Manufacturer news - essential news in manufacturer aviation

Latest Manufacturer news

Bell Helicopter and PT Whitesky Aviation sign letter of intent for 30 Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters

Bonkers-looking aircraft with 18 rotors take its first crewed flight

Is the Volocopter the 'dawn of a revolution in urban mobility'? The Volocopter, a helicopter-drone hybrid with 18 rotors, took its first manned flight in Southern Germany on March 30th, the company e-volo announced. With e-volo's managing director Alexander Zosel in the cockpit, the t...

Airbus vs Boeing Space bin – who wins?

by Kevincm The correct answer is as passengers – we all do. Good morning from the floor area Aircraft Interiors Expo 2016 where I’ve been playing with overhead bins. Yes again. Why? Well apart from the satisfying sound of a lock clunking, it’s good news the bo...

Boeing wins $922 million Pentagon deal for 117 Apache helicopters

The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday said it awarded Boeing Co a $922.63 million modification to a contract for 117 AH-64E remanufactured Apache helicopters for the U.S. Army. The work will be done in Mesa, Arizona, and the completion date is estimated at May 31, 2018, the department said in a statement.

Boeing CEO says sales at risk due to U.S. Ex-Im paralysis

A delay in appointing U.S. Export-Import Bank board members threatens to cost Boeing Co sales, the company's chief executive said on Thursday, flagging an issue that also affects General Electric and other U.S. companies that depend on the agency's export financing. Boeing is on the verge of losing orders because only two of five seats on the agency's board are filled, not eno...

Airbus A400M Makes a Daring Landing on an Unpaved Airstrip

The A400M is a tactical four engine turboprop military plane that was designed for military cargo transport and is capable of refueling in flight. Primarily flown by the French and German Air force, the plane is put through rigorous tests before the completed machines are handed off. Oftentimes there isn’t a paved runway for the plane to land on, so Airbus Defense and Space routinely...

Airbus displays ACJ319 at ABACE show

Airbus is exhibiting an ACJ319 at the ABACE show , where it will exemplify the larger and more modern corporate jets preferred by Chinese customers. The ACJ319 on display features conference, dining and lounge areas at the front, plus two separate rooms at the rear. It is offered for VVIP charter by Comlux The Aviation Group, and is certificated to transport 19 passengers – more than trad...

Bell 429 MAGnificent embarks on South American demo tour

Bell Helicopter announces plans to showcase the performance capabilities and luxury interior of the Bell 429 MAGnificent through a series of customer demo flights in South America. Bell Helicopter last demonstrated the Bell 429’s capability in a five-month demo tour in 2014, and customers continue to respond. To date, there are more than 60 Bell 429s operating throughout Latin Americ...

Airbus Helicopters begins tests of fire-detection system for Germany

Airbus Helicopters has begun test flights for its German armed forces customer as part of a research and technology programme to develop a hostile fire indication (HFI) system. Using a modified German army Sikorsky CH-53G helicopter, the manufacturer performed the first evaluation sortie on 30 March, from Manching, to study the integration and effects on handling qualities of a number of sensor...

Slimmed-down aircraft wing expected to reduce fuel and emissions by 50%

Every bit of weight on an aircraft increases the fuel, emissions and money required to put it in the air. NASA and Boeing have been working together to design a longer, thinner and lighter wing – so different from typical commercial transport aircraft wings that it requires a brace, or truss, to provide the wing extra support. Researchers expect the lighter weight, lower drag truss-braced...

8 innovations that could actually make airplanes more comfortable

The Oscars of the plane cabin, the Crystal Cabin Awards, were held in Hamburg on Tuesday night. This is as gala a gala event as you get in aviation. It’s not the Oscars, but then airlines and their suppliers don't have the box office earnings to match even Batman v Superman. Each year, awards are handed out in seven key cabin experience categories. But this year — on the 10th an...

Airbus concludes coast-to-coast H215 US demo tour

Airbus Helicopters has concluded its H215 demonstrator tour across the US. The aircraft was then put on static display at the Aerial Firefighting International event in Sacramento, California. The three week long tour included flights for more than 100 people, including 40 pilots. The helicopter flew 63 flight hours and covered nearly 6,000 miles (9,500 km). The H215 – previously marke...

TRUEngine Program Surpasses 12,000 Engine Enrollments

The TRUEngine technical program continues to expand with total engine enrollments surpassing the 12,000 mark, a 20% increase in the last 18 months. More than 200 operators have opted to enroll their engines in the TRUEngine program. “The TRUEngine designation provides significant benefits to operators including optimized product support, higher asset residual values and enhanced warrantie...

TAP Portugal confirmed as launch operator for A330neo with Airspace by Airbus cabin

Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) 2016 – TAP Portugal has signed an agreement with Airbus to be the first operator of the new A330neo airliner and therefore also become the launching carrier to fly the Airspace by Airbus cabin brand in the A330neo. In 2015, the airline placed a large fleet renewal contract with Airbus which included an order for 14 A330-900neos. Passengers will soon be...

Daher presents its new range of TBM aircraft: the TBM 900 is joined by the TBM 930

Daher unveiled the expanded range of its TBM very fast turboprop aircraft family, which now consists of the TBM 900 and the TBM 930 version – each of which retain the performance and technical features that have made the TBM 900 a business aviation success, with more than 110 sold since its launch two years ago. Daher has introduced the e-copilot® function on Model Year 2016 aircraft fo...

Upcoming events

The Air Charter Expo – ACE’26

08/09/2026
United Kingdom, London

Riga Aviation Forum 2026 10 Years Connecting Aviation Minds

10/09/2026
Latvia, Riga

Essential news

Honda Aircraft Company celebrates type validation of HondaJet Elite II in Brazil at LABACE 2026

Honda Aircraft Company announced first delivery of HondaJet Elite II in Brazil, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued commitment to general aviation in South America. The de...

U.S. FAA certifies new Boeing 737-7 airplane

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the new 737-7 airplane, clearing it for commercial service. The smallest...

Eve Air Mobility achieves first transition flight milestone, advancing eVTOL program toward wing-borne flight

Eve Air Mobility completed its first partial transition flight, marking an important milestone in the development and testing of the company' eVTOL aircraft. The flight involved the acti...

Introducing latest-generation TBM to a major business aviation market - Daher Aircraft delivers the first TBM 980 in Brazil

The first TBM 980 for a Brazilian customer delivered by Daher Aircraft, marking the introduction of this newest fast and efficient turboprop-powered airplane in a market where the TBM family continues...

Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki sign MoU for feasibility study of medical air logistics in India

Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki Motor Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a joint feasibility study on the use of eVTOL aircraft for medical air logistics in India. In...

Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 achieves first flight, advancing next-generation light jet toward certification

Textron Aviation achieved a key milestone as the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype aircraft completed its first flight, advancing the next-generation light jet toward certification. With th...

The Arriel 2K, the engine powering the Leonardo AW09 helicopter, has received its EASA certification

The Arriel 2K engine that powers Leonardo’s AW09 helicopter, has received its type certificate from EASA. This marks an important milestone towards the entry into service of the AW09, Leonardo&r...

Daher Aircraft delivers the 400th Kodiak, underscoring this airplane family's expanding global reach and mission versatility

Daher Aircraft has delivered the 400th Kodiak, marking a significant achievement for the multi-role airplane family as its customer base continues to expand across government, commercial, business and...

Bombardier celebrates 200th delivery of its Challenger 3500 jet to Mr. Piero Ferrari

Bombardier delivered its 200th Challenger 3500 jet to Mr. Piero Ferrari, Vice Chairman of Ferrari. The aircraft will support Mr. Ferrari’s travel to Formula One races and other bu...

Top of the week

Bell's first 505 for aerial policing work in Asia Pacific commences operations

Bell Textron announced the Aichi Prefectural Police have officially commenced aerial policing operations utilizing the Bell 505, marking a landmark moment for aviation in the Asia-Pacific region. A ce...

Atoms and Joby Aviation form strategic partnership to build America's vertiport network

Atoms and Joby Aviation announced a strategic partnership to acquire and develop vertiport sites in the United States. The companies will initially focus on Florida, New York, and Texas, the markets w...

Volatus Aerospace partners with Singular Aircraft to introduce FlyOx 1 heavy-lift autonomous aircraft for Canadian wildfire response

Volatus Aerospace announced the next phase of its national wildfire response initiative through a strategic partnership with Singular Aircraft, developer of the FlyOx 1 multi-mission heavy-lift autono...