US's Eastern Airlines to debut B777 ops in 2H22

Mitsubishi confirms SpaceJet program termination

After attempting to hose down speculation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI) subsidiary Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Nagoya Chubu) has confirmed it is quitting the civil aircraft manufacturing business and drawing a line under its troubled SpaceJet program. In a February 7 statement, MHI announced the news which Japanese media had began reporting 24 hours earlier.

"Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announces the discontinuation of SpaceJet development activities," the statement said. In a statement released the previous day, MRI rebutted the breaking media reports. "While it is true that MHI is considering a variety of possibilities regarding this matter, we will release any information requiring disclosure promptly in the event that any decision has been made," that statement said.

The axing of the SpaceJet program, which had its aircraft launch date delayed six times and has incurred development costs of approximately JPY1 trillion yen (USD7.6 billion dollars), also ends Japan's hopes of reviving its domestic aircraft manufacturing industry. In 2020, further work on the SpaceJet program was suspended to cut development costs.

Work on the SpaceJet, formerly...

US's Eastern Airlines inducts first B777-200(ER)

Following a lengthy certification process, Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami International) has now completed the induction of its first passenger-configured B777-200ER.

N771KW (msn 28530) was acquired by the airline during the peak of COVID-related aircraft groundings in May 2020. However, the 20.9-year-old jet subsequently remained in storage at Victorville and Kansas City International through November 2022, when it began proving flights.

The airline currently operates an all-B767 fleet comprising one B767-200, three B767-200(ER)s, and seven B767-300ERs which are deployed mainly on charter services after Eastern Airlines curtailed its once more extensive point-to-point Latin American network to a single return route - Miami International to Santo Domingo Las Américas. The airline is also trying to secure rights to fly to China.

Chief Executive Steve Harfst told ch-aviation that the aircraft would be used on a mix of charter, ACMI, and scheduled operations on the existing route.

Eastern plans to pivot to a B777-dominated fleet. In 2021, it announced plans to acquire a total of thirty-five B777s,...

Editorial Comment: The article updates with Eastern Airlines' comments. - 12.01.2023 - 07:40 UTC

US legacy carriers oppose Eastern's China aspirations

Emirates to convert more of its own B777-300(ER)s

Emirates (EK, Dubai International) has signed a commitment to convert six of its own B777-300(ER)s into freighters, increasing its total order for converted B777-300(ER)s to ten units.

The airline did not clarify whether the additional six units would also be converted by Israel Aerospace Industries under its B777-300(ER)(SF) programme, like the first four announced in November 2021. The Israeli MRO firm has yet to obtain a supplemental type certificate for its conversion of the widebody twinjet. Mammoth Freighters and Eastern Airlines are independently planning to certify their own B777 conversion variants.

Emirates told Cargo Facts it had yet to identify which of its B777-300(ER)s it will convert. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the carrier operates 124 B777-300(ER)s, of which it owns 64.

The airline's current cargo fleet comprises eleven B777-200Fs with one more due for delivery from Boeing (BOE, Washington National) this month. It plans to return two of the B777-200Fs leased from DAE Capital as the converted -300(ER)s start delivering to...