Luar Biasa Pesawat Penumpang Buatan China Terbang Perdana Menjadi Saingan Airbus Dan Boeing

Pesawat penumpang buatan China, C919, mengudara pada Jumat (5/5/17) waktu setempat setelah sempat tertunda sekian lama. Hal itu menjadi langkah awal Negeri Panda memasuki pasar penerbangan global dan menggenjot produksi manufaktur berteknologi tinggi.

Setelah 80 menit berada di udara, pesawat ini sukses mendarat dengan membawa 5 kru penerbangan. Pilot yang bertugas adalah Cai Juni, yang menyatakan penerbangan sangat memuaskan.

C919 dibuat oleh BUMN produsen pesawat China, yaitu Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). Sudah hampir dari satu dekade, China berjuang mengurangi ketergantungannya kepada pesawat buatan Airbus dan Boeing.

Dilansir dari AFP, Jumat (5/5/2017), pesawat ini memberikan terobosan yang besar bagi China. Pesawat ini terbang di ketinggian 3.000 meter, lebih rendah 7.000 meter dari ketinggian penerbangan reguler. Kecepatan pesawat di udara lebih dari 300 km/jam.

Proyek pesawat ini sudah mundur sejak tahun lalu. Penerbangan ini menunjukkan betapa besarnya ambisi China untuk membuat pesawat sipil sendiri. China telah membangun pesawat sipil sendiri sejak 1970an, namun tidak pernah berhasil untuk mengudara secara komersial.


Salah seorang saksi mata penerbangan perdana C919, Wang Mingfeng, 42 tahun, mengungkapkan rasa bahagianya. Dia meyakini tak lama lagi pesawat jet itu dapat bersaing dengan Boeing dan Airbus.

“Melihat C919 lepas landas ke udara membuat saya sedikit emosional. Momen ini telah kami [China] nantikan sejak lama,” ujar Wang.

Presiden China, Xi Jinping, langsung turun tangan untuk mendorong proyek baru ini. Xi mendorong percepatan konstruksi pesawat ini, dan ingin memberikan konstribusi baru untuk oengembangan industri pesawat dunia.

Selama ini, China menjadi pasar pertarungan antara Airbus dan Boeing. Kedua produsen pesawat ini memperkirakan, maskapai penerbangan China membutuhkan 6.000-6.800 pesawat baru dengan nilai US$ 1 triliun.

Pesawat bermesin ganda ini memiliki kapasitas 168 kursi. Daya jelajah mencapai 5.555 km, dan telah mendapatkan 570 pesanan. Sejauh ini COMAC telah menguji terbang dua pesawat buatannya, dan menargetkan ada empat pesawat lagi hingga 2019.

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COMAC yang berbasis di Shanghai ini menargetkan, dalam tiga tahun ke depan, C919 dan ARJ21 yang merupakan pesawat dengan kapasitas 90 kursi, untuk mendapat sertifikat terbang secara internasional.

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Qatar Airways starts A350 service to Changi, Singapore

Qatar Airways became the first airline to operate the world’s newest aircraft to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region on Monday with the inaugural A350 XWB service arriving at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Qatar Airways, as the global launch customer for the A350 XWB, became the first airline to operate the world’s newest aircraft to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region on Monday, with the inaugural A350 XWB service arriving in Singapore Changi Airport.

DIRGANTARA INDONESIA concludes ‘teaming agreement’ with Air Bus Military

Aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) has concluded a "teaming agreement" with Airbus Military on the joint production and marketing of NC295 planes, the Indonesian company`s chief said.

The agreement would be implemented with financial support from PT Perusahaan Pengelola Asset (PT PPA), a state-owned company managing public assets, PT Dirgantara Indonesia president director Budi Santoso said.

The three companies signed a strategic cooperation accord in July 2011 and the teaming agreement was a follow up to that agreement, he said.

Under the teaming agreement, PT Dirgantara Indonesia would have an opportunity to make and market NC295 planes with Airbus Military, he said, adding the plane was already being used by a few Asian countries, namely South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.

"With the NC295`s performance having been tested for some time (in the three Asian countries), the aircraft is projected to meet a need of the `the Indonesian Air Force, namely replacing its Fokker-27 fleet whose service period is to expire soon," Budi said.

With the signing of the teaming accord with Airbus Military, PT DI"s continued existence after 2014 was more or less assured, he said.

Labeling the NC295 a "commercially competitive aircraft", Budi said, for PT Dirgantara Indonesia, making the plane would pose no particular difficulties as the company already had a long record of producing C212 and CN235 planes which were in fact earlier generations of the NC296.

The NC295 would be the latest addition to the list of aircraft types PT Dirgantara Indonesia had produced over the years. The company`s products were already being used by the Indonesian military and also marketed in the Asian region.

picture: wikipedia / source: ptppa.com

LAO Airlines buy two Airbus A320

Lao Airlines, the national airline from Laos, signed a contract with Airbus Industry to purchase two A320 aircraft types.

Lao Airlines will fly the A320 to connect Vientiane with a number of major destination countries in Southeast Asia, including Jakarta.

Somphone Douangdara, President of Lao Airlines, said the A320 will have a layout for the two classes of passengers with a capacity of 126 passengers in main cabin.

In addition, said Somphone, Business class will be able to accommodate16 passengers. "With the A320, Lao Airlines will introduce a higher level of premium service as we expand our international route network," he said. According Somphone, Lao Airlines will be acquiring passenger comfort guarantee to fly. Moreover, he added, Lao Airlines will also get the benefits of low operating costs of modern A320 aircraft and saving fuel.

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer responded positively to the presence of Lao Airlines as a new Airbus customer. "With these reservations, Lao Airlines joined other global customers, the owners of the best-selling line of single-aisle aircraft in the airline industry," he said.

A320 aircraft, according to John, preferred by passengers because of the general operational costs are relatively low. John added a series of A320 Family aircraft have been recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft quality.

"Almost 7,80 of Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 4.700 aircraft had been delivered to more than 330 airlines and airline operators around the world. This is a series of best-selling single-aisle aircraft in the world, "he concluded.

picture: google.com

Citilink Revision Number of Aircraft

Strategic business unit of PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk, Citilink, revised the number of aircraft to be operated until the end of this year. When originally projected Citilink will operates 15 aircraft, the target is reduced to 10 units.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar said, it was done because of Garuda Indonesia planes nevertheless grant that during this operation. "Garuda Indonesia’s plane is not suitable for Citilink, due to Citilink’s concept is the low cost carriers (LCC)," Satar said in Jakarta.

The plane which needed by Citilink is the aircraft with a capacity of 180 passengers, while the aircraft owned by Garuda Indonesia is the plane for the premium class with a capacity of 144 passengers. It is considered inefficient.

Therefore, Garuda Indonesia aircraft will not grant to Citilink. "Citilink has decided to operate the Airbus A320, so that Garuda INodnesia’s Boeing Series will be grounded and sold when it's not used anymore," he said.

Emir added that currently it had prepared to make Citilink a stand-alone company. The target is in 2012 has done a spin off.

"We have prepared a business plan that the Ministry of Transportation provide aviation business license this year, the target may spin off next year," he said.

picture: google.com

AirAsia’s RECORD: order 200 Airbus A320neo

The Malaysia airline company, Air Asia has ordered 200 Airbus A320neo type, worth about U.S$ 18 billion.

Orders during the Paris Air Show is the largest single transaction in the history of commercial aircraft orders.

Many parties order a new version of Airbus A320 type, because the new engine is more fuel efficient and inexpensive operation.

On Wednesday, Airbus also get big orders from the Indian company, Indigo, as many as 180 aircraft.

Airbus said the order from AirAsia - the low cost airlines from Malaysia - is the biggest buyer in a single order.

Overall AirAsia has ordered 375 aircraft from the A320 type, with 89 of them already in operation.

"With this historic agreement, AirAsia is able to meet the future growth in Asian markets," said Tony Fernandes, AirAsia's executive director.

Airbus who owned by EADS has been outpacing its rival, Boeing, on the number of orders during the Paris Air Show because of the high demand for fuel efficient planes.

Airbus has received 586 aircraft orders worth U.S$ 55.8 billion, with a tentative booking U.S.$ 29.5 billion.

The company of America, Boeing, only get 47 orders worth U.S.$ 7.5 billion with U.S.$ 14.9 billion more as a temporary order.

picture: google.com