AEROSPACE  Aircraft manufacturer Airbus delivered 863 commercial aircraft to 99 customers in 2019, outpacing its previous output record set in 2018 by 8%. In the 17th yearly production increase in a row, Airbus, which employs more than 6,000 staff at its wing making plant in Broughton, near Chester, progressed on the transition to all NEO (New Engine Option) variants and by year end Airbus had delivered 173 wide-body aircraft, its highest number in a single year. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/2053655-airbus-manufacture-outpaces-previous-year-with-863-aircraft-delivered?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NorthWest_13th_Jan_2020_Daily Leeds Bradford Airport has revealed plans to build ... Read more

AEROSPACE  A consortium of aircraft manufacturers has teamed up with Formula One to develop lightweight aircraft seating designed to help reduce CO2 emissions and secure the UK’s foothold in the £16bn aircraft interiors market. Formula One know-how combined with aerospace composites advanced manufacturing methods will be used to create a lightweight aircraft seating alternative that could vastly diminish carbon emissions and potentially save airlines millions of dollars each year. https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/aerospace-and-formula-one-team-up-to-create-innovative-new-aircraft-seating/ Read more

AEROSPACE Rolls-Royce has revealed that repairs to its Trent 1000 engines are taking longer than at first expected. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/eastmidlands/news/2029469-rolls-royce-reveals-fresh-delays-to-trent-100-engine-repairs Read more

AEROSPACE RG Carter has won a contract to build Cranfield University’s new £65m Digital Aviation Research & Technology Centre (DARTeC). https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/rg-carter-to-build-65m-aviation-research-centre DEFENCE The race to design and build a new generation of Royal Navy frigates has been won by engineering firm Babcock. It has been named preferred bidder for the £1.25bn contract for five Type 31 warships. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-49670332 Read more

AUTOMOTIVE The chief executive of Vauxhall-owner PSA says it could move all production from its Ellesmere Port factory if Brexit makes it unprofitable. Carlos Tavares has said that the carmaker has alternatives to the plant which it could use. The move would probably lead to the closure of the site, threatening 1,000 jobs. That would leave Vauxhall's Luton-based van plant as its last presence in the UK. In June, the carmaker announced plans to manufacture the next generation of the Astra, its bestselling ... Read more

AEROSPACE Ryanair has reported a sharp fall in quarterly profits as it reduced fares to drive up passenger numbers. Profits fell 21% to €243m (£219m) for the three months to the end of June, as the average ticket price fell 6%. For more information on this story please follow the link below: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49149151 The Sopwith Camel, the Supermarine Spitfire and the Galileo satellite system were all built by the British aerospace industry, ensuring Britain has a trans-generational connection to aviation, having been a prime player ... Read more

AEROSPACE With economic uncertainty and unresolved Brexit issues on the horizon, it’s a troubling time for the UK’s aerospace industry. Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS, has discussed some of the key issues, and how we can choose the right path to ensure stability. “No deal Brexit is the worst possible outcome, and our position has not changed since the referendum in 2016,” said Paul Everitt, chief executive of ADS, the trade organisation representing more than 1,000 companies across the UK aerospace, defence, ... Read more

Imagine boarding a flight which enables a journey from London to Sydney to take only four-and-a-half hours? One UK-based company is building an engine to power aircraft for hypersonic flight in the atmosphere. Reaction Engines has devised a unique rocket engine, named Sabre, that could allow aircraft to fly much faster than traditional jets. Unlike jet engines, Sabre can also operate in a rocket mode outside of the atmosphere, and this could potentially offer the next generation of reusable space launch vehicles. Jet ... Read more

Airbus announced that it is ceasing production on its A380 jumbo aircraft 12 years after production started.  The aerospace manufacturer cited a “lack of airline demand” as the reason production of the A380 would end. Dubai’s Emirates airline, the largest A380 customer, is reducing its A380 order book from 162 to 123 aircraft. Emirates will take delivery of 14 further A380s over the next two years. “As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to ... Read more