Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has placed orders comprising a total of 372 aircraft whereof 222 are on firm order

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NAS) has placed orders with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Airbus S.A.S. comprising a total of 372 aircraft whereof 222 are on firm order.

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Microsoft Corporation co-founder Paul Allen to build behemoth plane for space launches

Plans for the world's largest airplane powered by six jumbo jet engines were unveiled by Seattle billionaire and Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen as part of a new commercial space venture that plans to send satellites, cargo and tourists into Earth orbit aboard a rocket ship.

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Airbus delivers first A350 XWB centre wing box and keel beam to St. Nazaire

Two significant milestones in the A350 XWB programme occurred last month. On August 8th Airbus delivered the first A350 XWB centre wing box from Airbus’ site in Nantes to its St. Nazaire facility for assembly into the first A350 XWB fuselage central section. This was followed on August 12th by the delivery of the first A350 XWB Keel Beam, again from Nantes to St. Nazaire.

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BMW and Premium AEROTEC showcase carbon composites technology

BMW is developing its carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) technology for use in its upcoming i3 and i8 models. At Landshut it is already producing CFRP roofs for its M3 model. In a new production hall at the site it is scaling up and optimising this process to make it suitable for the mass production of the passenger cell of the i models, which are based on BMW's new LifeDrive vehicle architecture.The company is using a high pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) process and is aiming to reduce the production cycle time to a "low single-digit number of minutes."

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ESI Group Announces the Acquisition of IC.IDO, the Leading European Vendor of Immersive Virtual Reality Solution

ESI Group announced the acquisition of IC.IDO GmbH, the leading European vendor of immersive virtual reality solutions.

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Europe’s answer to the Dreamliner, the Airbus A350 XWB is beginning to take shape

Boeing’s 787, the first major airliner to be predominantly made from composites, is expected to be certified later this year. Meanwhile, the Airbus A350 XWB, which also makes heavy use of the lightweight material, is currently in the final stages of preparation before a planned first flight in 2013.

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Airbus unveils see-through plane of the future

Airbus's engineers have created a virtual Concept Cabin to give an insight into some of the innovations and technologies that they think will completely change passengers' experiences.

Gone are the regulated class divisions of First, Business and Economy, replaced by personalized zones that offer flexible, tailored levels of relaxation, interactivity and working spaces.

Passengers will choose to travel in the Interactive zone, with a bar and electronic games where they can mingle and socialise. And those wanting quiet and solitude can choose the Relaxation zone.

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Biggest A350 XWB carbon fuselage panel manufactured

Airbus partner, Premium AEROTEC, has successfully completed the curing of the largest A350 XWB fuselage panel made from carbon fibre at its site in Nordenham (Germany). Located on the forward right-hand side of the fuselage the panel covers a area of 93 square meters.

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Airbus to certify airbags in A320

Airbus has been granted special certification conditions from the US FAA to allow the airframer to certify inflatable airbags in the passenger restraint systems on A320 family aircraft.
The company on 2 September asked the regulator to amend its A320 type certificate to allow the installation of AmSafe Aviation inflatable restraints for head injury protection (HIP) on passenger seats on the A319, A320 and A321.

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Airbus Partners with MSC to Deliver Composite Materials Training

MSC Software completed the first major phase of their Trans-National Composites Training (TCT) Program partnership with Airbus, including simulation software and services. The TCT program is an extensive accelerated skills project that delivers new levels of expertise and consistency in the application of composite materials. The program was designed to deliver more than 2000 graduates from Airbus employees and suppliers by the end of 2009.

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