Boeing
There has been much talk about how Airbus needs to respond to the 787. Earlier this week, speaking on one of our podcasts, Boeing’s Randy Tinseth said Boeing has the A350 bracketed. Airbus has said they don’t need to respond to the 787 because the A330 can accomplish this. When Airbus’ Chris Emerson spoke with us on his podcast, he highlighted the A330′s lighter weight and low costs as compelling for airlines – reflecting Airbus’ continued confidence in the A330.
Airlines looking at the middle twin segment have, in other words, appear to have a choice between: Airbus’ lower entry costs, combined with a well established delivery schedule and consequent low risk. Or Boeing’s lower fuel burn and the promise of better economics going forward, albeit with a less consistent delivery schedule and operational glitches carrying more risk. Continue reading
The news about Iran’s interest in buying new aircraft seems to have struck a chord. Here’s a look at Iran’s fleet of commercial aircraft to see what they have available. The chart below lists the fleet by airline and type. The newest aircraft in the fleet is an ATR 72-200 with an original delivery date of November 1, 2002. Continue reading
Iran has been under sanctions on commercial aviation since 1995. Its airlines fly old aircraft and safety has been compromised frequently. The national fleet averages 22 years old. One report suggests that 100 grounded aircraft could come back into service once parts can be bought.
For the fleet still operational, Iran has had to suffer service disruptions of all sorts. In the EU, fuel supply has been a frequent problem. During sanctions an estimated 1,700 people have died in Iranian aircraft crashes.
Take a look at this 727 doing an emergency landing in 2011 without an operational nose wheel. It is a remarkable flying skill that nobody got hurt – there were 94 passengers and 19 crew on this flight. Continue reading
Boeing had an excellent show in Dubai. The company sold 225 777X models plus 30 787-10s and 90 737s. All told, at retail, this amounts to over $100bn. Great numbers, but also a bit wobbly.
These orders essentially come from three airlines. These are strong airlines with impressive growth tracks. Bear in mind these same three airlines also ordered well over $20bn worth of aircraft from Airbus. It was a blowout spending spree, for which these airlines are now well known.
Let’s get to the wobbly bit. For Boeing there is a growing dependency on these three airlines. (Its even worse for Airbus’ A380 program) Take a look at these charts. Continue reading
Here’s news nobody wants to read about during the Dubai show. The last thing Boeing and aerospace firms want to hear about is 787 and batteries. But the news is back.
While news should really be that it appears a Thales battery charger is the item at fault, the world will focus on the 787 and the Japanese airlines. It appears these airlines and Boeing know what happened with the 787′s batteries earlier, there has still not been an explanation of how or why it happened.
The consequence of the mystery means that any news related to 787s and batteries continue to attract press attention. It is important that these issues are dealt with and fixed so they do not occur again. But it seems this is not case yet. Which is not a good thing.