Premium #341 – New Technology Aircraft Take Longer to Develop

Having been around the industry for more years than we’d like to admit, our perception is that new programs are taking much longer to develop than they did in the past.  Back in the “good old” days, it seemed that Boeing or Douglas would announce an airplane, and four years later it would be entering service, plus or minus a few days.

Today, we’ve seen major program development delays at Boeing with the 787, Airbus with the A380, Bombardier with the CSeries.  Even when aircraft are certified, problems can crop up with additional delays, as on the 787, and teething problems with major suppliers, including the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines used on several models and capacity issues at Zodiac have been impacting deliveries at Airbus and Bombardier.  As aircraft have become more complex, the time required to design and build them is increasing, as is  getting the supply chain fully on board.