Boeing Rolls out first 787 Dreamliner Built in South Carolina

The first Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner to be assembled in South Carolina rolled out of final assembly today to great fanfare from the crowd of nearly 7,000 Boeing employees and invited guests. The festival-like atmosphere, featuring aerial displays, music and entertainment, was a fitting celebration to commemorate assembly completion of the first 787 built at the North Charleston, S.C., facility.
The airplane's rollout marks the first time that a Boeing commercial airplane has been produced in the Southeastern United States. "This is a proud moment for Boeing as we roll out an airplane from our third final assembly site," said Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive officer, Commercial Airplanes. "Today I welcome the South Carolina team into a small and elite fraternity – a fraternity of workers who have built one of the most complex machines in the world – a commercial airplane."
Boeing announced that it had selected North Charleston, S.C., as the location for the second 787 final assembly line on Oct. 28, 2009, and broke ground on the site in November of that year. The South Carolina final assembly facility was completed in June 2011, and production began later that same month.
"Every one of our South Carolina teammates should be extremely proud of this historic accomplishment," said Jack Jones, Boeing South Carolina vice president and general manager. "This team has shown that we can build airplanes in South Carolina that meet the high Boeing quality standards, and do so with an exceptional workplace safety record."
The airplane next goes to the flight line, where it will go through systems checks and engine runs in advance of taxi testing and first flight. The airplane remains on schedule for delivery to Air India in mid-2012.
"We'll celebrate today, and tomorrow we begin the process of getting the airplane ready for delivery to our Air India customer," said Jones. "What this team continues to achieve is remarkable, and is the result of the team's energy and dedication, as well as the great partnerships with the Boeing enterprise, Commercial Airplanes, the 787 Dreamliner program, our suppliers, local community and the state of South Carolina. It's the outstanding support we've received from each one of these groups that has made this day possible."
Boeing South Carolina also has responsibility for fabrication, integration and assembly of the 787's midbody and aftbody fuselage sections. Once complete, the fuselage sections are either delivered to the South Carolina Final Assembly facility, or transported via the Dreamlifter to Final Assembly in Everett, Wash.

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Jetstar Japan takes delivery of its first Airbus A320 aircraft

Narita-based low-cost carrier to start services in July 2012

Jetstar Japan, one of Japan’s newest low-cost carriers (LCC), has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320 aircraft in Toulouse, France. The Japanese carrier will start commercial services in July operating from Narita to Kansai, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Okinawa with an initial fleet of three aircraft. This fleet will grow to 24 aircraft within three years.

Jetstar Japan’s A320s are configured in a high comfort all economy layout with 180 seats. Each aircraft is powered by IAE V2500 engines.  

“We are extremely happy to take delivery of our brand new Airbus A320. With its wider seats and more spacious cabin than the competition, we are positioned to provide better value that our customers will appreciate as well as fast turnarounds, which is key to our business model,” Jetstar Japan President Miyuki Suzuki said. “We aim to become the number one LCC in the Japanese market, and the A320 will help us achieve our goals.” 

“We are delighted to welcome Jetstar Japan as our newest Airbus operator. The A320 has the widest most comfortable cabin and the best performance of any single-aisle aircraft. Passengers love it and operators love it too,” said Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers John Leahy. “The A320 is already the aircraft of choice in Asia with some 80 per cent market share in the LCC market.”

Jetstar Japan, established in 2011, is a joint venture between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines (JAL), Mitsubishi Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation. Jetstar Japan’s Airbus fleet is from an order for 110 A320 Family aircraft placed by the Qantas Group in October 2011.

As of today, nearly 8,400 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold to more than 340 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world’s best selling commercial jetliner ever. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft. 

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Airbus puts new “teeth” in A320 Family fuel savings

A new milestone has been achieved in Airbus’ application of “Sharklets” to its single-aisle product line with this week’s rollout of the company’s first new-build A320 fitted with the large wingtip devices, which will reduce fuel burn and enhance aircraft performance.

The aircraft – Airbus’ 5,098th A320 Family jetliner produced to date – is one of seven that will participate in the certification test campaign for production-standard Sharklets that begins next month, logging some 600 flight hours.

Results of the tests will lead to certification of these fuel-saving devices on aircraft with both engine versions offered for the current A320 Family: CFM International’s CFM56 and the V2500 from International Aero Engines.  These in-flight validations follow the initial flight test campaign performed beginning last November with Sharklets equipped on Airbus’ no. 1 A320 testbed aircraft.

Sharklets are offered as an option on members of the A320 Family now in production, with the first aircraft scheduled to enter airline service from the fourth quarter of 2012.  The wingtip devices will be standard on Airbus’ new A320neo Family.

Sized at approximately 2.5 metres tall, Sharklets are specially designed for the Airbus A320 Family and will reduce fuel burn by up to 3.5 percent – resulting in an annual CO2 reduction of some 700 tonnes per aircraft.

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First new-build Sharklet-equipped A320 completed in Toulouse

Airbus has produced the first new-build A320 with Sharklets. Depicted here at its roll-out in Toulouse, MSN 5098 will be one of several A320 Family aircraft in the certification flight-test campaign starting in May this year and lasting around 600 flight hours. These Sharklet tests follow the successful ‘early flight-test’ campaign with Airbus’ A320 MSN 001 test aircraft.

In total, seven new-build A320 Family aircraft fitted with both CFM56 and V2500 engine types will test the production-standard Sharklets. The results of the tests will lead up to the certification of these fuel-saving devices on each combination of aircraft model and engine selection. The first member of the family to enter service with Sharklets will be the CFM56-powered A320, from the fourth quarter of 2012.

Sharklets, which have been specially designed for the Airbus A320 Family, will reduce fuel burn by up to 3.5 percent, giving an annual CO2 reduction of around 700 tonnes per aircraft. This is equivalent to the CO2 produced by around 200 cars annually. Sharklets are now offered as an option on new-build aircraft, and are standard on the A320neo Family.

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