Boeing HQ
This weekend was a relatively quiet one for Boeing, with the success of the Starliner in reaching the International Space Station last week, despite helium leaks, marking success for Boeing and United Launch Alliance. The return to earth will be the final challenge later this week.
The news about Boeing focused on incidents, particularly the Air Canada 777 compressor stall on takeoff being on video. This has gone viral and has been reported on television stations around the world as a Boeing aircraft, but not as a GE powered aircraft. The airframe OEM owns the performance of engine manufacturers when it comes to the media, it appears.
Another story illustrated the bias against Boeing, comparing the number of incidents as reported in the United States, and unsurprisingly, Boeing had more than Airbus. Of course, the story didn’t report that the US operated Boeing fleet is much larger than the Airbus fleet, and one would expect a higher number for Boeing. In addition, the NTSB, their source, investigates and reports on all Boeing incidents as US manufactured aircraft, but not necessarily all Airbus incidents. An unbiased report would have compared the rate of incidents per aircraft, rather than gross numbers of incidents out of context, and noted the regulatory requirements of agency data gathering.
In other news, Allegiant has pushed back its MAX entry into service due to late deliveries, which is not surprising, and a story about Cathay Pacific needing the 21 777-9s it has on order as it contemplates an order to replace its 49 existing A330-300s.
Finally, Swiss has completed its application of AeroSHARK film to its 777s, providing a significant fuel burn benefit as the airline and LH Group examine expanding the application to other types.
Links to today’s key stories follow:
- See how many airline incidents Boeing and Airbus have had each year – 24/7 Wall St.
- Caught on Cam: Air Canada Boeing catches fire moments after takeoff, lands safely – News 18
- Allegiant 737 MAX service entry slips to Q4 – Airline Geeks
- Cathay Pacific Boeing 777X: Overdue in every way – One Mile at a Time
- Swiss completes 777 modes with AeroSHARK, looks to equip other types – Runway Girl
- Starliner, Starship, and the difficulty of space – Canberra Times
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