Airbus is working on increasing the capacity of its A350-900 aircraft as airlines look to reduce their operating costs per seat, industry executives said Monday. The plans were presented to Emirates airline last week, they added, but did not sway the carrier in its eventual decision to buy Boeing's 787-10 at this week's Dubai Airshow. Billed as Europe's answer to the 787 Dreamliner, the A350-900 is designed for airlines that want long range. But for carriers prepared to settle for less range on certain busy routes, the recently introduced 787-10 carries more passengers and is therefore potentially more efficient per seat. The proposed A350 layout would help to close the seat gap, by moving the pressure bulkhead back by 2.5 feet and changing the rest of the layout to leave more space for seats. <br/>
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Blake Scholl is at the Dubai Airshow trying to woo investors and Middle East airlines to back his ambition to once again make breaking the sound barrier commercially viable. Scholl, founder and CE of Denver-based Boom Supersonic, already has 76 pre-orders from airlines and says he is talking to another 20 carriers. The former Amazon executive is convinced that new technology, composite materials and quieter, more efficient engines, makes a return of supersonic flight possible. Scholl's business plan estimates a market for 1,000 to 2,000 Boom aircraft over the next 10 years, with the first aircraft entering service in 2023. The first test flight of a one-third-scale demonstrator is scheduled to take place in 2018. It will be a key step in the design and approval process - and help bring in more investment. <br/>
Richie McBride is CE of Edesix, a company that produces small wearable cameras used by railway, health care and retail workers in Europe. Lately, he has turned his attention to a new and potentially sizable market: airlines. Already, McBride has sold the devices to Aurigny, a small carrier in Guernsey. Managers of employees who interact with customers can set off the lapel-mounted camera when they think an event is getting out of hand. “As a small community airline, a vast majority of our passengers are very friendly, polite, respectful,” said Dave Cox, the ground operations manager for Aurigny. “However, like with all carriers, you may occasionally encounter individuals who can be rude, aggressive and abusive to our staff.” Aurigny may be the first airline to arm its workers with cameras, but it is not likely to be the last, McBride said. <br/>
The global airline industry has US$1.2b blocked in 9 dollar-strapped African countries, IATA said Monday. The global commodities price crash that began in 2014 hit economies across Africa hard, particularly big resource exporters such as Angola and Nigeria. Low oil and mineral prices have reduced govt revenue and caused chronic dollar shortages and immense pressure on local currencies. The fiscal slump has meant govts have not allowed foreign airlines to repatriate their dollar profits in full. IATA's VP for Africa, Raphale Kuuchi, said that airlines were in talks with "a few govts to unblock airline funds". He did not specify the companies were affected. Of the total of $1.2b, Angola has blocked the largest amount, $500m, while Sudan has held up $200m. <br/>
Russia and the UAE have started preliminary talks on the joint production of civil aircraft, which could be located in the UAE, Rostec CE Sergey Chemezov announced at the Dubai Air Show. “We will create a working group to discuss it further,” Chemezov added. The aircraft would be based on Russia’s single-aisle twin passenger jet, the 250-passenger MC-21-400, which is a planned version of Irkut Corp.’s MC-21 family. The MC-21 was rolled out June 8, 2016 and made the first flight May 28, 2017. The aircraft type is currently available in 2 versions—the -200 and -300—which seat 132 and 163, respectively, in a standard two-class layout, or 165 and 211 in a high-capacity configuration. In September, Russia’s United Aircraft Corp revealed plans to develop long-range widebody aircraft—called the CR929. <br/>
Inflight connectivity provider Gogo is in talks with several Middle Eastern airlines—including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways—to provide its 2Ku satellite internet system, the company said at the Dubai Air Show. Gogo’s 2Ku system is not currently installed on any airlines in the region, but the system’s satellite coverage extends to the region, Gogo SVP-international Niels Steenstrup said. Both the UK’s British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operate Gogo 2Ku-equipped aircraft into the region, demonstrating its reach, he added. Operators in the region were early adopters of inflight connectivity and are at the point where systems need to be upgraded or replaced, Steenstrup said. This, he believes, will make the Gogo 2Ku product competitive in the Middle East. <br/>