Fuel tank problem could delay B767 freighter deliveries

A quality issue with the coating on fuel tanks appears to be delaying new deliveries of B767 - 300Fs, including 58 767-based KC-46 air-to-air refuelling tanker aircraft.

The coating of the centre-wing tank structure, if poorly applied, can flake off and block fuel filters, preventing fuel from reaching the engines, according to a report.

The report notes that the supplier for the 767-300F’s centre wing tanks had switched from Pennsylvania’s Triumph Group to French company Daher last year and had not performed relevant tests on the coating. More than 12 aircraft in Boeing’s inventory could be affected, impacting aircraft deliveries, says the report.

So far this, Boeing has yet to deliver a 767, with some 100 on order. These include 27 for FedEx and another 27 for UPS, as well as 58 refuelling tanker aircraft for the US Air Force.

In July, September and November last year, Maersk Air Cargo took delivery of three 767-300Fs.

Boeing support and services senior brand manager Jim Proulx told the long waiting list for Boeing 767 variant aircraft “should not be understood as a list of delayed deliveries”, and that Boeing would simply deliver the planes “when we get around to it”.

He added: “Through Boeing’s standard process, a quality issue was identified on some 767/KC-46 tanker components. We are continuing to work through our process with our supplier, regulator and customers to resolve the issue.

“We will deliver airplanes as we complete rework and we are not changing our overall delivery plans for the year. Our engineering analysis to date is that the issue is not an immediate safety or flight concern.”

Fuel starvation, as it is known, has been attributed as the cause of many aviation accidents, including British Airways flight 38, which fell short of a runway at Heathrow after ice crystals blocked fuel lines on a B777. Fortunately, all 152 passengers and crew survived, though the plane was written-off.

With inputs from theloadstar.

Boeing and Riyadh Air announced that the new Saudi Arabian carrier has chosen the 787 Dreamliner to power its global launch and support its goal of operating one of the most efficient and sustainable fleets in the world.

Owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), Riyadh Air said it will purchase 39 highly efficient 787-9s, with options for an additional 33 787-9s. Based in the capital city, Riyadh Air will play a key role in growing Saudi Arabia's air transport network.

The Dreamliner aircraft will be equipped with General Electric’s GEnex engines. This is Boeing's fifth biggest order historically after a massive order by Air India last month.

ALSO READ - From A350s to B777Xs, Air India finalizes the Historic 470 Aircraft deal with Airbus & Boeing

https://twitter.com/PIF_en/status/1635645675915419649

In total, Saudi Arabia has placed a total of 121 orders with Boeing, as the other flag carrier Saudia placed an order of 39 confirmed Dreamliner orders with an option of 10 more planes. These deals are valued at around USD 34 billion. This will support the country's goal of serving 330 million passengers and attracting 100 million visitors annually by 2030.   

"The new airline reflects the ambitious vision of Saudi Arabia to be at the core of shaping the future of global air travel and be a true disrupter in terms of customer experience. Riyadh Air's commitment to its customers will see the integration of digital innovation and authentic Saudi hospitality to deliver a seamless travel experience. By positioning the airline as both a global connector and a vehicle to drive tourist and business travel to Saudi Arabia, our new 787-9 airplanes will serve as a foundation for our worldwide operations, as we build the wider network and connect our guests to Saudi Arabia and many destinations around the world."

Tony Douglas, CEO, Riyadh Air

The first deliveries of the widebody aircraft are scheduled for early 2025. Riyadh Air will be a digitally-led full-service airline with a commitment to sustainability reflecting Saudi Arabia’s transformative projects under Vision 2030. It will operate in line with the country’s strides toward net zero emissions.

ALSO READ - What will Riyadh Air look like?

Riyadh Air is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has more than USD 600 billion in assets and is the main driver of the kingdom's efforts to wean itself off oil. The airline will serve more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030 and will directly compete against Emirates and Qatar Airways.

"This is a significant order that will support Riyadh Air's commitment to deliver a world-class travel experience, while supporting American aerospace manufacturing jobs at Boeing and across our supply chain. We are incredibly proud of our nearly eight decades of partnership to drive innovation and sustainable growth in Saudi Arabia's aviation sector. Our agreement builds on that longstanding partnership and will further expand access to safe and sustainable commercial air travel for decades more."

Stan Deal, President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes

The 787-9 provides the longest range of the 787 families of airplanes, flying approximately 300 passengers 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 km), with additional cargo capacity. Passengers enjoy a better experience with the largest windows of any jet, air that is more humid and pressurized at a lower cabin altitude for greater comfort, large overhead bins with room for everyone's bag; soothing LED lighting, and technology that senses and counters turbulence for a smoother ride.

Riyadh Air to launch operations with 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

The 787 families is delivering unmatched fuel efficiency to airline operators around the world reducing fuel use and emissions by 25% compared to airplanes they replace.

ALSO READ - Boeing ready to resume 787 deliveries

Air India announced a partnership with Salesforce on March 14 to transform its customer service. The airline will be able to improve the customer experience at all significant touchpoints, including online, on the ground, and in the air, through the partnership, it stated in a press release.

Working with Salesforce would provide a consistent data platform and artificial intelligence-assisted tools to Air India's customer-facing staff and with the help of Salesforce technology being implemented, the airline will be able to track customer interactions across its contact centre, mobile app, website, chatbot, email, social media, and other channels, providing a single source of truth for both customer requests and issues.

Air India partners with Salesforce to transform its customer service

Additionally, it will give Air India's customer-facing people and automated systems the capacity to respond proactively to problems and follow them through to resolution with the aid of artificial intelligence technologies. Air India also said that with the technology, it would have a unified customer data platform.

“Today, technology is at the heart of any ambitious organisation's business strategy. It is a force multiplier, and a catalyst to deliver growth and increase value. For Air India, this transformation is the beginning of a historic journey and to many - an emotional one. We are honoured to be a part of this journey with Air India, reimagining the customer experience and delivering excellence.”   

Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO, Salesforce India

"Given the ambitious growth plan of Air India that will result in a rapid increase in the volume of customer interactions, deploying robust and scalable technological solutions that incorporate the latest in Artificial Intelligence technologies becomes imperative. Air India’s work with Salesforce will enable this accomplishment," said the release.

One of the benefits of this technology rollout is the availability of a 360-degree view of customers in a unified customer data platform that enables Air India to deeply understand its customers. Following that, this information will be used to improve consumer interactions at touchpoints on the ground, online, and in the air.

“At Air India, we are committed to elevate our customers’ experience. In line with our strategy to deliver a world-class, omni-channel experience for our customers, we are working with Salesforce to introduce various service features that will make it easy for our customers to engage with us. Our contact centre plays a crucial role in the customer’s journey, both before and after the actual flight. Our deployment of Salesforce in the contact centre and in other channels marks a step in our endeavour to provide a seamless, contextual and personalized customer experience across multiple touchpoints."

Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience and Ground Handling Officer, Air India

While the financial details of the engagement with Salesforce were not disclosed by Air India, the airline’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson in a press briefing recently outlined that the airline has invested nearly USD 200 million for improving product reliability and information technology systems.

As part of its transformation plan, Air India has aimed to increase its domestic market share from 8-9% currently to at least 30% over the next five years, while also significantly growing its international operations. In February, it placed a historic order for 470 aircraft, a deal which is valued at USD 70 billion on list price.

ALSO READ - From A350s to B777Xs, Air India finalizes the Historic 470 Aircraft deal with Airbus & Boeing

“We need to be able to understand our customers’ needs proactively and take care of them with utmost diligence. When things don’t go as expected, we want to be able to address the challenges faced by our customers with speed and take them to comprehensive closure. Having a scalable technology platform that enables us to accomplish the above effectively is critical to our business.”

Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Air India

Salesforce, Inc. is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, and application development. Delta Air Lines is one of the oldest customers of Salesforce with a huge success story.

ALSO READ - Air India Pilots can now fly 2 aircraft types after recent DGCA approval

After a period of storage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Etihad Airways' first Airbus A380 has come out of storage in Tarbes, France. This is a significant milestone for the airline as it prepares to resume A380 services later this year.

In March 2020, Etihad Airways made the decision to ground its entire A380 fleet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline, like many others, was forced to reduce its operations and fleet size as travel demand plummeted. The A380s were placed in storage at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport in France, where they remained until recently.

The first A380 to emerge from storage in Tarbes will undergo maintenance and checks before being flown to Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks.

The Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger airliner, capable of carrying up to 853 passengers in a single class configuration.

"The A380, as well as being an iconic aircraft for Etihad, also represents the strength of our long-standing relationship with Airbus. We look forward to the gradual return of this magnificent aircraft to our skies."

Tony Douglas, Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group.

The resumption of A380 services will be a welcome development for Etihad Airways and its customers. The airline has always been committed to providing the highest levels of comfort and luxury, and the A380 is a key part of its fleet. With its spacious cabins, onboard lounges, and cutting-edge technology, the A380 offers passengers an unrivaled travel experience.

Etihad Airways has implemented a range of health and safety measures to ensure the wellbeing of its passengers and crew during the pandemic. These include mandatory pre-flight COVID-19 testing, enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures, and the use of personal protective equipment.

As the aviation industry begins to recover from the pandemic, the resumption of A380 services is a positive sign of things to come. Etihad Airways' first A380 coming out of storage in Tarbes is a symbol of hope and resilience, and a reminder of the power of air travel to connect people and cultures around the world.

Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates has completed the retrofit of five of the 120 aircraft earmarked for its ambitious USD 2 billion retrofit programme, a top airline official has revealed.

Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates, said the airline can now retrofit two aircraft every month. Work is underway to improve efficiency by reducing the number of days to retrofit one aircraft.

“Every aircraft (Airbus A380) that has undergone a retrofit has been deployed to various destinations within our network.”

Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates.

Emirates has earmarked its Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s for a facelift until April 2025. Once 67 A380s are refreshed and back in service, Emirates will begin the retrofit of 53 of its Boeing 777s. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, revealed that it costs USD 15 million to retrofit one aircraft.

The retrofit programme will result in nearly 4,000 Premium Economy seats installed, 728 First class suites refreshed, and more than 5,000 Business class seats upgraded. The airline aims to retrofit four Emirates aircraft from start to finish every month, continuously for over two years.

One of the Emirates A380s undergoing the retrofit programme.

Al Redha added, “We are improving our efficiencies by reducing the number of days that it takes to retrofit an aircraft. It’s been very successful and is going as per target.” In January, the airline’s first retrofitted A380 was deployed to London Heathrow, and plans are underway to get 50 aircraft to be part of the retrofit programme this year.

Commenting on the airline’s efforts to adopt sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Al Redha said Emirates has engaged with several airports across Europe and the Far East to use alternative fuel wherever possible. Emirates successfully operated its first milestone demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines with 100 per cent SAF in January this year.

Since the airline successfully completed the test flight, Emirates is working with these European and Far East airports to bring about a practical use scenario to use SAF. “We have a clear strategy towards our obligation to participate in a zero emission approach. Aircraft fuel is one of the elements that can give us such an advantage,” said Al Redha.

“Since we have proven that it is possible to use SAF in one of the aircraft engines, we have been engaged with airports in Europe and the Far East where we would be carrying a percentage of our fuel from SAF.

I think UAE hosting COP28 by November this year (is also a significant step forward) towards adopting more such clean measures,” he added. However, the biggest challenge remains the ease in availability of such fuel at the airports. “The use of SAF is still subject to availability at various airports,” stated Al Redha.

The airline COO also confirmed that Emirates is working with Boeing and GE to run a second set of tests where both engines for the aircraft will be tested using SAF. “Once we are satisfied with all parameters (needed to run a test flight successfully), we will run the second test flight. But for now, even using one engine to run on SAF provides great opportunities for savings on fuel consumption,” said Al Redha.

For example, for an aircraft to operate from here to Europe, the fuel requirement stands at approximately 70 tonnes. “If only 50 per cent of that is being used, it cuts down consumption to 35 tonnes, resulting in considerable fuel savings,” he added.

On the airport front, Emirates has also shifted to using electric cars for its First and Business Class passengers. “Both dnata and we are working to replace traditional cars with electric cars in the future. We are very committed and have a strategic plan to deploy sustainable measures realistically,” he added.

With inputs from Gulf news.

As many as 1,171 flights were cancelled due to technical reasons in 2022, according to the civil aviation ministry. In 2021, the number was 931 while it was 1,481 in 2020, as per the DGCA data provided in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh on Monday.

The details of flights cancelled due to technical reasons are those submitted by airlines to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

"The responsibility for maintaining the aircraft lies with the airline which is required to ensure that the aircraft is maintained as per the maintenance programme approved by the DGCA," Singh said.

He said DGCA ensures that the airline and the maintenance organisation continue to comply with the regulatory requirements against which they have been initially approved through a system of surveillance, audits, spot checks and night surveillance, among others.

"In case of non-compliance, DGCA ensures that rectification steps are taken by the airlines/ maintenance organisation. DGCA initiates enforcement actions against organisation/ personnel in case violations are found, which may include warning, suspension, and cancellation, including the imposition of financial penalty," he added.

Over the past three years, IndiGo has had the highest number of flight cancellations due to a ‘technical glitch’ followed by Air India and SpiceJet. In 2022, IndiGo cancelled 613 flights, whereas Air India cancelled 122 flights and SpiceJet cancelled 151 flights. 

A Rajya Sabha response stated that IndiGo, which operates the highest number of average daily flights in India, has also cancelled the highest number of flights. In 2020, the airline cancelled 155 flights due to a technical glitch, followed by 188 flights in 2021 and a multi-fold rise of 613 in 2022. 

Recently privatised Air India too had a large chunk of its flights cancelled due to technical glitches. In 2020, when Air India was owned by the government it cancelled 831 flights. In 2021 too it cancelled 316 flights. It was privatised last year after which its cancellations due to technical glitches dropped to 122 flights. 

Another government airline, Alliance Air had cancelled zero flights due to technical glitches in 2020, however, it rose to 56 flights in 2021 and 166 in 2022.  SpiceJet cancelled 104 flights in 2020, followed by 136 flights in 2021 and 151 in 2022. 

Over the past three years, a total of 1,481 flights, 931 flights and 1,171 have been cancelled due to technical glitches.