Air Data News
• Ricardo Meier
KLM has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, introducing the long-haul type at its Amsterdam-Schiphol base. The aircraft begins a fleet transition that will gradually replace the Dutch carrier’s Boeing 777-200ERs and remaining Airbus A330s in long-haul service.
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KLM has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, introducing the long-haul type at its Amsterdam-Schiphol base. The aircraft begins a fleet transition that will gradually replace the Dutch carrier’s Boeing 777-200ERs and remaining Airbus A330s in long-haul service.
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Airbus is reshaping its board with the appointment of its first female chairperson and the first chair from outside the company’s traditional Franco-German power base. The changes set the stage for crucial leadership decisions, including a CEO succession decision expected next year.
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More than 15,500 Boeing engineers and technical specialists represented by SPEEA approved new four-year labor agreements, with 64.11% voting in favor. The deal removes an immediate strike threat that could have disrupted engineering work on the 737 MAX 10 and 777-9 as Boeing also faces a software-related regulatory hurdle affecting 737 MAX deliveries.
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Embraer delivered 66 aircraft in the third quarter of 2026, up 6% year over year and the manufacturer’s best third-quarter performance. Commercial deliveries rose 10% to 22 aircraft, while executive aviation deliveries held steady at 41 jets, keeping Embraer on track for its annual forecast.
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Airbus has asked some A330neo operators to conduct additional checks for stray tools linked to a quality issue discovered during production in September 2026. Aircraft already delivered may require inspections during scheduled maintenance, while affected jets have been cleared for delivery after checks.
Airbus is asking some operators to conduct additional inspections of A330neos during scheduled maintenance after a previously disclosed quality lapse involving stray tools. The request adds inspection work for affected aircraft and underscores continuing quality-control scrutiny across the widebody production and support chain.
Airbus employees in Spain voted to support a union-backed proposal ending months of intermittent strike action, unions said Thursday. The agreement removes an immediate source of disruption for Airbus operations in the country, though the available information does not detail the proposal’s terms or implementation timeline.
The UK Ministry of Defence has extended Airbus’ support contract for the Royal Air Force’s A400M Atlas fleet in a £190 million deal. The agreement aims to increase daily availability of fully mission-capable aircraft from 10 to 13 by the end of 2027.
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