Boeing's 787 Dreamliner programme has faced many challenges since the roll-out of its first aircraft in 2007. Image courtesy of Yasuhiko Obara Yasobara.
The 737 MAX has rejuvenated Boeing orders, helping them trump Airbus for the first time since 2006. Image courtesy of Boeing.
Tests involving a Predator B drone successfully proved that unmanned systems can share airspace with civilian aircraft. Image courtesy of the US Air Force.

The 787-10 will be the third Dreamliner variant

Boeing to take time to seek board approval for 787-10 Dreamliner

787-10 Dreamliner

Boeing revealed that more efforts were required to obtain approval from its board of directors for an official launch of the 787-10 Dreamliner programme.

The company has been in talks with airlines and aircraft leasing companies to demonstrate specifications for the long-haul 787-10 aircraft, but programme vice president and general manager Larry Loftis said the company had more tasks to perform in order to launch it.

The 787-10 will be the third Dreamliner variant and is expected to accommodate up to 323 passengers, nearly 13% more than the 787-9 version.

UK and US partner to discuss unmanned civilian flights

Both parties will exchange information

The UK National Aeronautical Centre will collaborate with Oklahoma State University’s Multispectral Laboratory in the US to boost the operation and regulatory development of civilian unmanned aerial systems.

Both parties will exchange information and development and operational experiences, in order to produce national safety standards for the construction, testing and control of civilian unmanned aerial systems, so that they can be operated under regulated conditions.

In addition, NAC and UML will exchange information with US Federal Aviation Administration, UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and the European Aviation Safety Agency to set up a framework for internationally-accepted regulation.

Success in this collaboration will allow UAS operating firms, both in the US and Europe, to tap into a market that is expected to be worth $51bn a year by 2020.

EU suspends extensions of aviation emissions trading scheme

The European Union has suspended the planned extension of its emissions trading scheme (ETS) to flights to and from non-EU nations, which would have forced international airlines to pay for carbon emissions.

"Criticism of the scheme stemmed from the cost incurred by airlines."

The postponement follows an ICAO general meeting last week, during which the organisation agreed to move towards a market-based mechanism for emissions trading.

Criticism of the scheme stemmed from the cost incurred by airlines as a result of the scheme coming at a time of doubt within the industry, with airlines suggesting the worldwide cost would equate to approximately €17.5bn ($22.3bn) through to 2020.

India banned its airlines from complying in April, and the US Senate followed suit in September by passing a measure that effectively shielded the nation’s airlines from participating in the programme.

Boeing set to surpass Airbus’s aircraft orders in 2012

The 737 MAX builds on the strengths of twin-engine narrow-body 737 aeroplane

Boeing looks set to surpass Airbus in terms of new aircraft orders in 2012, the first time the aircraft manufacturer has done so since 2006.

Demand for Boeing’s narrow body 737 aircraft had helped drive the number of orders received to 1,009 up to 6 November, with 938 orders having been received for the new MAX model of the 737 aircraft.

The 737 MAX builds on the strengths of twin-engine narrow-body 737 aeroplane and is scheduled to be delivered to US-based Southwest Airlines in 2017.

General Atomics shows drones can share civilian airspace

Drones used in warzones can cooperatively and safely share airspace

Tests conducted by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA ASI) successfully demonstrated that drones used in warzones can cooperatively and safely share airspace with civilian aircraft.

The tests were conducted in order to determine the wider use of robotic planes in American airspace, as they are generally allowed to be used only in warzones and not domestically.

The tests involved a Predator B RPA drone equipped with a radio location system, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) in order to avoid collision with other aircraft.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, all domestic aircraft flying at more than 10,000ft or around major US airports will have to be equipped with the radio location system by 2020.

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