German airline Condor has received its first Airbus A330-900 out of an order of 16 A330neos from the airframer. The A330neos will replace previous generation aircraft in Condor's fleet to reduce its operating costs as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 25%, Airbus notes. In July, Condor selected the A320neo family aircraft to modernise its single-aisle fleet, the airframer adds. The A330 family had registered a total of over 1,700 firm orders from 24 customers at the end of November, of which 275 are A330neos.

US lawmakers have unveiled a federal spending bill that, if passed, would grant Boeing an extension on its deadline to install flightcrew alerting systems on the in-development 737 Max 7 and -10 aircraft, enabling the airframer to avoid additional certification delays The proposed legislation comes after months of failed lobbying efforts by the airframer based in Arlington, Virginia, to extend a federally mandated deadline of 27 December for all aircraft facing certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration to install cockpit alert systems. The FAA mandate does not impact certificated aircraft, but the agency has said it would “cease work on reviews related to the crew alerting system for the 737 Max 7 and 10” if Boeing misses the deadline without an extension. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell proposed the extension waiver added to the $1.7 trillion spending bill, which the House and Senate aim to pass by 23 December to fund the US government and avoid a federal shutdown. The waiver includes requirements for additional safety upgrades of Max aircraft, along with quarterly briefings to Congress on the FAA certification process for those aircraft. “The safety-first alternative is much stronger than the no-strings-attached approach that was first offered,” states Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state. “Passengers need to know that the entire Max fleet will be uniform and safe.” The FAA mandate enacted in 2020 was intended as a means to prevent potential confusion of pilots during in-flight emergencies by requiring a cockpit alert system that “displays and differentiates among warnings, cautions, and advisories; and includes functions to assist the flightcrew in prioritising corrective actions and responding to systems failures”. That mandate became law after the House and Senate in the wake of two fatal Max crashes each spent 18 months investigating the FAA certification of those aircraft. The spending bill unveiled on 20 December exempts the flightcrew alert deadline for “an original or amended type certificate that was submitted” to the FAA prior to 27 December, including the two Max variants. Boeing in exchange for that exemption must upgrade all Max aircraft with FAA-approved safety enhancements one year after the certification of Max 10 jets. The airframer would also have three years after the certification of Max 10 aircraft to retrofit all Max jets with a “synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and means to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts” to maintain airworthiness certificates for all Max aircraft. These modifications are intended to avoid problems that flightcrews faced with the automated flight controls and confusion with the cockpit alerts of Max aircraft during the two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. Any safety enhancements, the bill states, must be approved by the FAA administrator, who may also propose additional retrofits as they deem necessary. Boeing would have to pay for all retrofits mentioned in the bill. Former American Airlines pilot Billy Nolen is the acting FAA administrator, who has yet to be confirmed by the Senate for the full-time post. The FAA administrator, the bill states, would also be required to brief Congress “not later than 1 March 2023, and on a quarterly basis thereafter” about the process to certificate Max 7 and -10 aircraft. These briefings would include details about “any design enhancements, pilot procedures, or training requirements resulting from system safety assessments”. Boeing in November failed to insert an extension into a defence spending bill while seeking to avoid further certification delays in addition to those the airframer has forecast for Max 7 and -10 variants. During an investor briefing on 2 November, Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stan Deal pushed expectations for the Max 10’s certification until “late 2023 or early 2024”. Max 7 certification could take until early 2023, he says. Washington state representative Rick Larsen, who advocated an exemption, says: “The women and men make this airplane and live and work and go to school in my district and they’re the folks who are going to be on the short end of the stick if orders don’t get done.' Larsen’s colleague, however, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair Peter DeFazio, opposed extending the cockpit safety installation deadline for Boeing, stating that such equipment “is on every current Airbus and Boeing model under production except for the 737s” The Allied Pilots Association union that represents pilots at American Airlines opposes granting Boeing an extension.

Rolls-Royce is preparing to start ground tests of its UltraFan demonstrator engine in early 2023. The UK manufacturer says it has moved the demonstrator from its build workshop at the company's Derby main base and mounted it to "Testbed 80". Opened in 2020, that testbed was "especially built to accommodate the size and technical complexity of the UltraFan demonstrator", Rolls-Royce notes. The testbed has been used for other engines too. The aim of the UltraFan project is to mature technology for a new engine generation that could enter service from 2030. The demonstrator features a geared 140in fan, driven by a two-spool core with new architecture and materials. Rolls-Royce predicts 25% lower fuel consumption versus the Trent 700, available as an option on Airbus A330ceos, and that it could eek out another 10% efficiency "in the longer term". It notes that UltraFan technology could be used to update in-production engine models. The programme will deliver technology "to support sustainable air travel for decades to come", Rolls-Royce foresees. "Seeing the UltraFan demonstrator come together and getting ready for test in Testbed 80 is a great way to end the year," Rolls-Royce civil aerospace president Chris Cholerton states. "We have all been waiting for this moment, which is such an important milestone for the programme and for the team who have worked on it." Rolls-Royce says the demonstrator will be tested with 100% sustainable aviation fuel. The manufacturer has a target that all its Trent and business aviation engines be compatible with full SAF use by 2023.