Jan 13 2012

American Eagle to fly all jet fleet at Dallas/Fort Worth

American EagleAmerican Eagle announced that as of January 31, 2012, it will be replacing all of its ATR-72 turboprops now operating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with regional jet equipment.

This move is part of parent AMR Corporation’s effort to cut costs and improve productivity while under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The move will mean that 14 destinations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas will be receiving all-jet service. American Eagle plans to operate these services with a combination of 37-seat Embraer ERJ-135s, 44-seat ERJ-140s and 50-seat ERJ-145 regional jets.

American Eagle currently operates more than 1,500 daily flights to more than 170 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean on behalf of American Airlines.

Jan 12 2012

Embraer reports aircraft deliveries hit three year low

EmbraerEmbraer reported that their aircraft deliveries for 2011 were at a three year low. The company did also report that at the end of the year there was some increased demand for its E-Jet series aircraft.

The Brazilian planemaker ended 2011 with deliveries of 105 commercial and 99 executive jets, missing by 16 its target of 220 deliveries. The shortfall was largely from cancelled orders for private jets. Embraer delivered a grand total of 246 aircraft the previous year.

The manufacturer also reported a series of 45 orders in the last quarter of 2011 for its E-Jet aircraft. At the year end, E-Jet sales totaled 124, a 28 per cent increase over 2010.

Embraer reported a year end firm order backlog valued at US$15.4 billion.

Jan 09 2012

American Airlines declares intentions with CRJ700 Fleet

AMR Corporation, the owners of American Airlines and American Eagle, has indicated that it will meet all debt obligations on its Bombardier CRJ700 fleet during the first few months of its Chapter 11 reorganization. The decision thus indicating that the regional jets will be included in the company’s restructured fleet plan.

The information is contained in a new filing with AMR’s bankruptcy court that invokes Section 1110 of the U.S. bankruptcy code. This section allows lenders to repossess their aircraft within 60 days of a Chapter 11 filing unless the carrier “cures the default” by meeting its obligations.

AMR says it will, adding the information that only 19 of its 47 CRJ700s hold any cure amount, and the total exposure the company is facing amounts to about $10 million. According to the filing, the remaining 28 aircraft have no such payment.

The airline’s fleet is set for a major overhaul with plans to reduce its MD-80 fleet as well as the ATR fleet operated by American Eagle’s sister company, Executive Airlines. AMR also has issued Section 1110 notices on some of its Boeing 777-200s and a handful of 737-800s, and has gained court approval to buy a number of 737s already on order.

American Eagle’s plans for its aging Embraer regional jets have not been announced, however it is expected that this fleet will be severely reduced.

Jan 07 2012

Bombardier begins CSeries Aircraft 0 activation

Bombardier has begun commissioning and activating systems on Aircraft 0, its iron bird systems validator which is part of its complete integrated aircraft systems test area (CIASTA) at its Mirabel, Quebec facility outside of Montreal.

CIASTA Test Rig

CIASTA Test Rig

Just prior to the Christmas holiday period at the end of 2011, Bombardier commissioned the first block of systems which included the aircraft’s flight deck pedestal, throttle quadrant and Full Digital Authority Engine Control (FADEC) software, which are connected to generators and dummy engines in the testing rig.

Aircraft 0 is split between two primary test areas in the CIASTA complex and represents a CS100 aircraft in systems but without any structure.

Bombardier plans to conduct 4,800 hours of testing on CIASTA for the CSeries initial certification, running a planned twenty hours per day, seven days per week. Four hours each day would be dedicated to maintenance and troubleshooting if necessary.

On one side of the facility, representing approximately 90% of the aircraft’s “hard” systems, is the Integrated Systems Test and Certification Rig (ISTCR), which includes production equivalent parts and software for the primary flight controls, hydraulics, avionics and electrics.

Bombardier plans to commission, during the first quarter, the company’s first fully fly-by-wire flight control systems, as well as all other systems in the ISTCR device.

The other side of the structure, accounting for 10% of the aircraft’s systems, Bombardier has built the Environmental Cabin Systems (ECS) to test the CSeries cabin heating, cooling, lighting, pressurisation and cabin management systems.

The ECS rig will be commissioned into service after the ISTCR as the cabin systems integration trials will come later in the aircraft’s program as the actual flight test program will fly the first cabin configuration on the fifth of five Flight Test Vehicles (FTV).

CIASTA also features an Engineering Simulator (ESIM) supplied by CAE, as well as a Systems Integration Test Stand (SITS) and Flight Controls Integration Lab (FCIL) near the ECS rig and cabin systems.

Bombardier plans to have CIASTA operate throughout the life of the CSeries programme to provide system maturity and to develop the aircraft’s capabilities over time.

The 110-seat CS100 is scheduled to enter service at the end of 2013, followed by the larger 130-seat CS300 in 2014.