17.08.2022 - 14:51 UTC
American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) has placed an order with Boom Technology (Denver Centennial) for twenty Overture supersonic aircraft with options for 40 more. The airline has signalled its commitment to the order by paying a non-refundable, albeit undisclosed, deposit for the firm-ordered aircraft.
"Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers. We are excited about how Boom will shape the future of travel both for our company and our customers," Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boom must meet undisclosed operating, performance and safety requirements before the contract can be finalised.
Boom Overture aircraft are scheduled to roll out in 2025 with certification of the 65-80-seater expected in 2029. Boom Technology anticipates that the aircraft will be able to fly at Mach 1.7 over water with a range of 4,250 nautical miles (7,870 kilometres), sufficient to operate transatlantic routes between the US East Coast and Europe, albeit insufficient for transpacific sectors between the...
12.08.2022 - 17:33 UTC
United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has paid a USD10 million pre-delivery deposit to California's Archer Aviation on its conditional order for 100 of the startup's initial production of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.
This follows a collaboration agreement between the parties in February 2021 that saw United Airlines place an order, subject to its business and operating requirements, for USD1 billion of Archer's eVTOL aircraft, with an option for an additional USD500 million worth of aircraft. As reported, this may see United Airlines acquire up to 200 eVTOL units from Archer Aviation. The electric air taxis will be operated by Mesa Airlines (YV, Phoenix Sky Harbor), a regional capacity provider not owned by United Airlines.
Announcing United Airlines' pre-payment, Archer Aviation labelled it "a watershed moment for the eVTOL industry, validating confidence in the commercialization of eVTOL aircraft".
The manufacturer recently completed its production aircraft's preliminary design review (PDR). It was now advancing to the next stage of its development and commercialization. "The PDR is a meticulous...
08.08.2022 - 23:19 UTC
American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) may order up to 100 hydrogen-electric engines for its Embraer regional jets from ZeroAvia (Hollister) following an undisclosed investment in the Anglo-US company, whose total funding now exceeds USD150 million, the parties announced.
The Memorandum of Understanding comes just after ZeroAvia raised an additional USD30 million in funding from IAG International Airlines Group, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, NEOM (the world’s largest hydrogen-focused future city project in Saudi Arabia), and venture capital fund AENU on July 20, 2022. Other strategic airline investors in ZeroAvia include United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
ZeroAvia’s ZA2000-RJ powertrain is expected to come into service on regional jets in the late 2020s. The company’s first product will be the ZA600 engine, designed to power nine to 19-seat aircraft by 2024.
The company said it was working to achieve certain type certifications of its propulsion technology that would pave the way for the engines to be incorporated into the regional jet market in the future.
“Our investment in...
08.08.2022 - 18:05 UTC
JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) has accelerated the planned retirement of all of its E190s to mid-2025, at least 1.5 years earlier than previously expected, to lower its cost base.
"We announced a further acceleration of our E190 retirement, pulling it forward by over a year to mid-2025 and as we further optimise our fleet planning and maintenance spend. As part of this acceleration, we've already parked three E190 aircraft and plan to park an additional nine for a total of twelve E190 exits this year. We expect to save at least USD75 million in maintenance expense through 2024 and will benefit from reallocating flying to much more CASM-efficient A220-300s, which have 30% lower direct operating costs and 35% better fuel efficiency," Chief Financial Officer Ursula Hurley said during the carrier's quarterly earnings call.
The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that JetBlue currently operates fifty-five active E190s with a further five parked. Half of the aircraft are owned by the airline while the other 30 are leased from GECAS. The...
