraft. Its first 90 A380 aircraft are supplied by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney .

Emirates CEO Tim Clark  has previously said there will be no nexus between A350/787 order and the A380neo order, Airbus will be in a position to offer a deal that has cross-connections, as will RR.

All pictures Source : Alexander Hassenstein

Based on the article “Emirates airline eyes order for 50-70 A350 or 787 aircraft” published in Reuters.

Qatar Airways is happy with A350 performance in the first 2 months from EIS

Qatar Airways CEP Al Baker praises A350's performance during the first 2 months of operation, saying dispatch reliability has been "over and above" Qatar's expectations.

The 2^nd A350 delivered to Qatar has joined the 1^st one in Doha-Frankfurt route, to "rub salt in the wound" of Lufthansa, said the Gulf carrier's chief executive Akbar Al Baker at the ITB travel trade show in Berlin.

Source: pibracais

7 additional A350s are to join the first two in Qatar's fleet by year-end.

Source: David Barrie

The airline is planning to deploy the type to Singapore when it operates a third daily service to the city state from June.

Based on the article “Second A350 to up ante in Qatar's battle with Lufthansa” published in FlightGlobal