DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Boom Supersonic says it will conduct the first test flight of its ultra-speedy 'baby boom' prototype aircraft later this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Colorado startup Boom Supersonic is developing a faster-than-sound jet called Overture. Boom hopes to conduct its first XB-1 flight by the end of this year. The engines on Boom's XB-1 supersonic test plane. To prepare for its first XB-1 flight, Boom said its test pilots had completed hundreds of hours of flight training in a simulator and a trainer aircraft. AdvertisementA pilot sitting in the cockpit of the Boom Supersonic experimental aircraft.

Persons: —, Blake Scholl, Henry Harteveldt, Boom, Charles, Chuck, Yeager, Doc, Shoemaker Organizations: Service, Federal Aviation Administration, eventual, FAA, Business, Boom's, United Airlines, American Airlines, Electric, Pratt & Whitney, GE, Honeywell, Safran Aircraft, Royce, CFM International, Atmosphere Research, Mojave Air, Space Port Locations: Colorado

☆ How an alleged scammer sold fake airplane parts to United, Delta, and more — and fooled a whole industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The plot involved acquiring used parts, restoring them, and then selling them with forged paperwork, according to legal and regulatory filings. AdvertisementAdvertisementGlobal airlines have been flying with fake engine parts for years — and the industry is just now finding out. United confirmed the same in September after revealing it found fake parts on its planes. How to fool an airlineWhile companies scramble to find the fake parts, investigators are trying to figure out how the scheme happened. The Federal Aviation Administration launched a voluntary audit program for suppliers after some 120 convictions involving fake parts were made between 1990 and 1996.

Persons: —, Safran, AOG Technics, AOG, Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, Mary Schiavo Organizations: Major, Service, TAP Air, Bloomberg, Workers, General Electric, CFM International, Airbus, Boeing, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, United, Southwest, Reuters, AOG, Wall Street, Convair, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Department of Transportation Locations: London, Southwest, Delta, AOG, Europe

☆ Russian airline aims for patched up Airbus to take off from field where it landed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Airbus A320 which had been flying from Sochi to Omsk with 167 people on board, landed safely in the field in western Siberia's Novosibirsk region on Sept. 12. Ural Airlines said a hydraulics fault was to blame. "According to the preliminary technical assessment of specialists, the aircraft is in good condition," Ural Airlines said in a statement. "Several options are being considered for the plane taking off from the field," Ural said, such as the plane's seats being removed to make the aircraft lighter. Ural Airlines did not respond to Reuters' questions about any contacts with Airbus, repair costs or any risks to its plan.

Persons: Alexey Malgavko, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Mark Potter Organizations: Airbus, Ural, REUTERS, Ural Airlines, West, Boeing, Reuters, CFM International, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Omsk, Kamenka, Novosibirsk, Russia, Ural, Siberia, Ukraine, Siberia's Novosibirsk, Moscow

☆ Jet engine maker CFM says suspect parts reached its own repair shops
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"CFM is reviewing the documentation turned over by AOG Technics as part of our effort to determine the full extent of their sale of parts with fraudulent documentation," CFM said. AOG Technics could not be reached for comment. The CFM56 is the most sold jet engine in history and was developed by a transatlantic venture that turns 50 next year. The findings cover thousands of parts for the CFM56 engine as well as hundreds of parts for GE's CF6 engines, used mainly on commercial freighters. CFM56 engines entered service in 1982 and power the previous generation of Boeing (BA.N) 737s and about half the previous generation of Airbus (AIR.PA) A320s.

Persons: Philippe Wojazer, France's Safran, AOG Technics, Jose Zamora Yrala, CFM's, Tim Hepher, Bill Berkrot, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Jet, CFM, GE Aerospace, AOG, CFM Materials, Boeing, Airbus, Thomson Locations: Reau, Paris, France, London

☆ Jet engine maker CFM says suspect parts found in its own repair shops
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"CFM is reviewing the documentation turned over by AOG Technics as part of our effort to determine the full extent of their sale of parts with fraudulent documentation," CFM said. AOG Technics could not be reached for comment. CFM56 engines are repaired through third-party networks or at maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities operated by CFM itself. The company said it had found four cases where parts from AOG entered its own facilities, impacting 16 engines. CFM said its more recent LEAP engine, used on the Boeing 737 MAX and some Airbus A320neo jets, was not affected.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, France's Safran, AOG Technics, Jose Zamora Yrala, CFM's, AOG, Tim Hepher, Chris Reese, Bill Berkrot Organizations: GE Aerospace, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Rights, Jet, CFM, AOG, CFM Materials, Boeing, Airbus, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, AOG

☆ Delta says some overhauled engines contain parts with improper documentation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 2 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) on Monday said it had been informed by one of its service providers that a "small number" of overhauled engines contain parts that do not meet documentation requirements. The company is working with the engine service provider to replace the affected parts and to remain in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) guidelines, Delta said. The company did not identify the engine service provider responsible for the overhaul. The problematic parts, which were certified by AOG Technics, were detected by an unnamed third-party, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing a company spokesperson. The FAA had earlier said AOG Technics sold bushings for GE Model CF6 engines without having the agency's approval.

Persons: John F, Andrew Kelly, Delta, AOG Technics, Shivansh, Maju Samuel Organizations: Delta Air Lines, Kennedy International Airport, REUTERS, Federal Aviation, Bloomberg, CFM, FAA, GE Model, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

"Potentially, that means between 48 and 96 aircraft being taken out of service whilst airlines arrange for the parts to be removed," Reeve added. They asked the High Court on Tuesday to order AOG and Zamora Yrala to preserve relevant documents and to disclose sales documents relating to CF6 and CFM56 engines since February 2015. "Everybody now knows that AOG parts are not necessarily to be taken to be the claimants' parts," he said. The CFM56 jet engine powers the previous generation of Boeing 737s and about half of the previous generation of Airbus A320s. Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said in August it was "investigating the supply of a large number of suspect unapproved parts" through London-based AOG Technics.

Persons: Alwyn Scott, Matthew Reeve, Safran, AOG Technics, Reeve, Jose Zamora Yrala, AOG, Zamora, Zamora Yrala, Tom Cleaver, Sam Tobin, Tim Hepher, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: General, Co, REUTERS, Jet, CFM, General Electric, London's, Court, GE, Britain's Civil Aviation Authority, Boeing, Airbus, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, British, London, AOG

RTX said on Monday it would have to pull 600 to 700 of its Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines from Airbus A320neo jets for quality inspections over the next three years. The engine issue was first disclosed in July, but RTX made the extent of the problem clearer on Monday. The announcement caused waves up and down the industry, from component manufacturers like Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries to airline carriers like Germany's Lufthansa that rely on the popular Airbus jets. In July, RTX said microscopic contaminants were found in a powdered metal used in high-pressure turbine discs that are part of the GTF engine's core. RTX is one of two manufacturers of engines for the popular narrowbody Airbus A320neo, the other being CFM International, a joint venture between GE (GE.N) and Safran (SAF.PA).

Persons: Benoit Tessier, RTX, Guillaume Faury, Ken Herbert, Japan's IHI, Safran, Valerie Insinna, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Abhijith, Aniruddha Ghosh, Mehr Bedi, David Gaffen, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Raytheon Technologies Corporation, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Aerospace, Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, Washington D.C, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Lufthansa, Raytheon, United Technologies, Capital, AIRLINES, HIT Aerospace, London, Melrose Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Aero, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Wizz, Airbus A320neo, CFM International, GE, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Washington, RTX, New Delhi, Bengaluru

Microscopic contaminants were found in a metal used in the engine's high-pressure turbine discs - part of the engine core. In an interview, Chief Executive Greg Hayes acknowledged the airlines' frustration over a spate of problems with the Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines over the last seven years. While the latest GTF issue could be the last straw for some, we suspect that the negative (share price) response is overdone". Low-cost Indian carrier Go First, which plunged into financial crisis this year, blamed "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its 54 Airbus A320neos. Announcing quarterly earnings on Tuesday, RTX increased its 2023 sales expectation from $72 billion to $73 billion to $73 billion to $74 billion.

Persons: Whitney, Pratt, Greg Hayes, Safran, RTX, Robert Stallard, Wizz, Hayes, Pratyush Thakur, Valerie Insinna, Mike Stone, Susan Mathew, Rajesh Singh, Tim Hepher, Shounak Dasgupta, Sharon Singleton, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Pratt, Airbus, U.S, RTX Corp, Raytheon Technologies, CFM International, GE, Reuters, Research, Spirit Airlines Inc, JetBlue Airways, Wizz, Thomson Locations: Paris, Bengaluru, Washington, Chicago

☆ RTX to take up to 60 days to fix each GTF engine with contamination issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Valerie Insinna | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Model of a Pratt & Whitney GTF engine is displayed at the 54th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 20, 2023. Engines potentially affected by the metal powder issue will not be put through the entire overhaul cycle, which typically lasts four to five months, Hayes said. Hayes acknowledged that news of the latest GTF problem was a "disappointment" but added that he expects the share price to recover. According to data from CAPA - Centre for Aviation, Pratt & Whitney has retained a market share of about 45 percent since 2017. The PW1100G is the GTF model affected by the powder metal problem.

Persons: Pratt & Whitney, Benoit Tessier WASHINGTON, Greg Hayes, Hayes, Safran, RTX, Mike Stengel, Valerie Insinna, Marguerita Choy, Bill Berkrot, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pratt &, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, RTX, Airbus, Raytheon, Reuters, CFM International, General Electric, CAPA, Centre for Aviation, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Washington

☆ NTSB probes Boeing 737 MAX engine fire at Newark Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday it is investigating an engine fire that occurred last week on a Boeing (BA.N) 737-900 MAX plane operated by United Airlines (UAL.O) at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Passengers exited from the plane in a normal fashion in Newark, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said the plane landed after the flight crew activated the engine fire extinguishers as a precaution. Boeing referred questions to the NTSB and United. The engine was built by French-American jet engine maker CFM International, which is co-owned by General Electric (GE.N) and France's Safran (SAF.PA).

Persons: France's Safran, Safran, Kanishka Singh, David Shepardson, Will Dunham, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . National Transportation Safety, Boeing, United Airlines, Newark Liberty International, NTSB, Passengers, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, United, CFM International, General Electric, GE, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Newark, Washington

☆ US NTSB probes Boeing 737 MAX engine fire at Newark Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday it is investigating an engine fire last week on a Boeing (BA.N) 737-900 MAX plane operated by United Airlines (UAL.O) at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The NTSB said a fire warning light indicator came on after United Airlines Flight 2376 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida landed at Newark on June 28, prompting the crew shut down one of the engines. Passengers exited from the plane in a normal fashion in Newark, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said the plane landed after the flight crew activated the engine fire extinguishers as a precaution. Boeing referred questions to the NTSB and United.

Persons: France's Safran, Kanishka Singh, David Shepardson, Will Dunham, Leslie Adler anda Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S . National Transportation Safety, Boeing, United Airlines, Newark Liberty International, NTSB, Passengers, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, United, CFM International, General Electric, CFM, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Newark, Washington

☆ GE says all options on the table over engine for stretched A220
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - GE (GE.N) Chairman and GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp said on Monday all options were on the table, when asked whether the company would be interested in investing in a new engine for a potential larger version of the Airbus (AIR.PA) A220 jet. "I don't think we would rule anything in or rule anything out," he said at the Paris Airshow. GE co-owns engine maker CFM International with France's Safran (SAF.PA). The A220 is currently powered solely by engines from CFM competitor Pratt & Whitney (RTX.N). Reporting by Tim Hepher Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Larry Culp, France's Safran, Tim Hepher, Mark Potter Organizations: GE, GE Aerospace, Airbus, Paris Airshow, CFM, Pratt & Whitney, Thomson

CNN —China’s first large homegrown passenger jet made its inaugural commercial flight on Sunday, flying from Shanghai to Beijing, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. Flying as China Eastern Airlines flight MU9191, the new narrow-body C919 plane left Shanghai at 10:32 a.m. local time. With a range of up to 5,555 kilometers (3,452 miles), the C919 will take on the world’s two major aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. It will be a direct competitor to their A320 and B737 narrowbody jets, most commonly used for domestic and regional international flights. Many of the plane’s major elements such as the nose, fuselage, outer wing, vertical stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer were designed by COMAC.

☆ No Singapore Airlines group A320neos with Pratt engines grounded - exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - None of the Airbus (AIR.PA) A320neo planes in the Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI) group with Pratt & Whitney engines are currently grounded over a lack of spares, Leslie Thng, CEO of Scoot, the airline's low-cost subsidiary, said on Wednesday. The engines have been under scrutiny since Go Airlines (India) Ltd filed for bankruptcy protection this month, blaming "faulty" Pratt engines for the grounding of about half its 54 Airbus A320neos. Scoot has 15 A320neo family planes in its fleet, while premium brand Singapore Airlines instead operates the rival Boeing Co (BA.N) 737 family. India's IndiGo (INGL.NS), Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) have said some of their aircraft have been grounded over issues with Pratt GTF engines at a time when spares are in short supply. Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said in February that the GTF engines' reliability has not been up to expectations and that the company was working to fix problems.

☆ Factbox: The engine dispute at the heart of Go First's bankruptcy filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are some details on the U.S. enginemaker's geared turbofan (GTF) engines, which Go First says are at the heart of the crisis. In 2016, Go First received its first A320neo aircraft powered by GTF engines after placing an order for 72 narrow-body jets from Airbus (AIR.PA). Pratt & Whitney is the exclusive engine supplier for the airline's A320neo aircraft fleet. The issues with the GTF engines grounded several A320neo planes in 2017, a year after the engine was launched. In India alone, IndiGo and Go First, among the biggest customers for the A320neo planes, grounded as many as 12 planes at one point, and cancelled dozens of flights.

☆ Safran posts strong sales but sees supply chain risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The (pandemic) demand crisis is well and truly behind us," Chief Executive Olivier Andries said after reporting first-quarter revenues that rose 24.7% on an underlying basis to 5.266 billion euros ($5.78 billion). Safran's core propulsion revenues rose by 34.9%, on an organic basis, to 2.714 billion euros. Safran reaffirmed its 2023 full-year forecasts for revenues of at least 23 billion euros, recurring operating income around 3 billion euros and free cashflow of at least 2.5 billion. But the engine maker said the main risk factor remained supply chains, led by shortages of materials and labour. Andries said all metals were on the company's watch list for possible supply disruptions, notably steel.

☆ French company Safran keeps 2023 outlook as Q1 sales rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - France's Safran (SAF.PA) kept its 2023 financial outlook unchanged as it reported sharp growth in quarterly revenues, buoyed by a swift recovery in air traffic demand. Safran, which provides engines for Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) narrow-body jets through its CFM International joint venture with General Electric (GE.N), said first-quarter revenues rose 24.7% on an organic basis to 5.266 billion euros ($5.78 billion). Core propulsion revenues rose by 34.9%, on an organic basis, to 2.714 billion euros, the company said on Wednesday. Safran reaffirmed its 2023 full-year financial outlook, namely for revenues of at least 23 billion euros, recurring operating income of around 3 billion euros and a free cash flow of at least 2.5 billion euros. The engine industry and other parts of the aerospace supply chain have, however, been hit by labour and parts shortages.

A jump in air travel demand has driven up sales at its aerospace division, which makes and services engines for Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus SE (AIR.PA) jets. GE also reiterated its profit outlook for 2023 as booming demand in its aerospace business is expected to make up for the challenges in its renewable energy business. It expects adjusted earnings of $1.60 to $2.00 per share in 2023, with revenue growth percentage in high single digits. GE estimated that the aerospace business would generate double-digit revenue growth this year, translating into an operating profit of $5.3 billion-$5.7 billion. However, supply and labor shortages have hurt jet engine output, with CEO Culp saying it was a daily battle to meet jet engine demand.

☆ GE working to address durability issues with LEAP jet engines, says company exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CINCINNATI, Ohio March 9 (Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N) is working on addressing issues with the durability of its LEAP jet engines and changes will be rolled out next year, Karl Sheldon, a senior executive at the company's aerospace unit, said on Thursday. The problems with LEAP engines, which power Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) jets, is occurring in regions like the Middle-East. Sheldon said changes are being made to the engine's turbine blades and nozzles, which are getting affected by hot and harsh conditions. "Hotter engines running in hotter environment is driving this issue," he said on the sidelines of GE's investor conference. Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Cincinnati, Ohio; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Air India has options to buy 370 more jets after mammoth order
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Air India has options and purchase rights to buy 370 more aircraft from Airbus and Boeing over the next decade, an company executive said in a recent LinkedIn post, days after the carrier unveiled a record order for 470 jets. "The order comprises of 470 firm aircraft, 370 options and purchase rights to be procured from Airbus and Boeing over the next decade," said Nipun Aggarwal, chief commercial and transformation officer at Air India, wrote in a post late Wednesday. The firm order comprises 220 Boeing (BA.N) planes and 250 Airbus (AIR.PA) aircraft, while the options can be converted to firm orders at a later date. Aggarwal also said Air India had signed long-term engine maintenance contracts with CFM International (CFM), Rolls-Royce (RR.L) and GE Aerospace (GE.N). Aggarwal said the aspiration with this order is to connect India "non-stop" to every major city in the world and shows the "tremendous economic potential" unleashed by the privatisation of Air India.

☆ Tata's Air India to seal half of jumbo plane order - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Air India did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported last month Air India was closing in on a deal for about 500 jets. The aim is to corner 30% of the domestic air travel market over the next five years thus narrowing the gap with market leader IndiGo. Tata's four airlines, including two budget carriers, Air India and Vistara its joint venture with Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), have a combined market share of 24%. Analysts have said Air India has the ability to claw back some passengers from rival Gulf carriers but not before it matches their quality of fleet and service.

☆ Rolls-Royce successfully tests hydrogen-powered jet engine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen, a world aviation first that marks a major step towards proving the gas could be key to decarbonising air travel. The ground test, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine, used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power, the British company said on Monday. They said they were already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests. Planemaker Airbus is working with French-U.S. engine maker CFM International to test hydrogen propulsion technology. Other technologies backed by companies such as Rolls-Royce include electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

☆ Airbus may delay some 2023 jet deliveries -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A spokesperson for Airbus said it had no comment on deliveries ahead of its next monthly bulletin in early December. At least one engine maker is experiencing renewed pressure to shift more engines away from supporting aircraft production to a pool of spares for existing customers, the sources said. Currently some 129 Pratt-powered Airbus jets and 55 fitted with CFM's LEAP engines are parked, according to Ascend by Cirium's head of global consulting Rob Morris. At the same time, engine industry sources insist snags on their side of the fence are not solely to blame for delays. In July, Airbus said it would reach an interim production goal of 65 A320-family narrow-body jets a month in early 2024 instead of summer 2023.

☆ The world's largest jet engine maker confirms it won't develop supersonic engines for Boom, leaving the startup with few options
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CFM International told media on Sunday that the company has no plans to build a supersonic engine for Boom. Colorado-based startup Boom Supersonic is developing an ultra-high-speed jet, known as Overture, that could catapult travelers from New York to London in less than four hours. But, there is one problem — no engine makers want to help Boom create a supersonic engine. Engine maker Rolls-Royce was at one point a contender, having signed an "engagement agreement" with Boom in 2020 to look into a supersonic engine. However, if Boom is able to pull off creating a supersonic engine, it could give the company a big advantage in the industry.

Search resuls for: "CFM International"

25 mentions found