Airbus Beluga XL’s First Flight Approaching

The first time I spied that chunky Beluga on the ramp at Toulouse France as I taxied out for takeoff, it was clear the converted Airbus A300 was created for a very special task, carrying large, oddly-shaped cargo. But there’s little denying the Beluga is also one of the homeliest airplanes I’ve ever seen, reminding me of a creature with a huge body matched with a tiny head. Ugly or exotic, Airbus found a market for the airplane 20 years ago, transporting some fuselage parts for the massive A380.

The Beluga fleet eventually grew to five aircraft, but the airplane by any standard is pretty long in the tooth having first flown in 1983. In addition to an aging airplane, Airbus envisioned a larger capacity platform and so the Beluga XL, based on the A330 platform, was born.

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United plans premium economy launch in 2019

United Airlines plans to launch its new premium economy class in early 2019, as it dribbles out details on the new product.

Sales of Premium Plus, the Chicago-based carrier's name for the product, will begin in the fourth quarter or in early 2019, for a first quarter 2019 launch, said Andrew Nocella, chief commercial officer of United, during an earnings call on 18 April.

However, the physical seats will begin to appear on aircraft this summer and will likely be sold as United's extra-legroom economy plus product initially, he adds.

"[Premium Plus] further pushes us down the road as segmentation, particularly with the mid-tier cabin," says Nocella. "We’re really confident in its ability to deliver value for the airline."

United aims to generate roughly $1 billion in additional revenue from segmentation, which also includes its new Polaris business class and basic economy fares, by 2020.

The airline released seat maps showing the new product on the Boeing 767-300ER, 777-200 and -300ER, and 787-10 to flight attendants earlier in April. It plans to install 22 premium economy seats on the 767, 24 on both 777 variants and 21 on the 787.

United has not said what aircraft will be the first with Premium Plus.

The carrier plans to have both its Polaris business seats and premium economy on all of its widebody aircraft by the end of 2020, says Nocella. It aims to introduce a retrofitted aircraft with both products, on average, every 10 days through the period.

Polaris, but not Premium Plus, is installed on 19 of the 767-300ERs and 777-300ERs in United's fleet, its website shows.

The airline operates 178 widebody aircraft, including 767-400ERs and 787-8s and -9s, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.

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Trent troubles force Air NZ 787-9s to make refueling stops

Air New Zealand’s services to the United States and Japan have been affected by issues with some of its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines on its Boeing 787-9s.

“Weight restrictions included in an FAA directive issued last week mean some Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights to Asian destinations will be required to make refueling stops,” says the carrier.

Routes affected include Los Angeles and Houston, services to Tokyo Haneda, and some trans-Tsasman and Pacific island flights.

“Depending on en-route weather conditions, some flights may not be able to depart with all the fuel they require, prompting the need for the fuel stop. Over the weekend, 787-9 flights made fuel stops at Sydney, Cairns, Darwin and Guam.”

David Morgan, chief operational integrity and standards officer, offered a positive assessment of the stops: “Having the flexibility to make a short fuel stop means we are more likely to be able to take a full contingent of customers and cargo. The alternative would see us potentially having to disappoint significant numbers of customers by moving them to later flights. We are committed to doing everything possible to avoid this, particularly during this busy school holiday travel period.”

Overall, 9000 passengers will be impacted by the refueling stop issue, which the carrier says is less than 3% of customers.

The carrier made the remarks in its fourth R-R engine update since 14 April, when it said it was working closely with the engine maker following a directive from EASA that detailed a new inspection regime for Trent 1000 powerplants as part of the effort to address intermediate pressure compressor blade durability. On 13 April, R-R had disclosed that Package C engines, which are used on the 787, are subject to greater scrutiny.

FligthMaps Analytics shows that Air New Zealand operates its 787-9s to four Asia-Pacific destinations: Bali, Singapore, Shanghai, and Tokyo. It also uses the type on its Auckland-Houston service.

On 16 April, Air New Zealand advised that nine of the Trent 1000 engines that power its Boeing 787-9s are affected by a recent airworthiness directive that reduced the inspection interval on certain compressor components.

One day later, the FAA said it will limit 787-8s and -9s with affected engines from flying on extended operations (ETOPS) routes longer than 140min flight time from the closest diversion airport.

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Sriwijaya, Korean LCCs exposed to new CFM inspection regime

Asia-Pacific airlines operate 2,316 Boeing 737s powered by CFM56-7B engines, but most of these aircraft are below the cycle threshold required by a new inspection protocol.

CFM International has recommended ultrasonic inspections on fan blades within the next 20 days for CFM56-7Bs with more than 30,000 cycles since delivery. For engines with 20,000 cycles or more, CFM recommends inspections by August. When engines hit 20,000 cycles, they should receive the inspection, which should be repeated every 3,000 cycles, representing roughly two years of service.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air is most exposed, with 26 aircraft powered by CFM56-7B engines in its fleet. While aircraft ages range from 3.1 to 19.8 years, the average aircraft age is 14 years, equating to an average cycle count of 21,000.

Following Sriwijaya are three South Korean low-cost carriers.

Eastar Jet has 18 CFM56-7B powered 737s with an age range of 5.6 to 20 years, and an average aircraft age of 13.2 years, equating to an average of 19,800 cycles. Jin Air has 20 examples with an average age of 12 years, equating to 18,000 cycles, and Jeju Air has 33 examples with an average age of 11.7 years, equating to 17,550 cycles.

Other Asia-Pacific carriers with large numbers of 737s powered by CFM56-7B engines with an average aircraft age of ten years or older are Air Do (nine aircraft), Korean Air (36), and Qantas (70).

The biggest operators of CFM56-7B powered 737s in the region are China Southern Airlines (180 aircraft), Hainan Airlines (155), Xiamen Airlines (149), Air China (134), and Shandong Airlines (115). The average age of this fleet is 5.7 years, equating to 8,550 cycles.

The service bulletin came three days after a fan blade blew out of a CFM56-7B engine with 40,000 cycles on a Boeing 737-700 operated by Southwest Airlines. Pieces of the engine or cowling penetrated the wing and fuselage, blowing out a window and killing one passenger.

About 680 engines are covered under the 30,000-cycle inspection deadline and 2,500 engines fall under the August deadline, says CFM, a joint company formed by GE Aviation and Safran. Following CFM's service bulletin, the US Federal Aviation Administration mandated a one-time inspection of about 680 CFM56-7B engines to check for cracks in the fan blade dovetail by 10 May.

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New software flaw requires FAA intervention to avoid KC-46 schedule slip

A newly-discovered software flaw could trigger another schedule delay for the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus unless the US Federal Aviation Administration approves a temporary waiver from certification requirements.

In a document submitted to the FAA on 26 March, Boeing requests a time-limited exemption from the FAA’s supplemental type certification criteria for the 767-2C, the commercial aircraft model on which the KC-46A is derived.

If approved, the exemption would expire after 30 June next year, but by then Boeing plans to deliver a permanent fix for the software problem. Meanwhile, Boeing has proposed using a third crew member in the cockpit to mitigate any hazard from the problem while the exemption is in effect.

A “delay of FAA action on this petition” would put off the supplemental type certification of the 767-2C and “its entry into service”, Boeing says in the document.

The FAA responded to Boeing’s petition 19 days later, but did not immediately approve the exemption. Instead, Paul Siegmund, manager of the FAA’s airplane and flight crew interface section, asked Boeing to provide more details.

After Boeing provides those details, the FAA will publish Boeing’s petition in the Federal Register for a 20-day comment period.

Despite the need for an exemption, Boeing isn’t concerned about the impact on the schedule for the KC-46A.

“We are working this in concert with the USAF and are confident the FAA will grant an exemption,” Boeing tells FlightGlobal.

Boeing informed the USAF programme office of the new problem in February, the USAF says.

Since then, “the programme office has been working with Boeing to ascertain impacts and potential options” the air force adds, noting any extra costs caused by schedule delays are Boeing’s responsibility.

The software flaw affects the aircraft only when the KC-46A is on-loading fuel in-flight into the centre fuel tank.

In Boeing’s view, the problem is highly unlikely to cause a safety hazard. As fuel is onloaded into the tank, three separate functions embedded in a fuel flow controller must fail at the same time and continuously. If they do, however, an overpressure could develop in the centre fuel tank with catastrophic results, Boeing says.

But that discovery alone wouldn’t force Boeing to petition the FAA for an exemption. The certification problem for the 767-2C is based on a small detail. All three software functions that could fail operate on a single processor, according to Boeing.

The FAA’s certification rules mandate that such an aircraft use an automatic and independent system for monitoring fuel onloading to prevent an overpressure condition, Boeing’s document says.

Boeing now plans to develop, certificate and deploy such an automated monitoring system within a year. Until then, Boeing will require that the USAF assign a third crew member to monitor the fuel gauges when the aircraft is onloading fuel, according to the document.

The USAF accepts Boeing’s proposed mitigation as “manageable in the short-term”, the service tells FlightGlobal, adding, “the Air Force understands the timeline Boeing has presented to incorporate the necessary changes to remove the [proposed exemption]”.

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LHT to test new maintenance processes in Malta

Lufthansa Technik will trial at its Malta facility new-technology aids to shorten aircraft layovers for maintenance checks.

The MRO provider says it has established an “innovation bay” at the Malta site to test “state-of-the-art technologies for aircraft overhauls in the near future”.

Similar bays are planned at other facilities in an effort to roll out adopted solutions across the MRO specialist’s network.

Equipment to be tested in Malta will include mobile 3D scanners to assess structural damage, inspection drones and exoskeletons – strap-on body support aids that can “relieve employees of physically strenuous work”, LHT says.

The MRO provider notes it will test equipment from “both start-ups and established technology companies” and that the selection will be based “primarily on top trends” and day-to-day requirements.

Marcus Motschenbacher, chief executive of LHT’s Malta facility, states: “Our aim is to improve base maintenance processes and then use the improved processes across all our locations.”

This will guarantee coherent quality and standards throughout the MRO provider’s network, he says.

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First A350-900ULR starts flight-test campaign

Airbus has conducted the maiden flight of its A350-900ULR, the heavier and longer-range variant of the twinjet tailored to operate specialised long-haul routes.

The initial aircraft, MSN216, departed the airframer's Toulouse headquarters at around 10:45 on 23 April.

It features three primary modification aspects, of which two will be applied to all new-build A350-900s.

Airbus has hiked the maximum take-off weight to 280t, an increase on the previous figure of 275t. It has also incorporated a series of aerodynamic changes which, it says, will contribute to a 1% fuel-burn saving.

These include a further slight twist of the wing, a taller winglet, trailing-edge extension and clean-up of the upper wing fairing. All these adaptations will become standard on the -900.

"The importance of the modification is the increase of payload-range – it's up to the airline whether it wants range or payload," head of A350 marketing Marisa Lucas-Ugena tells FlightGlobal.

She says the higher-weight variant will need to be certificated but expects this to take only "a few weeks".

The ultra-long-range -900ULR will have dedicated changes, primarily a higher fuel capacity. The centre wing tank will not be increased in size but replumbing of interior installations will provide access to another 24,000 litres of existing volume.

"They're just minor changes to a few pipes," says Lucas-Ugena.

Airbus puts the reference range of the -900ULR at 9,700nm compared with the standard 8,100nm of the basic -900.

Singapore Airlines has ordered seven -900ULRs as part of a commitment to 67 A350-900s – of which 21 have been delivered.

It is set to take delivery of the first -900ULR this year, although Airbus declines to narrow the handover window beyond a second-half timeframe.

The aircraft will be capable of operating with a duration of 20h and Singapore Airlines intends to use it for a nonstop service to New York – the Rolls-Royce Trent-powered twinjet's test registration, F-WZNY, appears to allude to the US city.

Airbus aircraft interiors marketing director Florent Petteni tells FlightGlobal that the A350 cabin was designed with ultra-long-haul considerations from the outset.

"Everything is made to have a comfortable long-haul flight," he says, pointing out such features as the "fully dark" cabin to help passengers to sleep. He says this is "very important" for -900ULR operations.

"When you work in a loud environment it makes it very tiring for the cabin crew and passengers," he adds, stressing that the noise level of the A350 is "very low".

Petteni also highlights the A350's reduced-velocity air circulation, intended to avoid draughts, and its active humidification system.

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