Fleet Changes

February  2004

Thai and China Southern Chose Rockwell Collins Avionics for New Airplanes  

Thai Airways will use a Rockwell Collins’ multi-mode receiver and weather radar on its new A340-500s and A340-600s, while China Southern will use the same systems on its new A319s, A320s and A330s. 

The Collins GLU-920 MMR can integrate navigation signals from ILS, MLS or the GNSS (global navigation satellite system) to provide instrument landing system capability, plus the aircraft’s primary position, velocity and time reference.  The Collins WXR-2100 Multiscan Weather Radar automatically uses multiple tilt angles and advanced data processing to reduce pilot workload and provide more complete information on weather hazards.  

China Southern will also use Collins’ automatic direction finder (ADF-900), distance measuring equipment, (DME-900) high frequency communication system (HFS-900), digital coupler (CPL-920D), VHF omnidirectional range (VOR-900) and very high frequency transceiver (VHF-920).  02-28-2004.

Qantas Airways has ordered an additional Q300 for its QantasLink regional carrier.  This order is a conversion of an option Qantas obtained with its six-aircraft order announced in December last year.  02-28-2004.  

SkyWest took delivery of a CRJ700.  The airline has orders with Bombardier for an additional 29 CRJ700s over the next 18 months.  02-28-2004.

Pakistan International Will Equip New B-777s with Honeywell/Thales Satcom   

Pakistan International Airlines has selected Honeywell/Thales satellite communications systems for the eight B-777s it is purchasing.   

The Honeywell/Thales MCS 7000 satcom will feature Swift64 high speed data, allowing it to send and receive data at up to 64 kilobits per second, and will enable passengers and crew to make telephone calls from nearly anywhere in the world.  

Other Honeywell avionics chosen by Pakistan International for the -777s include communications and navigation radios, weather radar, airborne collision avoidance systems and cockpit voice and flight data recorders.  02-27-2004.

FAA Certifies Embraer 170; European Certification Expected Shortly

The FAA issued a final type certificate for the Embraer 170.

The 70- to 78-passenger jet also secured a letter of recommendation from the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), giving the green-light for the national European aviation agencies to issue final type certificates for the aircraft.  Embraer expects the newly established European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to issue its type certificate for airplane within days. 

Embraer expects to deliver up to 11 of the airplanes in March.  First deliveries will go to LOT Polish Airlines, Alitalia, and US Airways.  02-21-2004.

Alitalia Cargo has retired its only B-747-200F.  02-21-2004.  

easyJet UK received its first A319.  02-21-2004.   

Air Europa is returning three leased B-737-600s to SAS, but will receive three B-737-800s as replacements, also from SAS.  The -800s are currently on lease to Air One.  02-21-2004.  

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) received its second B-777-200ER from Boeing.  PIA will get another 777-200ER in March, and later will get two 777-200LRs and three 777-300ERs, to complete its eight airplane order.  02-21-2004.

Qatar Airways will take delivery of four purchased and four leased A330s, two A320s, two A321s and one unspecified aircraft for its Amiri VIP service in 2004.  02-20-2004.  

Livingston Travel Collection, a discount travel operator, has added an ex-Aero Lloyd A321 to its fleet.  02-20-2004.  

Tour operator, Meridiana has received its first A319.  02-20-2004.

AT&T Wireless’ corporate flight department has equipped its fleet with Honeywell’s new Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS).  02-16-2004.

Bluebird Cargo leased a RB211-535E4-powered B-757-200PCF freighter from Boullioun.  The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered this summer to Bluebird.  The 757-200PCF is the first of two planned freighter conversions announced by Boullioun last April with Portland-based Precision Conversions LLC.  This first aircraft has been undergoing conversion through Precision’s subcontractor, Goodrich Aviation Technical Services.   Besides the B-757-200PCF, Bluebird operates four B-737-300 freighters.  02-14-2004.

Two Mooney Models Getting Garmin All-Glass Instrument Panel  

Mooney will use Garmin’s G1000 integrated avionics system for its Ovation2 GXs and Bravo GXs.  Both models will have a glass PFD (primary flight display) and MFD (multi-function display).  

The G1000 integrates primary flight, navigation, communication, engine, and sensor data on the dual 10.4-inch, XGA high-resolution (1,024x768-pixel) displays.  The complete G1000 Mooney installation will include the following system components and features: 

• A digital audio control panel with integrated marker beacon and clearance playback capability.
• Dual integrated communication and navigation modules that provide both GPS and VHF navigation with ILS, and voice radio transceivers with 8.33-kHz channel spacing.
• A Mode-S transponder with TIS (traffic information service).   
• An advanced solid-state AHRS (attitude and heading reference system) with rapid alignment whether on the ground or in the air.
• A digital air data computer.
• A worldwide terrain database for depicting topographic and relative terrain information.
• A XM Satellite Radio receiver, featuring full-color, graphical weather information via digital datalink, as well as inflight entertainment with 101 channels of CD-quality audio.  (This will be available in the fourth quarter of 2004 for U.S. models only.)

The certification program for the G1000 on the Ovation2 GX and Bravo GX models is currently underway.  Mooney expects their deliveries to begin in the third quarter of 2004.   02-14-2004.

Iberia will lease two A330-200s from TAM of Brazil from late June.  02-13-2004.  

Air Caledonie International took delivery of its first A320 powered by V2500s.  The airline already flies two Airbus A330-200s, and is an all-Airbus operator.  02-13-2004. 

Delta plans to sell two B-777-200s scheduled for delivery in 2005 and to sell or convert three more that were scheduled for delivery in 2006.  In addition, the carrier said it intends to acquire other not-yet-specified Boeing aircraft in lieu of three 777-200s scheduled for delivery in 2006 or to sell those triple sevens as well.  Delta currently operates eight B-777-200s, which will remain as is. 02-13-2004. 

Bangkok Airways ordered two A320s from Airbus. The order replaces an earlier commitment for B-737- 800s, which the airline said it would have to wait too long to receive.  The A320s will be delivered in August.  Bangkok Airways currently has a fleet of four B-717s and 13 ATR 72s.  02-13-2004.

Israel Aircraft Industries' Bedek Aviation Group received an FAA STC for its B-737-300 passenger-to-freighter conversion.  The modification was certified simultaneously by the European ASA and the Israeli CAA, the company said.  02-13-2004.

Belavia, the national airline of Belarus, leased a CFM56-3C-1-powered B-737-500 from ILFC. The aircraft will be delivered in May 2004.  02-13-2004.

Boeing Will Use Smiths "Common Core" Computer System on 7E7

Boeing will use a Smiths Aerospace common core system (CCS) on its 7E7 Dreamliner to act as the aircraft’s "central nervous system" for computers and interfacing electronics.   

Comprised of a modular computing hardware platform and partitioned operating system, the CCS  will host the software applications of the 7E7’s avionics and utilities functions, thereby replacing the unique, standalone, computers commonly used up to now.  This architecture will provide significant benefits in reduced development, weight, acquisition and maintenance costs, Smiths and Boeing believe, while increasing performance,

The heart of the CCS is two cabinets that house fault-tolerant, partitioned-software (ARINC 653) dual-redundant, common computing modules.   A deterministic Ethernet advanced communications network (ARINC 664) connects the common computing resources to a number of remote data concentrators and the avionics and utilities systems.  The architecture is both flexible and scalable, to facilitate its use on other aircraft under development, and future upgrades to the first-generation 7E7, according to Smiths.  

Smiths will integrate third party supplier-developed applications and associated software onto the CCS in its role as first-tier integrator.  02-13-2004.

Two Learjet 40s – Bombardier’s latest new aircraft introduction – were delivered to Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional ownership program.  02-08-2004. 

Jetsgo will purchase 18 F100s from American Airlines.  The Canadian low-fare airline will take delivery of the first seven aircraft immediately and expects to have three in service by June 24.  02-08-2004.

China Southern Airlines ordered six ERJ 145s from Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co. Ltd. (HEAI).  (HEAI is a joint venture between Brazil's Embraer and China's Harbin Aircraft Industry Co. and Hafei Aviation Industry Co., both controlled by China Aviation Industry Corporation II.)  Deliveries are expected to be made between June of 2004 and January 2005.  02-07-2004.

Boeing Names Important B-7E7 System Suppliers  

Boeing says that  Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand and Rockwell Collins will be partners for several important systems on its new B-7E7 Dreamliner.  

Hamilton Sundstrand has been selected to provide the airplane’s APU (auxiliary power unit), ECS (environmental control system), remote power distribution units and the electrical power generating and start system. 

Honeywell will provide the navigation package and health management/crew information systems.  The navigation package includes the FMS (flight management system), the IRS (inertial reference system), the air data system, and a MMR (multi-mode receiver).

Rockwell Collins was named to supply cockpit displays and communications/surveillance systems.  The display systems will include head-up as well as head-down.  As appropriate for their function, the displays will be integrated with the communication and surveillance systems, including advanced VHF and satellite communication radios, TAWS (terrain awareness warning systems), weather radar, and TCAS (traffic alert and collision avoidance systems). 

Boeing expects the 7E7 to enter into service in 2008.  02-07-2004.

Air Canada plans to retire its entire fleet of 12 B-737-200s now operated by its low-cost Zip subsidiary.  Beginning this summer, Zip will start flying A319s transferred from Air Canada, and by the end of 2004, Zip will operate a fleet of only 20 A319s, as the 737-200s are retired.   Air Canada currently has 46 A319s, and those being transferred to Zip will be replaced by regional jets recently ordered from Bombardier and Embraer.  02-07-2004. 

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) took delivery of a B-777-200, the first of eight B-777s it has on order.  PIA ordered three 777-200ERs, three 777-300ERs and two 777-200LRs from Boeing, with deliveries continuing through 2008.  The airplanes will all come equipped with EFBs (electronic flight bags). 02-07-2004.  

Emirates ordered two more A340-500s on top of a previous order for eight A340-500s and 20 A340-600s. 02-07 2004.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) placed a firm order for two additional Bombardier Q400s.  The order represents the conversion of two options, and increases ANA’s firm Q400 orders to eight.  The airline has taken delivery of three of the turboprops to date.  02-07-2004.

Nippon Cargo Airlines ordered three B-747-400Fs for delivery starting in early 2005 and ending in 2006.  The new freighters will replace some of the airline's older B-747-100 and 200 cargo aircraft.  Currently, NCA operates 10 B-747-200Fs and one B-747-100F.  02-06-2004.  

SLM Surinam Airways has purchased a B-747-300 from KLM.   02-06-2004.

NetJets Contracts with Rockwell Collins for Hawker 800XP Avionics Maintenance 

NetJets has agreed to have Rockwell Collins maintain the Collins’ avionics components on its fleet of Hawker 800XPs. 

Under the ten-year arrangement, called “forward exchange support,” Collins will provide NetJets a rental-exchange service for its avionics, to help the fractional jet operator maintain its dispatch reliability.  

Rockwell Collins Aviation Services will provide NetJets with the service worldwide on a continuous 24 hour, everyday basis.  The program covers all aspects of maintaining the aircraft’s Collins avionics, including component repairs, equipment removal and replacing, and reliability upgrades.   02-05-2005.

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