Air India, part of the Tata Group, and CFM International, a JV between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, have finalised the order for 800 LEAP engines that will power the Indian carrier’s new fleet of 210 Airbus A320/321neos and 190 Boeing 737 Max family aeroplanes. The duo have also inked a multi-year services contract covering the airline’s fleet of LEAP engines. Details about this deal were first announced in February 2023. Currently, Air India has 27 A320neo aircraft in its fleet powered by LEAP-1A engines.

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After announcing upcoming upgrades for four Cessna variants, Textron Aviation has unveiled what it will offer in Beechcraft King Air 260 and 360 aircraft from 2024. Both turboprops will pack a new feature called CoolView windows. Manufactured by Lee Aerospace, this upgrade minimises heat transfer into the cabin on the ramp. How? A thin metallic inner layer significantly reduces the amount of infrared light entering the cabin. And that’s not all the CoolView windows will offer. They also feature a frost pane and an integrated window tint. As you’d expect, the frost pane helps reduce or eradicate ice buildup during long flights, and the window tint improves visibility by limiting sunlight and glare.

Textron confirms the CoolView windows are also available as an upgrade for existing in-use Beechcraft King Air turboprops. They can be purchased at authorised service centres and via Textron Aviation’s parts website.

One of the world’s oldest carriers, Delta Air Lines, has disclosed an order for 12 additional A220 aircraft. To be specific, the order extension is for the Airbus A220-300 plane. This takes the US-based airline’s firm order for the A220s to 131 – 45 A220-100 and 86 A220-300. Airbus confirms that it has received orders from the firm mentioned above five times over the years, all for A220 aircraft. Today, Delta Air Lines is the largest A220 customer and operator globally. The carrier’s first Airbus A220 joined its fleet in October 2018, the first for any airline in the USA. Presently, it has a fleet of 433 Airbus aeroplanes, including 61 A220s, 280 A320 Family aircraft, 64 A330s and 28 A350-900.

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AvMet International LLC (AvMet) has contracted Textron Aviation to supply five Beechcraft King Air turboprops. The order comprises one 360CHW (cargo door, heavy weight) variant and four 260 derivatives. Once delivered, these aircraft will be fitted with all the necessary equipment to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology program for cloud seeding. AvMet and its partners Weather Modification International and Fargo Jet Center will jointly work to equip the four King Air 260 aeroplanes with a Cloud Water Inertial Probe, Data Logger with aircraft tracking and cloud-seeding equipment. The King Air 360CHW will be modified with cloud-seeding equipment, a research lab and an instrument package for studying cloud physics and aerosols.