The recent moves by Airbus and Boeing away from all-new programs signify a distinct trend – new airplane designs are very expensive and complicated. They are high-risk projects that are better avoided until technologies offer much greater deltas between the…
Today ANA announced orders for 70 aircraft worth $16.6Bn at retail prices. The long haul portion of this order has been much anticipated after rival JAL’s order for A350s. The A350 order by JAL was significant because this was the…
Final assembly of the first Mitsubishi Regional Jet has begun at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facility in Nagoya, Japan. This was facilitated by the delivery of the first middle fuselage section, which will shortly be followed by the wings and…
Last week, the Japanese government issued additional take-off and landing slots for international flights from Haneda, Tokyo’s downtown airport (picture). That airport, which is primarily used for domestic service, has recently added an additional runway, opening 20 new slots for…
[UPDATE – Boeing has communicated with us that the company has made no decision about 777x assembly and they continue to explore all their options] With Japan Air Lines breaking Boeing’s lock on the Japanese market with an order for…
In news that will reverberate in Chicago and Seattle today, Japan Airlines (JAL) signed a purchase agreement for 31 A350 XWBs (18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s), plus options for a further 25 aircraft. This is JAL’s first ever order for Airbus…