The Airbus Corporate Jetliner family has just grown bigger, with the introduction of its newest member, the smaller A318 Elite. The Elite offers less range (up to 4,000 nm) and a shorter cabin than the Airbus 320. Airbus said Germany’s Lufthansa Technik will outfit the Elite with a choice of two cabin layouts seating up to 14 and 18 passengers, respectively, with seats clustered in several lounge areas throughout the cabin.
AINalerts
January 17, 2007 - 6:33am
In preparation for introducing its A700 very light twinjet late next year, Adam Aircraft has teamed up with Chicago-based JSSI to offer owners an hourly maintenance plan.
January 17, 2007 - 6:30am
At a ceremony today, Embraer president and CEO Mauricio Botehlo and senior vice president Luis Carlos Affonso pulled the wraps off full-scale mockups of the company’s very light and light jets to reveal their names–the Phenom 100 and 300, respectively. Yesterday, Embraer disclosed it had selected the Garmin G1000 integrated avionics system for the airplanes, both of which will be certified for single-pilot operations.
January 17, 2007 - 6:24am
New avionics and an upgraded cabin interior distinguish the Learjet 60XR from the Learjet 60, which will be replaced when the newer version of the midsize jet enters service in the first quarter of 2007. The Learjet 60XR will feature Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics, as well as an integrated flight information system that allows the pilots to call up approach plates and airport diagrams on the flight displays.
January 17, 2007 - 6:09am
Despite a last-minute change of venue and dates for this year's NBAA Convention due to the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, it appears that the event–which closes tomorrow–will be as successful as ever. The number of exhibitors and aircraft on display at the Orlando, Fla. Venue exceed last year's show in Las Vegas, and there has been no decrease in expected announcements of new and derivative aircraft.
January 17, 2007 - 6:07am
Cessna is calling for an additional 260 Citation owners and operators from among NBAA attendees to meet the target total of 400 aircraft for the fifth annual Citation Special Olympics Airlift, July 2 to 7 next year at Iowa State University in Ames. The event will be the largest ever, with the need to carry more than 2,500 athletes, coaches and delegates.
January 17, 2007 - 6:05am
Premier Aircraft of East Alton, Ill., continues to work with Honeywell on an engine upgrade program for the Falcon 50 expected to be completed in the third quarter of next year, several months later than originally planned.
January 17, 2007 - 6:02am
Significant fleet orders were announced today for the Eclipse 500, Citation and Avanti at NBAA 2005. Linear Air of Lexington, Mass., and JetSet Air of the UK have placed firm orders for 15 and 30 Eclipse 500 very light jets, respectively. These transactions bring the Eclipse order book to 2,350 airplanes (1,592 firm orders and 765 options), all secured with nonrefundable deposits, the company said.
January 17, 2007 - 5:58am
Dassault Aviation has filed a lawsuit seeking $60 million from Honeywell International over delivery delays of the EASy flight deck, Dassault and Honeywell officials confirmed here at NBAA. The suit contends that Honeywell misled Dassault by claiming that the EASy integrated avionics system, which is based on the Honeywell Primus Epic platform, was ready when in fact it needed more time for development.
January 17, 2007 - 5:42am
The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the FAA signed a bilateral agreement under which they will evaluate simulators for each other. In practice this means that it should be less expensive and troublesome for simulator manufacturers to get their equipment approved for use on either side of the Atlantic. For instance, the CAA will now accept training devices that are certified by the FAA and being used in the U.S.
