Boeing Marks a Milestone With Rollout of 1,000th 767

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) marked a proud moment in the company's history today at a ceremonial rollout of the 1,000th 767 airplane. Hundreds of current employees, joined by Boeing retirees who worked on the first 767, gathered to celebrate the occasion at the Everett, Wash., factory.

"It was great to see so many people here today – the engineers, the technicians, the machinists – who have made the 767 the wonderful airplane it is," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "As we salute the 1,000th 767, the next 767 is already being built in a new bay where we can produce airplanes much more efficiently for years to come. We hope many of the new 767s will become U.S. Air Force tankers built right here."

The 1,000th airplane is a 767-300ER (extended range) passenger model for ANA (All Nippon Airways) and was the final 767 to complete assembly on the current production line. Final production work already is underway on the 1,001 unit in a new, smaller bay that repositions the production line toward a leaner, more efficient operation.

Today's milestone is a chance for the 767 family to celebrate its past, present and future showcased in this video.  

Boeing has offered the 767 as the platform for its NewGen Tanker if it wins the U.S. Air Force KC-X Tanker competition. A decision on the contract award is expected early this year.  

The 767 family is a family of clean, quiet, fuel-efficient airplanes that provide maximum market versatility in the 200- to 300-seat market. The 767 family includes three passenger models – the 767-200ER, 767-300ER and 767-400ER – and a medium-widebody freighter, which is based on the 767-300ER fuselage.

Boeing

Boeing, Comair Limited Announce Next-Generation 737 Order

OHANNESBURG, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Comair Limited today announced an order for eight Next-Generation 737-800s complete with the innovative new Boeing Sky Interior. Comair will use its new 737s to update the fleet of Comair's low-fare airline, kulula.com. The airplanes are valued at approximately $646 million at current list prices. The order previously was attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's orders and deliveries website.

Launched in 2001 as South Africa's first low-fare carrier, kulula.com currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of ten 737s, including three leased 737-800s. Comair also operates as a franchise partner of British Airways, with thirteen 737 airplanes flying domestically in South Africa and regionally in Southern Africa.

"The purchase of new Boeing 737-800s is historic for our company and gives all our 1,800 staff a great feeling of pride," said Gidon Novick, joint CEO of Comair Ltd. "The new fleet is an essential part of our efficiency drive, which will not only give us a cost leadership position in our industry, but also provide our customers with exceptional levels of reliability and comfort with the spacious new interior."

In addition to its 737-800 order, Comair is purchasing the Maintenance Performance Toolbox from Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. The Maintenance Performance Toolbox improves an airline's fleet efficiency by integrating manufacturer and customer documentation, use of intelligent graphics, cross-document searching and linking aircraft fault data to specific maintenance actions. It also provides a comprehensive structural repair history for each airplane while reducing the time needed to find tail-specific technical information in time-critical situations, such as line maintenance troubleshooting and dispatch.

"Comair is an amazing success story, as this airline company has posted operating profits each year since it was founded in 1946," said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Today's order demonstrates the value the 737-800 has already brought to its fleet and the confidence Comair has in this airplane."

Today's operators fly 737s that are 5 percent more fuel-efficient than the first Next-Generation 737s delivered in 1998, and another 2 percent improvement is on the way. Boeing's performance improvement package, now being certified, will boost Comair's fuel efficiency a further 2 percent through aerodynamic and engine changes.

Among the airlines that recently transported thousands of fans and football players throughout South Africa for the World Cup, Comair operates nearly 800 flights each week on its South African and regional routes.

Boeing

500 horas de vuelo del Eurofighter IPA4

El primer Eurofighter monoplaza de producción instrumentado (IPA4) ha completado 500 horas de vuelo en las instalaciones de Cassidian España en Getafe.

El primer Eurofighter monoplaza de producción instrumentado (IPA4) ha completado 500 horas de vuelo en las instalaciones de Cassidian España en Getafe. Este avión introduce la tecnología más avanzada en el programa Eurofighter para su calificación y posterior puesta en servicio en las flotas de las naciones, después de pasar por una actualización funcional desde su estándar original de Trancha 1 al más moderno de Trancha 2, que puede servir de modelo para una potencial actualización de las flotas de Trancha 1 de las naciones, incrementando sustancialmente sus capacidades.

Los planes de ensayos contemplan vuelos en los que se verifican las funcionalidades de comunicaciones y MIDS (sistema de "data link" o enlace de datos con otros elementos cooperantes del escenario de combate), así como ensayos de integración y lanzamiento de armamento aire-superficie.

Enrique Barrientos, CEO de Cassidian España y miembro del Board of Directors de Eurofighter, ha comentado: "Es un nuevo hito del programa Eurofighter en España que se traduce en la evolución de los sistemas hacia nuevas capacidades al servicio de nuestros clientes".

EADS