Other booming Arab carriers
include Etihad, which has ordered 10
A380s and Qatar Airways, based in
the oil- and gas-rich emirate of Qatar.
At the same time more than 50 airlines are waiting for the Boeing 787
Dreamliner, now running about 15
months late and due in the third quarter
of 2009.
China has lofty ambitions for its
domestic airline industry. Last year
China had at the top of its national
research priorities the development of
a wide-bodied passenger aircraft as a
domestic competitor to Boeing and
Airbus so as to capture part of the
booming domestic market in China.
Boeing predicts that 2,880 airliners
worth $280 billion will be sold in China
in the next two decades, making it the
world’s fastest growing market for such
aircraft. China hopes its first home-grown large aircraft will be airborne in
10-15 years.
Following an extensive evaluation
period, China Southern Airlines earlier
this year awarded AkzoNobel Aerospace
Coatings (ANAC) a five year agreement
to supply new generation aerospace
coatings for both their expanding maintenance program and for selection on
their new build aircraft on order with
both Boeing and Airbus.
China Southern Airlines, the largest
in China, currently operates more than
300 commercial aircraft. Concerned
with the cosmetic appearance of their
aircraft, the company set out a program to improve the durability and
appearance of their aircrafts’ exterior
paint system.
ANAC paint systems, fully qualified
to the latest Boeing and Airbus paint
specifications, improved overall durability when compared to older generation
coatings, specifically in regard to color,
gloss retention and stain resistance,
subsequently leading to lower long term
maintenance costs.
coatings might seem like an unlikely
candidate to help with cost savings or
bringing about environmental benefits
but that is exactly what coatings companies are focused on. The logic is simple—the heavier the aircraft is, the
more fuel is needed to lift it off the
ground and keep it there.
In the highly regulated and
extremely demanding aviation sector
the approval process for a new coating
system generally takes at least three
to six years, and very often longer.
The aircraft coatings sector, which is
divided into three broad segments—
commercial, military and general aviation—was worth $110 million in 2006 in
the U.S., according to The Chemark
Consulting Group. Commercial aircraft,
which includes large transport for airline
and air cargo operations, makes up 75%
of the market. Military aircraft account
for 21% and general aviation aircraft for
corporate and private use makes up the
remaining five percent of the market.
Akzo Nobel Aerospace Coatings
(ANAC) this year introduced 10P20-44M,
an epoxy primer, which has been qualified to specification BMS 10-72 Type IX.
John Griffin, general manager, ANAC
Americas, explained that test results
prove that combining a sol-gel type pre-treatment with the new 10P20-44M
primer is the most effective way to significantly reduce “rivet rash,” which is a
term used to refer to the selective loss of
paint from metal rivet heads on aircraft.
Rivet rash increases the risk of corrosion
AIRBUS USES ENVIORNMENTALLY-FRIENDLY
PAINTING TECHNIQUES FOR A380
Before Airbus’ A380 superjumbo jet was delivered to Singapore Airlines
last year, it stayed approximately three weeks in the company’s paint-shop in Hamburg, Germany. In addition to the actual painting, most of
the other work in the paint-shop includes cleaning, grinding, masking
and unmasking the 3,100 square meter surface of the A380.
Approximately 3,600 liters of chromate-free paint is used for three
layers of paint—primer, customer-paint, top-coat—for an A380. Only
600 to 1,000 kg of paint stays on the aircraft. Each layer measures only
about 0.120 mm and is able to withstand differences in temperatures of
approximately 100°C.
Airbus is applying the most modern and environmental friendly techniques for the A380 painting process, the company said. Electrostatic pistols are used to minimize paint mist. Used air is cleaned and washed
through a multi-stage cleaning process to ensure that paint particles are
disposed separately.
AIRLINES CUT COSTS
AND REDUCE EMISSIONS
The aircraft coatings market is technology driven. Increasing fuel costs and
public demand for cheaper airfares are
compelling airlines to cut costs wherever possible. In these circumstances,
Environmentally friendly techniques are employed in the process of painting the
Airbus A380, including the use of electrostatic pistols to minimize paint mist, and
the application of chromate-free paint.
