United’s newest aircraft type takes flight this week and the CRJ550 interior really is as special as the company has been hyping. Airbus orders and Boeing delays plus some fancy new wifi and upgraded airports on the horizon. Another busy PaxEx week.
regional jet
Gogo builds partnerships for 5G network development
Gogo’s upcoming 5G ATG network will require partnerships for a successful buildout. Today at NBAA in Las Vegas the inflight connectivity company announced three companies that will play key roles in developing the technology used by the service. Cisco, Airspan Networks, and FIRST RF Corp. each will provide necessary elements to Gogo’s 5G solution for aviation.
United plans more seats per departure with fleet renewal
United Airlines wants to get bigger. The carrier has plans to expand its fleet in the coming years but it also wants to get more seats in the sky per flight. And it wants to accomplish that without adding more seats to the existing aircraft. It is a somewhat complicated challenge, but if things go right United expects 3% more seats per departure on average a year from now.
Inflight WiFi for JSX slips to 2020
When JSX (formerly JetSuiteX) CEO Alex Wilcox took the stage at APEX EXPO last week in Los Angeles and proclaimed his optimism about the carrier’s upcoming inflight wifi service it was not much of a surprise. That the service will not be live until Q1 2020 was a bit of a surprise, however, as the original announcement expected the offering online before the end of this year.
Mitsubishi scores a SpaceJet 100 order in the US regional market
Mitsubishi Aircraft (probably) has a US-based customer for its SpaceJet M100 regional jet.
Mitsubishi’s SpaceJet buys Bombardier’s support
We are mere months away from the production of the final CRJ passenger jet. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced this morning a deal to acquire Bombardier’s regional jet program, bringing it to a close as the SpaceJet will take its place.
Forget the names: Mitsubishi wants its new interior to win over customers
The new name – it is now officially the SpaceJet M90 – does not really matter for the future of the MRJ. But a new interior and revised scope-compliant model might just be enough to win over customers for the manufacturer.
Can Space Jet save the MRJ??
Can a rebranding and redesign of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet to “Space Jet” restore the type’s fortunes? The market could use a competitor to shake up Embraer’s monopoly, but uncertainty and further delays are not going to help the MRJ break into the market.
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.
Best of Farnborough 2018: Embraer’s big win
Bigger is not always better. In the case of orders at Farnborough 2018 smaller airlines and orders are more likely to upset the industry (in a mostly good way). Embraer is party to one such order, with huge potential, even if it is not for 200 aircraft.