Source: Forecast InternationalWednesday’s commercial aerospace news from Farnborough lacked the drama of the opening day.
A rosy outlook delivered by Airbus management at the show included announcements of a €5 billion ($5.7 billion) share buyback and a projected near doubling of profits by 2029. The manufacturer also said it is studying new stretched versions of both the A350 widebody and A220 families but has yet to make a decision on either program.
Textron Aviation announced the Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop program has reached the final phase of flight testing. The manufacturer expects to wrap up flight testing in October and then submit final flight test documentation to the Federal Aviation Administration for certification. Service entry is scheduled for 2027.
Eve Air Mobility announced a partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to work on a focused Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiative at SunTrax, a state-owned facility developed by the FDOT and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) for research, development, and testing of emerging transportation technologies in a controlled environment. The FDOT-led initiative will bring together Eve’s expertise in eVTOL aircraft, operations, and services with SunTrax Air’s research, testing, and validation capabilities.
Sikorsky and Safran Helicopter Engines signed a cooperation agreement to explore opportunities in existing and emerging vertical lift platforms. These days Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, focuses almost entirely on the military rotorcraft market. However, Safran engines powered the now out-of-production Sikorsky S-76 medium twin for decades.
FlyOne Armenia, the largest airline in Armenia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CFM International for four LEAP-1A engines to power two Airbus A321neo the airline ordered in May. The airline already operates four A320ceo powered by CFM56-5B engines.
flynas, a Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier, will acquire five more A330-900s and 20 more A321neo narrowbodies from Airbus. The new order takes flynas’ total commitment for the A330neo to 20 and brings its total commitment for the A321neo to 56.
BermudAir, Bermuda’s local airline, was identified as a new A220 customer. The airline ordered ten A220-300s in March, but at the time Airbus did not identify BermudAir as the customer.
Dassault Aviation will delay service entry of its new Falcon 10X ultra-long-range business jet until 2029, blaming a more “complicated” regulatory environment. Dassault previously was planning to secure certification and service entry by late 2027. A test aircraft made its first flight in June.
Note: This post wraps up the blog’s special coverage of the show. The fourth day at Farnborough is typically a slow news day, with industry leaders and attendees heading for the exits.
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