FlightGlobal
• David Kaminski-Morrow
Airbus has fully assembled and painted the first A350F freighter, unveiling a distinctive parcel-themed livery with labels and postal instructions. The aircraft’s representative fuselage design follows a competitive selection process and will support packaging work as the program moves toward flight testing, potentially as early as late September.
Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)
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Airbus has fully assembled and painted the first A350F freighter, unveiling a distinctive parcel-themed livery with labels and postal instructions. The aircraft’s representative fuselage design follows a competitive selection process and will support packaging work as the program moves toward flight testing, potentially as early as late September.
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Embraer is approaching certification of technology that would enable the E190-E2 and E195-E2 to automatically perform rotation and the initial phase of takeoff. The capability would be a first among commercial airliners, adding a new level of onboard automation to the E2 family.
Electra says it has completed a series of demonstration flights with its ultra-short takeoff and landing hybrid-electric aircraft, testing a potential feeder role for major airports. The demonstrations assess whether the aircraft’s short-field capability can support new regional connectivity models around existing airport infrastructure.
Hybrid-electric aircraft startup Ampaire has secured $19 million in Series B funding from IAG, Alaska Airlines and venture capital investors. The financing brings strategic airline backing alongside private capital as Ampaire advances its hybrid-electric aviation technology and commercialization efforts.
High activity
Airbus is pressing to raise A320neo-family production to 75 aircraft per month while expanding its Belfast wing facility to support an A220 build rate of 13 aircraft monthly by 2028. The 6,221-square-meter extension adds infrastructure and jobs as Airbus works to improve the program’s economics.
Rosaviatsia has issued a combined type certificate covering the Tupolev Tu-204 and Tu-214 twinjet families, a regulatory change designed to give operators and maintainers greater flexibility. The consolidation comes as Russia seeks to expand production of the Soviet-era Tu-214.
Russia’s United Engine has completed design documentation for a prototype VK-1600S turboprop and is preparing a demonstrator. Derived from the Klimov VK-1600S helicopter engine, the powerplant is intended for smaller aircraft, including a modernized Antonov An-2.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has reissued a tender to acquire three Boeing 787s, reopening a procurement effort for additional widebody aircraft. The move places the airline’s fleet expansion plans back into the market and could create a new order opportunity for Boeing.
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