Different Assumptions Yield Different Airplanes

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Addison Schonland

Boeing and Airbus have different assumptions on the future of air travel, which impacts their product lines. Airbus assumes that growth in aircraft size will continue, and that with increasing congestion at airports, larger aircraft will be needed. Boeing views route dispersion and the use of smaller cities for point-to-point service, avoiding hubs, as a strong element of the future air travel system. Both are right, to some degree, but their focus is impacted market positioning. Continue reading →

Defining MAX

Posted on May 16, 2012 by leehamnet

With the recent announcement by Boeing that the aerodynamic changes are done on the Boeing 737 MAX, any further gains in fuel efficiency must come from the engine and architecture improvements still to come. Continue reading →

Aging Airplanes

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Addison Schonland

Over the past two years we have seen a remarkable surge in orders for single aisle airplanes. Much of this has been driven by fuel prices. But there has also been an issue bubbling under – airplanes in many fleets are getting older.

Pat Duggins (http://www.patduggins.com/) is an expert on aging airplanes and spent some time explaining the issues. You might be surprised what you learn from this.

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AirInsight Special Report

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

You can view our most recent Special Report titled “Wichita Tornado Damage” here

Oh Venus, Hey Venus

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Ernest S. Arvai

In one of the more bizarre incidents in recent history, an Air Canada pilot flying over the Atlantic mistakenly thought the planet Venus was an oncoming aircraft, diving the aircraft rapidly enough to cause injuries to 16 persons on board the aircraft, and upsetting those that weren’t injured.

According to an article in Canada’s National Post, pilot fatigue played a significant role in the error that occurred on a Toronto-Zurich flight using a Boeing 767-300 in January 2011. Continue reading →

The Boeing 737 MAX and the GTF

Posted on April 16, 2012 by leehamnet

It’s a story that won’t die, and the buzz around ISTAT 2012 was that Boeing continues to consider offering the Pratt & Whitney GTF on the 737 MAX. Continue reading →

Yellow flags waving throughout Commercial Aviation

Posted on April 9, 2012 by leehamnet

Although Airbus and Boeing came off a record year for orders in 2011 and Boeing is expected to have a record year this year as nearly 1,000 commitments for the 737 MAX are converted to orders, there are plenty of worrisome signs across commercial aviation and throughout the world that this year and next could be worse than appears on the surface. Continue reading →

Competition in twin-aisle race becomes clearer

Posted on April 3, 2012 by leehamnet

As details emerge on Boeing’s 777X, the line-up in the twin-aisle competition is now becoming clearer. The following table is based on known data and our estimates of some of the technical detail. Continue reading →

Does an A330neo make sense?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin

AirInsight published an analysis on the issue of an A330neo – something that is attracting a lot of discussion around the industry.

It is our view that the decision being faced by Airbus is not easy – there are a host of issues to work through. What does Airbus do to respond to the 787-8? Is a response necessary?

The report is available in our online store.

Rolls-Royce, Air France and the A350XWB

Posted on March 30, 2012 by leehamnet

The reported dispute between Air France-KLM and Rolls-Royce over the engines for their long-awaited A350 order comes down to Rolls’ insistence that it perform the maintenance on the engines and Air France’s desire to not only do its own maintenance but to also be free to in-source work for other airlines. Continue reading →