Boeing aircraft

Largest leasing company order placed for 38 Boeing Next-Generation 737

Boeing has today announced that CIT Aerospace have placed an order for 38 Next-Generation 737 aircraft and purchase rights for seven additional Boeing 737s. Read more

Boeing secures all rights to AgustaWestland AW101 for US Navy VXX Presidential Helicopter Program

Boeing announced today that it will secure a license from AgustaWestland for U.S. production of the AW101 medium-lift helicopter as an entry into the U.S. Navy VXX Presidential Helicopter Program. This license will give Boeing full intellectual property, data and production rights for the aircraft in support of the VXX program. Because of this arrangement, the aircraft will be a Boeing aircraft, built by Boeing personnel at one of its U.S. facilities. The company will submit information regarding this aircraft in response to the Navy’s current Request for Information by the June 18 deadline.

In announcing the agreement, Phil Dunford, vice president and general manager for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, said, “We are excited to offer the capabilities of this proven aircraft to the Department of the Navy as it completes the Analysis of Alternatives for this critical mission. As a leading original equipment manufacturer in the military helicopter market and with our nearly 50 years of experience in presidential transport, we believe we are uniquely positioned to make the most of the Navy’s significant investment in this aircraft.”

The AW101 is a three-engine, medium-lift helicopter with combat-proven performance, serving with distinction in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 150 aircraft are in service with five NATO militaries and Japan, and the aircraft was selected for the previous presidential helicopter program in which nine aircraft were delivered to the prime contractor by AgustaWestland.

If the Boeing 101 helicopter is selected for VXX, Boeing will be the prime contractor and will design, build and deliver the aircraft. An industry-leading team of subcontractors, including AgustaWestland, will work with Boeing to deliver this capability to the Navy.

“Boeing has a long and extremely successful relationship with AgustaWestland, which has manufactured both the AH-64 Apache in the United Kingdom and the CH-47 in Italy under license from Boeing. We are thrilled to have a trusted participant on our team with valuable insights into the aircraft and the program,” said Dave Palm, director of Business Development and Strategy for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems.

Picture: Boeing Model 40 Meets the 787 Dreamliner over Puget Sound

As if finding a ghost among the cumulus, The Boeing Company’s latest addition to its lineage of pioneering commercial airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner, caught up to its ancestor, a Boeing Model 40, in the skies over Mount Rainier south of Seattle.

The fully restored 1928 vintage Boeing Model 40, owned and flown by Addison Pemberton of Spokane, Wash., is the only flyable Model 40 in the world and the oldest flying Boeing aircraft of any kind. The Model 40 not only is notable as Boeing’s first production commercial airplane, but its innovation and efficiency were the deciding factor in Boeing Air Transport (the airline subsidiary of the Boeing Airplane Company) winning the lucrative Oakland-to-Chicago air mail route in 1927. That event set William Boeing on a course that, within just two years, would take him from managing his airplane company in Seattle to presiding over a vast nationwide aviation empire called United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC).

The 787 and Model 40, both the technological leaders of their time, represent 80 years of Commercial Airplanes leadership and clearly illustrate the dramatic progress in airplane design.
During those 80 years, the people of Boeing have introduced innovative technologies that have revolutionized flight and defined the design of all commercial airplanes.

Taking a very short break from the 787 program’s intensive flight test program, Boeing Chief Test Pilot Mike Carriker expertly maneuvered the first 787, ZA001, into formation with the Model 40 at 12,000 feet to allow photographer Ryan Pemberton, flying in an A36 Bonanza, to line up for the striking photo.

“It really took a lot of work and planning,” Carriker said. “When I came alongside the Model 40 against those big puffy clouds it was unbelievable: Here is this 1928 biplane flying with a 2010 airplane side by side. How amazing the history of The Boeing Company is – it was really exciting.”

Qatar Airways appoints Thales to supply In-Flight Entertainment and Communications solutions

Qatar Airways has selected Thales to provide in-flight entertainment and communication systems for the airline’s Boeing 787 aircraft.

The appointment will see Thales supplying the airline its TopSeries system, which features a range of onboard product solutions, including passenger touch screen displays, interface options for personal electronic devices and 3D audio technology.

Qatar Airways will also be the launch customer of Thales’ new passenger handset controller with multi-tasking capabilities. The control unit is an intelligent device that enables passengers to play games and navigate through the in-flight entertainment system using touch screen technology.

Broadband connectivity will be integrated into the IFE system, allowing the potential for every passenger to access current news, sports, social networks and other mobile applications.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that the in-flight offering on the airline’s B787 fleet will be a step beyond what is currently available in the sky.

“Qatar Airways is proud to be at the forefront of the aviation industry. Our 787 aircraft will be equipped with the industry’s leading in-flight entertainment and communications technology, and we are looking forward to showcasing to our passengers just why we continue receive awards and accolades for our in-flight product.”

“The airline is continuing to expand at a rapid pace and with the opening of New Doha International Airport in addition to the delivery of our first B787s scheduled for 2011, the future is looking very bright indeed,” Al Baker said.

The Doha-based carrier has outstanding orders of 30 firm and 30 optional Boeing 787-8 aircraft due for delivery from 2011.

Thales’ TopSeries for the B787 is a lightweight design and a leading choice for configuring the B787 aircraft. With the addition of its integrated connectivity features, Qatar Airways takes a leading position in the industry.

Alan Pellegrini, Vice President and General Manager of Thales’ Inflight Entertainment Systems business said: “We are very pleased to be working with Qatar Airways on the installation of IFE and Connectivity on their new B787 aircraft. Our team is committed to their success and desire to bring innovation to their passengers.”

Qatar Airways had previously appointed Thales to provide in-flight entertainment and communications systems for 24 brand-new single-aisle A320 family aircraft as well as six retrofits for A320s already in the airline’s fleet. The systems include touch-screen technology, with seat-back screens in Economy as well as communication tools such as mobile phone connectivity. The airline offers SMS and data services on these aircraft.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 83 aircraft to 89 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and North America. Long-term, the fleet size is set to rise to 120 aircraft by 2013 and destinations served increase to 120 over the next three years. The airline has orders for more than 200 aircraft pending delivery worth over US$40 billion.