Aviation

Airbus and Audi partner to provide air & ground urban mobility services

Airbus and Audi partner to provide air & ground urban mobility services

ILA Berlin Air Show, 26 April 2018 – Airbus and the German car manufacturer Audi have teamed up to develop real, near-term urban mobility solutions.

Beginning this summer, Airbus – through its on-demand helicopter platform Voom – will partner with Audi to deliver an end-to-end transportation service, starting in São Paulo and Mexico City. This partnership will provide premium ground transportation serviced by Audi vehicles and helicopter transport via Airbus’ Voomservice, allowing customers to have a seamless and ultra-convenient travel experience.

“This important partnership with Audi addresses both current and future challenges for urban mobility. As a first concrete milestone in the cooperation we are developing, we will be offering multi-modal transportation solutions to the world’s most congested cities,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “The world is rapidly urbanizing, and ground infrastructure alone cannot meet the demands of tomorrow. Increased congestion is pushing the cities’ transport systems to the limits, costing travellers and municipalities valuable time and money. Adding the sky as a third dimension to the urban transport networks is going to revolutionise the way we live – and Airbus is ready to shape and build that future of flight.”

“The Audi Group is committed to improve mobility in cities by introducing smart, innovative ideas. To find the best solutions for our customers, we therefore showed in 2018 the first modular system for Urban Air Mobility together with Airbus and our subsidiary Italdesign”, said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. “Today we are going the next step entering into a service with Airbus and Voom to offer premium mobility for customers. By doing this, we will learn even better how we can ensure seamless, multi-modal transportation with the best partners for our customers. Together with Airbus, we will develop this cooperation further.”

Airbus has already carried out successful trials in São Paulo of its helicopter ride-hailing service Voom, which aims to ease congestion by making helicopter travel more accessible and affordable. Since March 2018, the service is also available in Mexico City.

Airbus and Italdesign are partnering on Pop Up, a full electric auto piloted and modular concept including a capsule connected to either ground or air module. Elsewhere, teams are working to create entirely new vehicles: CityAirbus, ready to fly before the end of 2018, is a technology demonstrator of an electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle for up to four passengers. Vahana aims to create a similar mode of transport for individual travellers or cargo. It completed its first full-scale flight in January 2018. In Singapore, the company is working with the country’s National University on the Skyways project to test a parcel transportation system using autonomous drones.

https://jetlinemarvel.net/2018/04/25/emirates-introduces-home-check-dubai/

Aviation

Boeing to Slash 17,000 Jobs Worldwide Amid Ongoing Factory Strike

Boeing to Slash 17,000 Jobs Amid Ongoing Factory Strike

Boeing, one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, is facing a severe crisis. The company announced on Friday that it will lay off 17,000 employees—roughly 10% of its workforce.

This decision comes amid a prolonged strike, production delays, and ongoing safety concerns with its aircraft. Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s CEO since August, delivered the news, stating, “Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together.

Beyond navigating our current environment, restoring our company requires tough decisions, and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term.”

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Boeing has been struggling financially, with the last reported profit in 2018. The company’s largest union, with 33,000 members, has been on strike for nearly a month after rejecting a labor deal. The ongoing walkout is reportedly costing Boeing around a billion dollars each month as negotiations remain at a standstill.

Compounding these issues, Boeing’s much-anticipated boeing 777x wide-body plane is now six years behind schedule, with deliveries postponed until 2026. This follows the discovery of structural damage during flight tests. Boeing also announced it will stop manufacturing its commercial 767 freighters after fulfilling its remaining orders by 2027.

Financially, the company expects to report a significant third-quarter loss—nearly $10 per share—and a total cash outflow of $1.3 billion. boeing new aircraft commercial airplane unit faces a $3 billion pretax charge, while its defense business will absorb an additional $2 billion hit.

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The strike has severely impacted production at key boeing facilities, particularly in Seattle, where half of the company’s nearly 150,000 employees work. Since 2019, Boeing has lost approximately $25 billion.

Ortberg was brought in over the summer to help the company regain public trust following safety concerns, especially surrounding the 737 Max line, which was involved in two deadly crashes. Earlier this year, a separate incident involving a panel popping off a 737 Max mid-flight reignited concerns. A Federal Aviation Administration investigation following the event found that Boeing had failed 33 out of 89 product audits.