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Week ending October 8, 2000
+++ Ariane flight 133 orbits Japanese N-SAT-110 +++ Successful free flight of TAURUS KEPD 350 +++ IATA traffic forecasts are optimistic +++ 728JET production starts +++ Lufthansa and Air One sign cooperation agreement +++ 737 freighter conversion team formed +++ More 777 orders for Boeing +++ NASA and Lockheed Martin agree on X-33 financing +++ News in brief +++
Ariane flight 133 orbits Japanese N-SAT-110
Start der Ariane-Mission 133 erfolgreich
On October 6, Ariane Flight 133 lifted off right on time at the opening of a 46-minute launch window, continuing Arianespace's fast-paced mission schedule during the second half of 2000. The Ariane 4 rode the thrust of its four first-stage engines, augmented by the power of two liquid strap-on boosters as it climbed through partly cloudy skies over the Spaceport. Flight 133's Ariane 4 continued its flawless trajectory, releasing the Japanese N-SAT-110 satellite into a highly accurate geostationary transfer orbit some 20 minutes after liftoff. The mission was Arianespace's eighth success out of eight launches in 2000, and it marked the 99th flight of an Ariane 4. Arianespace will keep up the rapid launch rate, with another mission planned for later in the month. It will be Flight 134, employing an Ariane 4 to orbit EuropeStar 1 (the first telecommunications spacecraft for the new international satellite operator EuropeStar Limited). Flight 134 is set for liftoff on October 27. This marks a last-minute change in the schedule, as the upcoming mission originally had been Flight 135 - using an Ariane 5 for the launch of PanAmSat's PAS 1R telecommunications satellite and three piggyback payloads: Amsat P3D, STRV 1C and STRV 1D. "Because of delays in the Flight 135 payload, we have moved an Ariane 4 forward for the EuropeStar mission," Jacques Rossignol, Arianespace chief operating officer, said.
N-SAT-110 is a commercial telecommunications satellite program awarded to LMCSS in November 1998. Commercial Space Systems will provide the Lockheed Martin Series A2100AX satellite and ground station facilities, along with operational support for the first six months of the satellite's operations. The satellite carries 24 Ku-band transponders for various telecommunication applications including direct TV broadcasting and will operate at 110 degrees East longitude covering Japan and nearby regions.
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Successful free flight of TAURUS KEPD 350
Neue Abstandswaffe im Flugtest
The autonomous standoff missile system MAW-TAURUS KEPD 350, intended to equip Tornado and Eurofighter, completed another successful free flight campaign on the Swedish test range at Vidsel on September 30, 2000 since its first free flight test campaign finalized on October 4 last year. In addition to that improved navigation components with a new ADA based software, an essential part of the TriTec Navigation system, was used for the first time. The free flight test is part of the running development contract, the German-Swedish joint venture TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG) received by the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) in German (Koblenz) in 1998. This was announced by TAURUS Systems GmbH, a subsidiary of LFK-Lenk- flugkörpersysteme GmbH (2/3) and member of EADS, and the Swedish company SAAB-Bofors Dynamics (1/3) today. The tests were performed by a combined team of the Official Test Center (WTD-61, the German Air Force (GAF) and TAURUS Systems GmbH on the Swedish Test Center (RFN) at Vidsel. Released from a WTD-61 test Tornado, the missile has fully met the test objectives during the free flight, as: 1. Safe separation from a Tornado in the underfuselage twin configuration. 2. Wing deployment and stabilisation during transition phase. 3. Off aircraft engine start. 4. Performance of a low level, long range cruise flight based on precision manoeuvres with high subsonic speed. 5. Pop-up manoeuvre in the end-phase of the flight. 6. Impact on a defined target. "With this succesful free flight we reached another important milestone in our TAURUS development programme after an extremely short development time of 30 months only", declared Manfred Küsters, Managing Director of TAURUS Systems GmbH.
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IATA traffic forecasts are optimistic
Günstige Wachstumsprognosen von der IATA
"The average annual world growth rates for the years 2000 - 2004, of 5.6 percent for international passengers and 6.7 percent for freight, are the most optimistic forecasts made by the IATA airlines for 3 years - and that renewed optimism is fuelled in large part by new a new positive outlook for Asia," said IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot at a press conference in Singapore, 4 October. "During the first seven months of this year, IATA international passenger traffic worldwide has grown by 8.6 percent, and freight by 11.8 percent," continued Jeanniot, "But the corresponding figures for IATA Members registered in the Far East have been 11 percent in passenger traffic and no less than 16 percent in freight traffic." The Director General remarked that it remains to be seen whether that sort of growth is going to be converted into increased profitability. He said that the Europe-Far East and Within Far East services recovered well from the recession at the beginning of the 1990s, but latterly have been hit by increased fuel prices. "Fuel is currently some 18 percent of airlines' operating costs, up from 12 percent only two years ago and this, coupled with continued yield erosion, means that airlines together are unlikely to make much more than USD 2 billion net profit on their international scheduled services in the year 2000, on revenues of USD 156 billion" "Distribution remains the largest single source of airline costs, in a normal year. And airlines are increasingly taking steps to encourage use of the Internet to sell their products. Our latest Corporate Air Travel Survey shows that use of this channel has increased from 5-10 percent of business travellers in 1997 (depending on the region in which they live), to 20-40 percent in the year 2000."
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728JET production starts
Fairchild Dornier beginnt Fertigung des 728JET
Production of the first Fairchild Dornier 728JET formally began recently when technicians at SABCA in Belgium began fabrication of the first aluminum components for the aircraft fuselage. First metal was cut for the first 728JET prototype on September 18 for the cockpit canopy frame No. 1. SABCA produces the cockpit structure and a section of the 728JET's rear fuselage. Wings and empennages will be built and assembled by CASA/EADS in Spain before being shipped to Germany for mating with the 728JET fuselage. Wing fabrication is planned to start in October. Production of the first center wing box will begin in January 2001, the outer wing box will follow in February and final assembly of the first wing will begin in May 2001. Delivery of the first wing is scheduled for August 2001.In Oberpfaffenhofen, the full-scale test rig ("Iron Bird") for the 728JET's digital fly-by-wire flight control system (FCS), combined with landing gear and thrust reverser actuation, will begin testing in conjunction with the cockpit simulator in November. Engineering work with the cockpit simulator so far has led to the definition and design of control laws and forces for the 728JET and the preliminary definition of aircraft handling qualities. The cockpit simulator is also being used in preparation of flight testing in the required evaluation of flight control failure modes, and to subsequently help in the design of the flight-training simulator. Engineers will be able to "fly" the 728JET "Iron Bird" in a variety of required profiles with actual hardware a year before first flight. The FCS development team is comprised of Honeywell, the team leader, Parker Aerospace for the primary FCS and Hamilton Sundstrand for the secondary FCS.
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Lufthansa and Air One sign cooperation agreement
Ausbau der Italien-Präsenz
Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Chairman of the Airline Board and Chief Operating Officer of Lufthansa German Airlines and Carlo Toto, Chairman of Air One, the leading wholly Italian owned private airline, have signed a cooperation agreement in Rome that will strengthen the position of Lufthansa in Italy and Air One's both in Italy and internationally. Italy is one of Europe's largest air travel market and Lufthansa's second international market worldwide. Through this alliance Lufthansa and Air One will create added value for customers by optimising connections to/from Southern Italy, Rome and Germany. Also, by joining "Lufthansa Miles & More", one of the world's premier frequent flyer programmes, Air One customers can greatly benefit from the alliance:Miles & More members can earn miles on all Air One scheduled flights, and on all flights of Lufthansa and its Miles & More -partners. Miles can, for example, be spent for flights to any of the 815 destinations in 130 countries served by Lufthansa and by its Star Alliance partners. Air One is the 29th partner airline joining "Lufthansa Miles & More" programme. All Air One flights will be operated as code-share with Lufthansa and all Lufthansa flights departing from/arriving in Rome will be operated as code-share with Air One. These new arrangements will come into effect on October 29th with the release of the new winter timetable 2000-2001. The airlines will also co-operate closely in order to further combine their joint Italian and European routes. Additionally, Air One and Lufthansa will develop joint marketing activities, including fare promotions, joint advertising and joint sales activities targeting travel agents as well as corporate customers."Through this alliance Lufthansa will be able to offer its passengers a wider range of destinations in Italy while allowing Lufthansa to further solidify its position in the Italian market, a country of strategic importance for our airline" said Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Chairman of the Airline Board and Chief Operating Officer of Lufthansa German Airlines during a press conference in Rome. "For the benefit of our customers we will harmonize our networks. In addition, our international as well as our 114.000 Italian "Miles & More" members will be able to earn and redeem miles on all Air One's scheduled domestic flights, while Air One passengers will have the opportunity of joining one of the world's premium frequent flyer programs.
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737 freighter conversion team formed
Boeing plant 737-Frachterumrüstungen
Boeing, BFGoodrich Aerospace and InterContinental Aircraft Services (ICAS) have announced a Memorandum of Agreement under which all three companies will work together in a partnership to develop a 737 passenger-to-freighter conversion program. This will be the first Boeing conversion program for the 737 family of airplanes. Both BFGoodrich Aerospace and ICAS, an alliance of major Taiwanese companies -- including Air Asia, China Airlines, Evergreen Aviation Technologies, and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. -- are members of Boeing Airplane Services' international network of modification and engineering facilities. Converting a 737 passenger airplane to a freighter requires the removal of passenger features, such as galley, lavatories, and overhead stowage. The airplane then is modified by adding a cargo door, reinforcing the main deck floor structure and installing freighter-unique systems for main deck cargo handling and smoke detection. The converted 737-300/-400s will be capable of carrying approximately 39,200 pounds (17,780 kg) of revenue payload with a range of more than 1,500 nautical miles (2,778 km) with full payload. ICAS and BFGoodrich will perform airplane modifications at their facilities in Taiwan and the United States. The first 737 freighter conversion will be performed at the BFGoodrich facility in Everett and is expected to be ready for delivery as early as summer 2002.
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More 777 orders for Boeing
Boeing verkauft weitere 777
On October 2, GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has finalized a definitive agreement for the purchase of 74 Boeing 777 and 737 jetliners valued at approximately $5.5 billion at list prices. The order was initially announced, pending the definitive agreement, at the Farnborough Air Show earlier this year. This order was accounted for in cumulative order totals published recently by Boeing. Until this announcement, the customer for the order was listed as "unidentified." The new firm orders for GECAS include ten new Boeing 777 Longer-Range airplanes, five 777-200ERs (extended range) and 59 Next-Generation 737 single aisle airplanes. In addition, GECAS has taken options and purchase rights for 10 777 Longer-Range Derivatives, seven 777-200ERs and 44 Next-Generation 737s. This brings the total number of airplanes involved in the deal to 135. The airplanes are scheduled for delivery as early as 2002 and extending through 2007.Air France has also confirmed its selection of the Boeing longer-range 777-300 as the airplane that will satisfy its increasing capacity requirements for long-haul routes. The French carrier is purchasing 10 airplanes with options for 10 more. The first airplane is scheduled for delivery in October 2003. "This decision is very coherent with our choice in 1996 to purchase the 777-200ER whose operational, technical and economical performance has now been proven," said Pierre Vellay, Air France corporate vice president, New Aircraft & Fleet Development.
Air France operates 11 777-200ERs, with 12 more scheduled for delivery during the next few years. Expected growth in international traffic is due in part to Air France's partnership with Delta Airlines, Korean Air and Aeromexico in the global Skyteam Alliance. The economical, high-capacity longer-range 777-300 jetliner will fulfill the requirements resulting from this growth.
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NASA and Lockheed Martin agree on X-33 financing
X-33 bekommt weitere Mittel
NASA and Lockheed Martin have agreed on a plan to go forward with the X-33 space plane program, to include aluminum fuel tanks for the vehicle's hydrogen fuel, a revised payment schedule and a target launch date in 2003. The launch date is contingent on Lockheed Martin's ability to compete and win additional funding under the Space Launch Initiative. NASA and Lockheed believe it is critical to continue work to solve the last remaining barrier to low-cost, reliable access to space. The restructured plan focuses on providing milestone payments to Lockheed Martin's industry team for completed testing and delivery of their hardware and software systems this year. Additionally, the plan includes greater emphasis on mission safety and more ground demonstration of critical technology prior to actual flight. These steps are being taken by NASA to ensure quality and mission success. NASA is intent on ensuring that the lessons learned from other programs are taken into consideration in any go-forward planning. The project requires no additional funding from NASA through March 2001. The project will need additional funding for completion, and Lockheed Martin can compete for those funds through the Space Launch Initiative. The NASA/Lockheed initiative is demonstrating the most advanced breakthroughs in rocket technology in the past 30 years.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
The Hellenic Air Force has conducted a first free test flight of its new AFDS (Autonomous Free-flight Dispenser System) launched from an A-7. A further test is planned before the end of October. Meanwhile, AFDS deliveries by the German LFK (lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH) are running as planned. AFDS is a glide bomb with a range of about ten kilometres, dispensing various submunitions.+++
NASA engineers are developing an intelligent robot snake that may help explore other worlds and perform construction tasks in space. The robot serpent, able to independently dig in loose extraterrestrial soil, smart enough to slither into cracks in a planet's surface and capable of planning routes over or around obstacles, could be ready for space travel in five years, NASA engineers predict. "The snake will provide us with flexibility and robustness in space," said Gary Haith, lead "snakebot" engineer at NASA's Ames Research Center located in California's Silicon Valley. "A snakebot could navigate over rough, steep terrain where a wheeled robotic rover would likely get stuck or topple."
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Boeing has begun production of the first of 10 new U.S. Air Force F-15E aircraft as workers here mated the upper and lower halves of the aircraft's forward-wing bulkhead structure. Deliveries of the 10 aircraft are scheduled for May 2002 through mid 2004. The aircraft will be the 227th-236th F-15Es delivered to the U.S. Air Force. "Boeing and its F-15 supplier teammates are proud to continue building an aircraft that has unrivaled combat and safety records," said Mike McDonough, manager of Boeing's U.S. Air Force F-15 program. "The F-15E is the world's best dual-role aircraft. Working with the Air Force, our team is committed to sustaining and modernizing F-15s for decades to come."
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Continental Airlines intends to order 15 Boeing 757-300 single-aisle airplanes. Continental will be the first major U.S. airline to operate the 757-300 in a two-class configuration. "As we reduce our fleet to just three types of aircraft, this new 757 model will help us efficiently serve a set of routes that demand additional capacity," said Gordon Bethune, Continental chairman and chief executive officer. Continental and American Trans Air (ATA) are the only U.S. carriers to operate the 757-300. The 757-300 enjoyed a reliability rate of 99.64 percent during its first year of operation with launch customer Condor Flugdienst - the highest rate ever by any commercial airplane model in its first year of operation. Condor took delivery of the first 757-300 in March 1999. The 757-300s for Continental will be powered by Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4B engines. Airplane deliveries are scheduled for late 2001 through mid-2003.
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The U.S. Army and Boeing signed an option contract Sept. 29 for the remanufacture of 269 additional U.S. Army AH-64A Apaches into next-generation AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters. The Army expects to exercise the option once fiscal year 2001 funds become available later this month. The five-year, multi-year contract, worth more than $2.3 billion, will authorize Boeing to convert 269 AH-64As into AH-64D Apache Longbows from 2002-2006. By agreeing to a multi-year contract, the Army will save millions of dollars and provide stability for the Boeing assembly line here through 2006. Boeing is in the fourth year of its first five-year, multi-year contract with the Army to remanufacture 232 AH-64A Apaches into next-generation Apache Longbows. Nearly 150 remanufactured Apache Longbows have been delivered, and two combat-ready Apache Longbow units are in service with the U.S. Army. The Apache Longbow is the most advanced multi-role combat helicopter ever fielded.
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The GE-1A telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) for Americom Asia-Pacific (AAP) a joint venture between GE American Communications and Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications, was successfully launched on October 1 at 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The spacecraft was lofted into orbit on a Proton booster provided by International Launch Services. Initial contact with the satellite, called acquisition of signal, was achieved yesterday at 9:56 p.m., PDT from the Lockheed Martin satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia. GE-1A is a high-powered, all Ku-band satellite composed of 28 active transponders. It will operate at 108 degrees east longitude and features three beams covering China; Northeast Asia and the Philippines and South Asia including India.
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Thomson-CSF has signed an important contract worth USD 45 millions (51 million euros) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces to supply secure airborne radios and datalinks to be installed on the F-16 Block 60 aircraft. This new contract follows the 1998 award of the Ground Air Transmit Receive system (GATR) and the state-of-the-art radio communications and datalinks of the same Thomrad family for the Mirage 2000-9. These systems will be fully voice and data inter-operable and equipped for joint operations with allied forces.
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Spanair, a joint venture between Teinver, owner of the biggest Spanish tourist group, and Scandinavian Airline System (SAS), celebrated in Madrid the arrival of its first Airbus aircraft in its fleet. The aircraft, an A321, is the first ever delivered 93-tonne version of the largest member of the worldwide acclaimed A320 Family, providing operators with a new option for large capacity single-aisle aircraft. With its A320s which Spanair will start receiving in December, the A321s will replace MD-80 aircraft and provide the basis for the airline's growth requirements. In total, Spanair will operate up to 45 A320 Family aircraft. The Palma de Mallorca-based airline plans to use the A320 Family aircraft both on its scheduled network, which at present covers domestic flights to/from fifteen Spanish airports and international flights to/from London, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Stockholm, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Washington, as well as on their leisure flights that link more than 100 European airports, with the Spanish mainland, the Baleares and the Canary Islands.
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After almost 10 years at the helm of Airbus Industrie Customer Services, establishing Airbus' high standards in all areas of his responsibility, Bernard Catteeuw is taking on new challenges in Airbus Industrie. Mr. Patrick Gavin (51), who takes over as Senior Vice-President Customer Services from 1st October 2000, has joined Airbus from Eurocopter - EADS' helicopter subsidiary - where he was appointed President of the Management Board in 1998.
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Air Afrique has launched an essential phase in its fleet rationalisation programme with the delivery of its first of two Airbus A330-200s, on lease from International Leasing Finance Corporation (ILFC). The multinational African carrier will thus be the first airline on the continent to receive the aircraft with the lowest operating cost in its category as well as unmatched passenger comfort.
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The French Italian consortium ATR has received a firm order for six new generation ATR 72-500s with an option for six more from the Thai airline Bangkok Airways. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to begin in June 2001 throughout 2003. These new ATR 72-500s will be put into service on the airline's domestic network as well as on new international routes into Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
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Fairchild Dornier announced at the 20th annual European Regions Airline Association conference the company intends to seek regulatory approval to operate the 328JET at London City Airport. Speaking at the company's press conference here, John Wolf, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the company has demonstrated the 328JET's capability to operate into and out of London City Airport with a full passenger load. The company's 328 turboprop has been operating at London City Airport but customer requirements for 328JET operations there prompted the company to pursue a new certification program.
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The US Air Force has achieved its lowest numbers in major aviation mishaps and also saw its second-best year in on-duty ground safety in the service's 53-year history; a "tremendous accomplishment," says the Air Force's chief of safety, Maj. Gen. Tim Peppe. For fiscal 2000, the aviation mishap rate was 1.04 per 100,000 flying hours, compared to the previous best rate set in fiscal 1991 of 1.11, according to Peppe. "In the Air Force, we define a major aviation mishap as an accident which results in a fatality or in which an aircraft is destroyed or exceeds $1 million in damage," he explained. In accomplishing this year's feat, the Air Force realized records in three major aviation safety categories: the lowest number of major aircraft mishaps, 22; the lowest number of aircraft destroyed, 14; and the lowest number of total aviation fatalities, 7, including three pilot fatalities.
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The 100th Space Shuttle mission, a flight to the International Space Station, has been postponed until October 9 at the earliest. NASA called off the launch on October 5 because of last-minute concerns over bolts on the external fuel tank. A valve problem was later also found in the shuttle's main propulsion system. The valve, which controls the flow of fuel, appeared to be sluggish during routine operations. Workers will have to enter Discovery's engine compartment to check the valve; to replace it, if necessary, will take three days. "We think it's prudent to stand down," shuttle manager James Halsell said. "In other words, we do not want to get `go fever.'" Before launching Discovery, NASA also wants to understand what caused a bolt malfunction on the last space shuttle flight. The problem occurred during Atlantis' liftoff on Sept. 8, but was discovered only Wednesday. While analyzing film returned to Earth aboard Atlantis two weeks ago, engineers noticed that one of the three bolts between Atlantis and the external fuel tank did not retract properly eight minutes into the flight. Photographs showed 2 1/4 inches of the 14-inch bolt sticking out on the tank.
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Bombardier Aerospace has begun assembly of the prototype 86-seat CRJ900 Series regional jet. First flight of the prototype is scheduled for the first quarter of 2001, followed by delivery to the Bombardier Aerospace Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kansas. To create the prototype, Serial Number (SN) 15991, Bombardier will insert two fuselage plugs measuring 2.29 metres and 1.57 metre (90 and 62 inches) into the fuselage of CRJ700 Series SN 10001, giving the aircraft an overall length of 36.19 metres (118.75 feet). The fuselage plugs were manufactured by Bombardier's Shorts unit in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The prototype will retain the original CRJ700 wing, engines, wheels and brakes. Assembly of the first production CRJ900, SN 15001, with a stronger wing, upgraded wheels and brakes, two additional over-wing exits and General Electric CF34-8C5 engines, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2001. Officially launched at the 2000 Farnborough Air Show in July, the CRJ900 has attracted orders from BRIT Air of France (four firm, eight options) and General Electric Capital Aviation Services of the U.S. (10 firm, 20 options). Tyrolean Airways of Austria has signed a Letter of Agreement for 12, while Air Nostrum of Spain has signed a Letter of Agreement covering eight CRJ900 aircraft. Type certification of the CRJ900 is scheduled for the third quarter of 2002 with customer deliveries scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2003.
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SAirGroup, parent company of Swissair, will join nine of the world's leading airlines in creating AirNewco, a neutral and independent B2B exchange for the aviation industry. The 10 founding airlines now represent nearly $50 billion in annual purchasing. "We have had great success with our own e-procurement solutions for general purchasing, and we look forward to collaborating on the development of AirNewco's electronic marketplace," said Georges P. Schorderet, SAirGroup's chief financial officer. "We hope to leverage the exchange to achieve cost savings in areas such as fuel, maintenance and catering." SAirGroup joins Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Iberia, Qantas Airways, United Airlines and United Parcel Service in the AirNewco exchange, which is being designed to help buyers and sellers cut transaction costs, reduce inventories and achieve supply chain savings. AirNewco will unveil its official name later this year and is working toward launching phase one of its marketplace during the fourth quarter. Among other services, AirNewco's exchange will offer online catalogs, reverse and forward auctions, inventory and supply chain management support, and transaction management support features.
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On July 18, 2000, a Dassault Aviation Experimental Air Vehicle, dubbed AVE (Aeronef de Validation Experimentale) logged a very successful first flight. Designed and built by Dassault, this unmanned air vehicle (UAV) offers exceptional stealth qualities, which make it perfectly suited to evaluate air-to-air or surface-to-air weapon systems, and train crews. Dassault Aviation is now finalizing a technology and operational demonstration plan focusing on UAVs. The flight demonstration of the reduced scale AVE is the first concrete step in this process. It was designed and built using a design-to-cost, rapid prototyping approach. Specifications address the need to see how the latest-generation weapon systems stack up against very stealthy threats. Because of its ambitious specifications, in terms of performance, cost and lead-times, this program was based on a very innovative, flexible organization:
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Eurocopter has decided to introduce the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207 for its EC 135 light twin-engined helicopter. The PW207 will be flat-rated to the AEO limits of the PW206B engine and will be called PW206B2. It will replace the PW206B currently being used in the production version of this aircraft. The new engine offers a highly improved single-engine performance and 30 seconds emergency power while weight and fuel consumption are identical to those of the PW206B. As a further advantage, the PW206B2 engine fully meets CAT A VTOL (Helipad) requirements at the EC 135's maximum take-off weight of 2,835 kg at sea level, ISA +10. Certification work for the new engine type on the EC 135 is underway ; it will enter the production version by May 2001. This is a further step in Eurocopter's continuous program to enhance all its aircraft in order to serve its customers. The EC 135 is also available with Turbomeca engines.
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Spanair will have its complete fleet of 33 Airbus A320 family jets serviced with the Total Technical Support (TTS) maintenance and overhaul programme offered by Lufthansa Technik. This biggest single-fleet contract is a unique test for the logistics competence of the German MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) company and its network. LHT is assigning 20 staff to Palma de Mallorca to handle complete line maintenance locally for Spanair. The aircraft will undergo their C-Check at the line maintenance center in Frankfurt, while engines and all components will be overhauled at the Hamburg base. For Lufthansa Technik this order demonstrates the growing importance of the TTS complete servicing package within the MRO market. "Since our founding in 1988, passenger safety and comfort have been paramount in our mindset," emphasized Spanair's Maintenance and Engineering Director Tirso González on the delivery of the first Airbus. "And we're delighted to have Lufthansa Technik as a reliable partner freeing us from any concern about the maintenance and overhaul of our Airbus fleet." For Spanair, LHT experts have put together service elements in a servicing package tailored exactly to the specific needs of the Spanish airline. To be on hand for the customer, LHT has set up an on-site sales office in Palma de Mallorca - meantime the second biggest Spanish airport. In charge for LHT there is Fernando Rivera who is responsible for fast and flexible response to customer needs.
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