Cargolux Boeing 747-8F
Boeing was set to deliver their first 747-8F to Cargolux on September 19th, but at the last minute, the Luxembourg-based cargo company put the deal on hold and the delivery was postponed. Both Boeing and Cargolux kept quiet and rumors started about the reasoning behind this odd business maneuver. According to Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who has a 35% stake in Cargolux, the issues stem from the 747-8F being 2.7% less fuel efficient than advertised. Al Baker stated that the issues causing the airline to back out of accepting delivery are related to GE, who built the engines on the 747-8F, and not Boeing. At this point, Cargolux is expected to take ownership of their first 747-8F on October 12th, pending the airlines board approving during their meeting on October 7th.
During a Boeing 777 delivery event for Qatar Airways, Al Baker was asked about Cargolux and their handling of the situation. ’œUnfortunately, the management of Cargolux did not take the action they should have taken during the process of the aircraft acceptance,’ Al-Baker stated according to Bloomberg. ’œAs we sit on the board of Cargolux, we have full right to object if we find something is not fair as far as Cargolux is concerned.’
One of the loudest rumors about this deal was that Qatar Airways was holding Cargolux’s 747-8F hostage for a better compensation deal on their 787 Dreamliners. However, Al Baker clearly stated that the Cargolux 747-8F delay has nothing to do with compensation for the 787 Dreamliner. ’œThe issue really with this aircraft has nothing to do with Boeing. It has to do with an issue that we had with the engine manufacturer,’ Al Baker said according to the Seattle PI. ’œThis issue has been resolved’ subject to board approval.
GE has already announced that they are working on a Performance Improvement Package (PIP) for the the GEnx-2B engine found on the 747-8. The package is not slated to be ready until mid-2013.
Even with all the issues that Qatar and Cargolux have recently had with Boeing, according to ArabianBusiness.com, Al-Baker described his relationship with Boeing as strong, ’œdespite a few hiccups along the way.” At this point, it is not certain what the delivery celebration will entail and Boeing is waiting until after the October 7th board meeting to announce any plans.
Image: ImperfectSense
United's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
It is always a special treat to get inside the Boeing Factory. Even more so, when one is able to bring a camera. During the standard Boeing Factory tour, guests are not allowed to take any photos. Even during special media events where Boeing has allowed cameras, they have not allowed journalists the opportunity to be on the 787 factory floor. During ANA’s delivery event, media was invited to take a tour of the 787 Dreamliner line, on the factory floor and I wanted to share some of the photos.
An Ethiopian Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the factory floor.
United's first Dreamliner from the factory floor.
A completed nose section of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the factory floor.
Ethiopian, United and Air India Boeing 787s.
APU on the back of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Check out the 777 stairs that have been modified for 787 use.
CHECK OUT MORE BOEING FACTORY PHOTOS
and some from ANA’s 787 delivery ceremony
China Eastern Airlines Airbus A340-600 B-6055 with Expo 2010 livery.
The Airbus A340-600 is one long plane. With a length of over 246 feet, it is the second longest airliner produced behind the new Boeing 747-8. This gives a lot of room for airlines to show off special liveries and that is just want China Eastern Airlines did for their special Expo 2010 livery.
Sure, the Expo 2010 happened in Shanghai China from May 1st to the end of October 2010, but that does not mean the airline has to remove the icon off their website, or replace the livery. (Even though it is possible they have, the most recent photo I could find is from July 2011).
So does this livery work? In my opinion it is a bit ugly. Maybe if the airline did not try to keep their normal livery and the new design, it would have worked a lot better, but this just seems to be trying too hard with too many colors going all over the place. Although, from the front, is it not too bad.
China Eastern Airlines is based in Shanghai and has been in operation since 1988. It currently flies to over 100 international and domestic destinations and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. The airline operates a mixed fleet of more than 265 aircraft from the smaller Bombardier CRJ200 to the A340-600, which is the largest aircraft in their fleet.
Image: Globespotter
This Emirates Boeing 777-300ER is in Seattle, but only because it was built there. Soon one will be based in Seattle.
Emirates has announced they will start flying non-stop from Dallas and Seattle to Dubai starting early next year. Flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will commence on February 2, 2012 and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on March 1, 2012. The airline is also looking at possible expansions to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Before 9/11 Emirates had plans to expand in the US, but their plans were put on hold due to lack of demand. Currently, Emirates is the world’s number one airline in international traffic and they feel it is time to increase service to the US.
’œWe’ve always had fairly ambitious plans for the U.S. and this is part of that,’ Emirates President Tim Clark told Bloomberg. ’œIt’s an immense market. There will be more to come, including increased frequencies and bigger planes. We have ideas for the East Coast, the north-south axis in the center and for the west.’
Emirates will operate their new flights from DFW and SEA using Boeing 777s, but the airline is speaking openly about using larger Airbus A380s on future US routes.
’œThe A380 will be an option for all U.S. operations post- 2013, when the plane will have a higher takeoff weight, so that routes such as Dubai-Los Angeles become a distinct possibility,’ he said. ’œAnd most U.S. airports are A380- capable or will be.’
Being based in Seattle, it is very exciting to hear that not only will a new airline start operations here, but that they are also contemplating using the Airbus A380 in the future. As of now, no airline operates the A380 to SEA and even with this announcement, it seems it could still take a while.
“We do not have any immediate plans to bring the A380 to Seattle, although this may be something we consider in the future,” Jim Baxter, Vice President North America, Emirates Airline explained to AirlineReporter.com via email. Even if Emirates was ready to operate the A380 to Seattle, the airport is not able to handle scheduled service of the world’s largest airliner.
“We can handle the A380 in emergencies, however we do not have facilities for regular use, such as the multiple gate loading ramps, for the aircraft,” Perry Cooper, SEA’s Media and Public Affairs Manager explained. “At this time, if an A380 were to arrive and need to access a gate, safety guidelines would require all traffic to stop until the aircraft stopped at its gate, due to the width of taxiways and safety zones next to the runways.”
The A380 is so large, that it would currently take up two of SEA’s gate configurations and due to the cost and lack of direct demand, the airport does not “currently have plans to expand to accommodate the A380.”
Image: Rick Schlamp
First A350 XWB nose section being unloaded from the Beluga aircraft at St Nazaire. Photo by Airbus. Click for larger.
Now that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been delivered and will soon be entering service, I want to share some love with the Airbus A350 XWB.
The A350 line up currently planned will overall, be larger than the 787, even though there will be some overlap. The smaller A350-800 will compete with the larger 787-9 and 787-10. The A350 is slated to carry 250 to 400 passengers, where the 787 models will carry about 210-290 passengers.
Cut away of the Airbus A350 XWB from Flightglobal. Click for larger.
The A350 will be the first airliner manufactured by Airbus using 53% composite materials. We have previously seen the upper wing cover and landing gear, now something a bit more recognizable; the A350 XWB nose section. The A350 nose section comes in three different parts, which is different than the Boeing 787 coming in just one.
At this time, the A350 has 567 orders, where the first aircraft is expected to go to Qatar Airways sometime in later 2013.
