It’s hard to remember an airshow with fewer aircraft sales than the 2022 Farnborough Airshow, and with some sales chiefs and senior executives reportedly having already left, it seems unlikely that Thursday will see major orders, despite a handful of fairly major options being rumoured in advance of the show.
“We don’t need to make a lot of noise. We can do business quietly. And that’s what we’re doing,” said Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer to journalists this afternoon in the airframer’s chalet. “it’s not a quiet airshow. This is a public room — in private rooms, I can tell you, it’s quite active.”
But in many ways, a show where journalists are not dashing between chalets for orders makes for a more interesting time, one that can be dedicated to long discussions with senior executives and subject-matter experts on critical issues facing the industry, from demand to production, from sustainability to the supply chain. We’re looking forward to bringing you deeper dives into those key topics for aviation soon on Yocova.
On to the show…
Good Wednesday morning @FIAFarnborough! Excited for another day of news and interviews at #FIA2022, and very grateful for some cooler weather with it. See you in chalet row! pic.twitter.com/3ZwPkTCeqJ
— Yocova (@yocova_) July 20, 2022
Five orders and a 56-aircraft confirmation made for a quiet day
Azerbaijan Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding to add four new Boeing 787-8 aircraft to its fleet, adding another four to its two Dreamliners for a total of ten by 2030.
The rather jocular announcement was something of an opportunity for airline president Jahangir Asgarov to rib Boeing chief executive Stan Deal about the aircraft that Boeing recently cancelled, with the 757 and 747-8 coming in for particular praise.
Boeing announces an MoU for four further 787s for Azerbaijan Airlines. #FIA2022 pic.twitter.com/zUgaiEYI83
— Yocova (@yocova_) July 20, 2022
Over at the Airbus chalet, easyJet confirmed an order for 56 aircraft in the A320neo family, which had been provisionally announced in June, and which largely completes the framework fleeting agreement between Airbus and easyJet in 2013. As part of the deal, 18 A320neos on order will be upgauged to the larger A321neo.
The airline’s chief financial officer highlighted that easyJet’s fleet replacement strategy is to replace some 99 smaller A319s (offering 156 seats in theory and 150 seats in practice this summer) with the larger aircraft, which will add 30/36 seats if replaced by an A320neo or 79/85 sets if replaced by an A321neo in the carrier’s configuration.
And lastly on the order front, Gabonese airline Afrijet signed for a single ATR 72-600 for fleet renewal and expansion. The additional aircraft will bring the fleet to six aircraft by next year, and enable new routes and extra frequencies.
Technical updates on sustainability continued
As one of the early steps along its ZEROe future hydrogen propulsion path, Airbus is conducting early research on the non-CO2 emissions effects of hydrogen combustion, including contrails. The new Blue Condor demonstrators are based on modified Arcus gliders, with one featuring a kerosene-based engine and one where the second seat has essentially been replaced by a large hydrogen tank.
Working with the German aerospace research centre DLR and the University of North Dakota (where the flight test programme will be based), the pair of demonstrators will conduct back-to-back, like-for-like tests this winter that should report back next year. It’s very promising to see early-milestone work on hydrogen being done, especially around measurement and non-emissions effects.
Boeing also announced that three airlines — Virgin Atlantic, Corendon Dutch Airlines and Albawings — will use its Jeppesen FliteDeck Advisor digital system to fly more efficiently and reduce fuel consumption. During a trial of FliteDeck Advisor, Virgin Atlantic “delivered cruise fuel savings of 1.7%, saving approximately 1,900 kilograms of CO2 per flight across the three-month trial” on a 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
FliteDeck Advisor, says Boeing, “analyzes airplane-specific performance metrics for all Boeing aircraft, including changes over time with aircraft age and maintenance action. The tool enables flight crews to make real-time adjustments to their airspeed to optimize fuel use and minimize the carbon footprint of each flight.”
Other digital sustainability applications are also included in the deals, including the Fuel Dashboard application for Corendon, which Boeing says provides “a comprehensive fleet view of operational fuel consumption, providing insights into fuel usage through all phases of flight” and can save between 1–4% of fuel costs. Albawings, meanwhile, will use the Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox, which “allows operators to increase the efficiency of their maintenance operations and manage, distribute, process and view intelligent maintenance documentation in a uniform digital format through a single interface, regardless of aircraft manufacturer or engine type,” Boeing says.
Airbus dove deep into the Wing of Tomorrow and Industry 4.0
One of the most fascinating events of the day came from Airbus’ chief technical officer Sabine Klauke and its head of programme (and head of its Filton research and development campus, north of Bristol), who provided an update on the progress being made by the Wing of Tomorrow program.
Back in the @Airbus press room for an update on its Wing of Tomorrow from CTO Sabine Klauke and Sue Partridge, head of Airbus’ Filton site and the Wing of Tomorrow programme. #FIA2022 pic.twitter.com/RNQjJI4glm
— Yocova (@yocova_) July 20, 2022
Wing of Tomorrow is aiming to both increase aircraft performance and revolutionise aviation industrial processes, with cost and rate firmly on the programme’s radar. Adding innovations in digital, supply chain and people, it’s a clear series of steps towards three successive demonstrator wings that will inform the design and production of Airbus’ next generation of aircraft.
And additionally…
We’ve a treat for you from the flying display today: watch those thrust reversers on the Boeing 777-9’s GE9X engines deploy, in full slow motion as it lands right in front of us on the short Farnborough runway. (Keep an eye on your volume before hitting play, though!)
Farnborough flight displays on a sunny day are great, but on a cloudy day you can see ALL the detail.
Join us for a slowmo landing of the @BoeingAirplanes 777-9! pic.twitter.com/uiIqIwIcb6
— Yocova (@yocova_) July 20, 2022
That’s it for today — we’re looking forward to day 4 and another great day of discussions to delve even deeper into the industry. Stay tuned here and on Twitter!
Author: John Walton
Published 20th July 2022
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