ch-aviation
• Vanja Popovic
Airbus nearly halted A330neo deliveries for about three months after identifying a quality issue involving the horizontal tailplane, including a stray tool found in one aircraft’s tail section. Inspections and corrective work have allowed handovers to resume, but some deliveries will slip into 2026.
Airbus
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ST Engineering iDirect demonstrated a pilot version of its INT3000 user equipment modem at the European Space Agency’s 5G NTN Forum. The multi-waveform 5G New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network device is intended to extend iDirect’s satellite networking technology into the broader 5G ecosystem, including aircraft connectivity applications.
Israel Aerospace Industries has completed the maiden flight of its first Airbus A330-300 passenger-to-freighter conversion, beginning airborne testing for the aircraft’s certification campaign. The flight advances IAI’s planned expansion into A330-300 freighter conversions and adds a new widebody platform to its cargo-modification portfolio.
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Airbus reached a preliminary agreement with four unions representing workers at its Spanish plants after more than two months of strikes and government-mediated talks. The dispute included demands for an 18% pay increase; the agreement marks a potential breakthrough but does not yet establish that the industrial action has ended.
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Airbus nearly halted A330neo deliveries for about three months after identifying a quality issue involving the horizontal tailplane, including a stray tool found in one aircraft’s tail section. Inspections and corrective work have allowed handovers to resume, but some deliveries will slip into 2026.
High activity
KLM’s first A350-900 has completed its initial test flight in Toulouse, marking a milestone in the aircraft’s production and handover process. The flight advances KLM’s introduction of Airbus’ long-haul widebody into its fleet.
Sri Lanka’s anti-graft body arrested lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, over alleged corruption tied to the national carrier’s 2013 Airbus aircraft purchase. He was remanded until Sept. 18; the investigation follows allegations of kickbacks and prior findings that Airbus agreed to pay bribes in Sri Lanka.
Axelspace has signed an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space to provide medium-resolution optical imagery from its GRUS Earth-observation microsatellite constellation. The partnership expands Airbus’ access to commercial imagery for Earth-observation and space-safety services, while giving Axelspace an additional channel to commercialize its data.
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Some U.S. airlines are evaluating an additional midair-collision avoidance system before any legal mandate takes effect, according to Acron Technologies CEO. The company retrofits Airbus aircraft with the equipment, suggesting operators may pursue voluntary safety upgrades ahead of regulatory requirements.
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