Flyer F40

a Flyer F40-30 taking off from Melbroune

The **Flyer F40** is an Australian wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Flyer Aircraft Coorperation. The program was launched on 3 May, 2010, with an order for 10 aircraft from Merpati Nusantara Airlines and 25 from GIA, targeting a 2012 introduction. On 7 January, 2010, a prototype Flyer F40-20 was rolled out without major operating systems, and then the aircraft experienced a few delays until its maiden flight on 16 June, 2012. Type certification was received in November 2012 and the first Flyer F40 was delivered in 16 February, 2013 before entering commercial service on 19 April, 2013, with GIA.

## History

### Creation

During the late 2000s, Qantas requested Flyer to build a long-haul aircraft. A new aircraft were proposed. The Flyer F35 would have lengthened the F30 and improved efficiency; however, several other Australian airlines, including Jetstar , showed initial enthusiasm for the Flyer F35, although concerns about the operating cost were also expressed. the Flyer F35 was officially canceled on 6 October, 2008 with 1 prototype preserved at Melbroune Airport. On 19 December, 2009, Flyer announced an alternative product, the F40, using F35 technology in a more conventional configuration. The emphasis on a smaller wide-body twinjet rather than a very long F35 aircraft represented a shift from the hub-and-spoke theory toward the point-to-point theory, in response to analysis of focus groups. The Flyer F40 was officially rolled-out in January 2010 and was procceded to be ordered.

### Customer Interest

When the Flyer F40 was announced in 2010, not only Australian airlines were interested, but also Pacific-based customers, such as:

1. Merpati Nusantara Airlines ,ordered in March 2010
2. Garuda Indonesia, ordered in March 2010
3. Asiana Airlines, ordered in April 2010
4. ANA, ordered in April 2010
5. Japan Airlines, ordered in April 2010
6. Philippine Airlines, ordered in April 2010
7. Cathay Pacific, ordered in November 2010
8. China Airlines, ordered in February 2011

Merpati Nusantara Airlines was initially going to be the launch customer, Eventually Garuda Indonesia became the launch customer due to Merpati Nusantara's financial difficulties and all aircraft destined for Merpati were not taken up and were given to Garuda Indonesia and Asiana. Aircraft was certified on April 2011 and first flight was on June 16th, 2012, eventually delivering the first aircraft to Garuda on April 2013.

### False Grounding

a Flyer F40 owned by **FAC** that wasn't taken up by Merpati Nusantara crashed on November 2013 on a field near Melbroune Airport, it crashed after takeoff after the aircraft's flaps weren't configured properly due to pilot error, forcing Garuda Indonesia, Asiana Airlines, ANA, and Qantas\* to ground the aircraft for 6 months. Then when it was confirmed to be pilot error, all Flyer F40 pilots were retrained and the F40 was ungrounded in April 2014.

*\* = the only airlines the operated the aircraft back then.*

### Not taken up aircraft issue (2015-2017)

on May 2015, many Flyer F40 planes destined for Garuda Indonesia and Asiana Airlines were not taken up and eventually stored due to corrosion problems, apparently the new anti-corrosion coating from January 2015 was weak, and Flyer was unable to change it for 3 years. eventually they had to give 6 stored retired Japan Airlines Flyer F40s in Victorville with the old anti-corrosion coating given to Garuda and Asiana, Pakistan International Airlines' and Philippine Airlines' delivery of the Flyer F40 were also delayed to May 2018 due to this incident. Finally, in April 2017, they were allowed to change back to the old anti-corrosion coating to the Flyer F40's and all not taken up aircraft were given to Garuda Indonesia, Asiana Airlines, Pakistan International, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

## Design

### Engines

the emgines of the Flyer F30-20 are the General Electric GE90 engines which are also used on the Boeing 777-300ER. TBA

the engines of the Flyer F40-30 are the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines when were also applied to the Airbus A380-841. TBA

## Accidents and incidents

As of August 2023, the Flyer F40 had a total of 4 hull losses, with 1 being fatal.

1. on 9 November 2013, an ex-Merpati Nusantara Flyer F40 used as a testbed by Flyer crashed into a field near Melbroune Airport, it crashed after takeoff after the aircraft's flaps weren't configured properly due to pilot error. This was the first hull loss of the jet and ended und grounding the 29 F40s currrently in service back then. 5 crew members died.
2. on 7 April 2014, a Japan Airlines Flyer F40-20 that wasn't taken up was being stored at Victorville, USA when it's landing was so hard the aircraft was severly damaged, however it wasnt noticed until Asiana Airlines acquired the Flyer F40-20, when repainting the jet into the Asiana Airlines livery, people reported severe damages and large cracks, the aircraft was unable to be repaired and was damaged beyond repair. the aircraft was left stored at Victorville as used for spare parts for Garuda Indonesia, before eventually being crushed by excavators (scrapped) on November 2021.
3. on 4 January 2018, Japan Airlines Flight 348 was a passenger flight between Taipei and Tokyo, during landing at Tokyo-Narita, the aircraft's tail struck the papi lights, destroying the APU, stabilizers and tearing the tail open, the aircraft's nose landing gear then collapsed from the hard landing and the nose was corroded and the nose cone fell off, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was later scrapped 3 days later.
4. on 19 November 2020, Garuda Indonesia Flight 398 was a passenger flight between Jakarta and Denpasar, when being towed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the tug that was towing the aircraft caught fire, causing a large fire below the cockpit, all 98 passengers and crew evacuated safely with no injuries. But the firetrucks came late, they managed to extinguish the fire but the aircraft was damaged beyont repair, this is because of the severe damage to the bottom of the nose, holes were also made from the burning. The aircraft remains stored at the airport to this day.