Three very different US airlines all ordered the same plane during this week’s Paris Air Show. How will JetBlue, Frontier and American put the A321XLR to use??
Airbus
Airbus A321XLR: The future of single-aisle long-haul travel
The A321XLR is now officially real. What does that mean for the future of passenger comfort on long-haul flights??
La Compagnie launches transatlantic A321neo service
Upgraded seats, inflight entertainment and free, high-speed internet service officially took flight today for all-business class airline La Compagnie. The French airline’s first A321neo aircraft now operates scheduled flights between Paris and Newark.
Inmarsat announces major growth for GX network
Massively greater bandwidth. Fully dynamic allocation of coverage and capacity. Significantly quicker to manufacture and launch. These are just a few of the characteristics expected from the next generation of satellites joining the Inmarsat GX constellation. The company announced plans today for the first of the new satellites to join the network in orbit from 2023.
Bits and bobs from EBACE 2019
The annual Geneva gathering of the Business Aviation world known as EBACE is once again underway. The event is a showcase for aircraft manufactures and third party suppliers to highlight their new offerings and features for the private jet travel industry. This year’s show includes incremental updates in the inflight connectivity and entertainment segment, as well as fun new interiors and even progress towards sustainability.
Gogo 2Ku to fly on the ACJ319neo
Late last month Airbus performed an impressive feat: It flew an A319neo for more than 16 hours as part of the certification process for the type. That same plane, the first customer frame of the A319neo, will soon be delivered to a private owner. When that happens it will also allow for the travelers on board to be online and entertained for any of its trips. Gogo announced today that it will be fitted with the 2Ku inflight connectivity solution as part of the kitting out process.
Global Eagle considers maritime spin-off
Could Global Eagle benefit from divesting its cruise connectivity business? Also, what is the impact of the 737 MAX grounding and who might the big new customer announced this week be? Lots of juicy insight from the Q1 earnings out this week.
Bombardier to restructure aviation, sell off Belfast composite wing facility
First Bombardier sold off the CSeries (now A220) to Airbus. Then the Q400 turboprop business was sold to Viking Air. Today the company announced further restructuring, with plans to consolidate remaining operations in the Americas while divesting its composite aerostructures businesses in Belfast and Morocco.
Airbus expands Airspace Customer Definition Centre to A330, A320neo lines
Getting the design right – and consistent – quickly and inexpensively is critical for airlines. Fancy technology at the newly expanded Airbus Airspace Customer Definition Centre helps deliver on that goal.
End of the (assembly) line for the A380
It is huge. It is (generally speaking) more comfortable for passengers. It is spectacularly quiet on board. And as of 2021 no more will be built. Airbus confirmed today that it will finally halt production of its A380 super jumbo in two years, once the final 17 frames are delivered. The move comes after reaching an agreement with Emirates to slash the carrier’s order backlog.