Despite the torrential rain at Le Bourget yesterday, Airbus and Boeing both notched up some key commitments at the Paris Air Show. While the latter edged closer to being able to launch the 787-10X, with interest from Gecas, its rival across the Atlantic also courted the world’s leading lessors, with ILFC ordering even more A320neos; and Doric placing an order for A380s.

Even as leasing company GE Capital Aviation Services (Gecas) made a commitment to order 10 Boeing 787-10Xs equipped with GEnx engines, Tokyo-based Skymark Airlines became the first Japanese airline to order the 737 Max, with a total of four. It is likely the carrier will look at replacing its fleet of 737-800s with the Max in future.

“The 787 and A350 are too expensive [for us],” said Skymark president and CEO Shinichi Nishikubo. “The 737 has helped us become a big company.” Of the six Airbus A380s that Skymark has ordered, Nishikubo told AIN, “I will fly the first to New York and the second to London. And the third, I am thinking [about].” The carrier also has 10 Airbus A330s, “with no plans to buy more.”

Tough economic times are telling. Gecas president and CEO Norman Liu said, “This [787 order] has been a conservative figure given the world we live in.” However, he was confident that with 777s and A340s globally moving out of service, the 787-10X would be an ideal replacement, as a strong airplane for transatlantic and inter-Asia travel. “With a 5,000 nautical mile range, it will cover 95 percent of the world.”

On a separate note, TUI Travel and CFM International celebrated a commitment to purchase 60 Boeing 737 Max 8s and Max 9s with 120 CFM Leap-1B engines.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa has firmed up on its order for 100 Airbus A320s and International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) has added a further 50 A320neos to its previous order for 100 aircraft.

The German carrier will take a mixed fleet of 35 A320neos (new engine order), 35 A321neos and 30 A320ceos (conventional engine order), with Sharklet wingtips. It says the aircraft will meet future growth and fleet renewal needs and will “contribute significantly to reducing noise and emissions.”

ILFC CEO Henri Courpron said the latest order, bringing its neo order tally to 150 aircraft, “allows ILFC to offer a single-aisle aircraft family that delivers a significant reduction in fuel consumption and the widest, most comfortable cabin in its class.”

Neither customer has yet decided between the CFM56 Leap engine or Pratt & Whitney Pure Power geared turbofan offerings. Lufthansa ordered PurePowers for its previous 30 neos, saying it had “spent a lot of time with Pratt & Whitney to thoroughly understand the geared turbofan architecture.”

ILFC split its order between the two, opting for Leaps for 40 aircraft and the rest PurePower engines. Delivery of the Lufthansa aircraft is set to begin in 2015 for the A320ceos and 2019 for the neos. ILFC will begin taking its neos in 2015.

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Dassault Falcon Jet plans to increase the size of its completion center in Little Rock, Arkansas to accommodate future Falcons, it was announced today at a press conference attended by Governor Mike Beebe of Arkansas, Senators Boozman and Pryor, Representative Griffin, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and executives from Dassault Falcon Jet. Over the next three years, the company will invest $60 million in new construction and the refurbishment of existing facilities.

“Little Rock has been a major part of our company identity over the last 38 years and today is the company’s largest industrial facility,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman & CEO of Dassault Aviation. “It has become our worldwide center of excellence for primary completion activities and pioneered the use of digital design in cabin completion. The new investment will not only increase capacity but enhance the overall quality and efficiency of the products we provide to our customers.”

“I like to say that a piece of Little Rock is always flying somewhere in the world because of the craftsmanship, ingenuity and dedication of our employees here,” said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet.  “I am glad that the Dassault Aviation Board of Directors gave the green light for this major expansion and want to thank Governor Beebe, the Little Rock Airport Commission and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for a productive exchange that ultimately led to a win-win agreement for Dassault Falcon Jet and the State of Arkansas.”

“Dassault Falcon Jet is a cornerstone of Arkansas’s aviation sector, and today’s significant investment will help cement that status for many years to come,” Governor Beebe said. “This company is a big reason that aviation products are one of our top exports, and their Little Rock employees are a big reason Dassault Falcon Jet is committed to doing business in Arkansas.”

Site preparation will begin in early 2014 and construction will take place through the early part of 2016. The result will be an increase of 250,000 square feet dedicated to production and completion activities. The project will also include refurbishment of  the cabinet, upholstery and headliner shops along with upgrades to older hangars. The expansion will bring the total facility footprint to 1.25 million square feet.

The new completion facility will be state-of-the-art, with advanced tools and processes that shorten completion time and increase quality and accuracy.

In 2010, Dassault Falcon Jet received approval from the FAA for the use of 3D data during the completion process, making it the first OEM to have approval for both 3D type design and completion. In addition to enhancing quality, this allows the opportunity for the customer to visualize the final configuration of the aircraft. In 2012, Dassault delivered 66 Falcon aircraft, and expects that number to increase in the coming years.

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Mark Cutifani, who took the helm at Anglo American in April, will sell the company’s Gulfstream G550 jet that the company bought in 2011, The Sunday Times reports, without citing sources. So if you have some extra cash lying around…

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Beechcraft Corporation today held a special ceremony to deliver the 4,000th Model 36 Beechcraft Bonanza: a G36 owned by Segall Group of Baltimore, Md. The Bonanza is the longest continuously produced aircraft in history and more than 18,000 Model 35, 33 and 36 units have been delivered since 1947.

During the ceremony at the company’s Customer Delivery Center in Wichita, Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture presented the Bonanza G36 featuring a commemorative N4000L tail number to Segall Group, a retail brokerage firm based in Baltimore, Md.

“We welcome Segall Group to the Beechcraft family and proudly present the keys to the 4,000th unit of our Model 36 Bonanza,” Boisture said. “As first-time business aircraft owners, Segall Group looked for the latest technology and cabin refinements in an airframe with proven performance and reliability – their research led them to our current production G36.”

Segall Group will use the aircraft to conduct site visits and client meetings while developing shopping centers and brokering real estate deals in the mid-Atlantic region for national retail and restaurant companies. The company’s chief pilot is José R. Santana, who also serves as associate vice president of Retail Sales & Leasing. Two other executives are also pilots: CEO Andrew G. Segall and Chairman Mark S. Segall.

“For several years we’ve leased aircraft for specific trips throughout the mid-Atlantic that would be impossible to make efficiently if driving or flying commercially,” Santana said. “A business aircraft is a tool that adds flexibility and gives us the capability to expand our geographic footprint and our services. As our transportation needs grew and we began taking clients with us on site visits, we realized ownership was the next step. We looked for an airplane that matched the feel of our brand and our image, and the Beechcraft Bonanza is the top-of-the-line aircraft in its category with an outstanding reputation. The G36 has the handling characteristics and robust avionics to give us confidence in flying our employees and our clients, and the spaciousness and quality of the cabin really won us over.”

The Bonanza G36 is a six-seat piston aircraft with a cabin almost a third larger than its nearest competitor. Powered by a 300-horsepower Continental IO-550-B engine with a Hartzell three-blade aluminum alloy propeller, the Bonanza G36 has a maximum cruise speed of 202 miles per hour (176 knots), maximum range of more than 860 nautical miles, 860-pound maximum payload and 18,500-foot service ceiling. The glass cockpit features Garmin G1000® avionics and a Garmin GFC 700 3-Axis Autopilot/Flight Control System.

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Timeless Lounge

The Timeless To Visionary designs are meant to inspire customers by contrasting classic and futuristic cabin interior creations. Taking two floor plans of similar layout, the Design Studio developed two very unique design approaches to illustrate the journey in creating classic, timeless designs to more visionary design concepts that may provide a glimpse into the future of cabin interior design, particularly as aircraft manufacturers increasingly introduce lightweight airframes of composite structures.

Timeless Bedroom

Renderings of the two designs have been created by ACA Advanced Computer Art GmbH, along with a 3D video and a virtual reality display for clients to view and experience the Basel Design Studio’s new designs. In addition, the Basel Design Studio compiled a book for customers outlining the various considerations in producing such luxury interiors, while highlighting ideas for past, present and future interior designs in the world of private aviation.

Visionary Lounge

“The Design Studio at Jet Aviation Basel is dedicated to the creative process in designing bespoke and unique interiors to meet and exceed customer needs and expectations,” says Elisabeth Harvey, manager of the Jet Aviation Basel Design Studio, “Whether managing the entire creative process or working in collaboration with other design houses offering design management services, we push the limits to remain ahead of the design curve to create new and inspirational designs.”

Visionary Master Bathroom

Neil Boyle, vice president of Jet Aviation Basel’s Completions Center, adds, “As specialists at integrating artistic craftsmanship with the latest airframe technologies, we are committed to developing fully functional, certifiable and unique VIP cabin interiors, whether the client prefers timeless elegance or visionary modernity.”

Since its first completions project in 1977 – a Convair 880M introduced at the Paris Airshow the same year – the Jet Aviation Basel Completions Center has created more than 200 cabin interiors. The Jet Aviation Basel Design Studio was established in 2001 and currently employs 12 designers. Having created cabin interior designs for roughly 40% of the large, narrow- and wide-body aircraft it has completed, including 3 Boeing 747s, the Design Studio has successfully established strong working relationships with other design houses and world-renowned designers, some of whom are also specialized in VIP aircraft interior design.

Jet Aviation has also released an animated video of the interiors:

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