As the development of the Airbus A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) family aircraft gears up this year, with the first A350-900 example entering final assembly in March ahead of its first flight in the second quarter of 2013 (“Airbus faces a crucial year on A350 development“, 25th Jan, 12), the same holds true for the competitive response from its transatlantic arch-rival Boeing on the development of a revamped and upgraded …Read More
2012 a bright year for Boeing
- Boeing posts robust quarterly & yearly results – 737 MAX to enjoy strong sales in 2012 – 737 MAX configuration continues to evolve – Pent-up demand for 787 & 747-8 may be realised this year – 787 production ramp-up key focus of the year – Aspire Aviation changing estimate of 787-10X launch timing from 2012 to 2014 – 777X likely to be launched in 2013, eyed EIS in 2019 …Read More
Airbus faces a crucial year on A350 development
European plane-maker Airbus, a unit of the European Aeronautics, Defence & Space Co. N.V., has enjoyed a record year of 2011 buoyed by an order bonanza at its re-engined A320neo (new engine option) aircraft programme, which accounted for 1,226 of the 1,419 net orders recorded in the year, after taking into account customer cancellations from the tally of 1,608 gross orders, including the exclusion of bankrupt carrier American Airlines’ (AA) …Read More
Boeing 787 more cost efficient than A330, new report finds
As the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner faced a perennial string of delivery delays since its roll-out in July 2007, the competing Airbus product, A330-200 high gross weight (HGW) version gained traction as airlines sought to cut their fuel costs amid skyrocketing oil prices. Early parts which are heavier, in addition to the discovery of a delamination issue prompting the side-of-body modifications and the addition of fasteners, coupled with a 2%-4% higher …Read More
Boeing eyes 787 improvements along with production ramp-up (Update1)
It is hardly a surprise when Chicago-based airframer Boeing missed its 2011 delivery targets on the beleaguered 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 programmes, after delivering a combined 12, consisting of 9 Boeing 747-8F freighters and 3 787 Dreamliners, against the original target of 15 to 20 aircraft envisioned, including 5-7 787 deliveries, in October when the company announced its strong third-quarter profit of US$1.1 billion (“Boeing posts stellar 2011 third-quarter profit …Read More
Airbus A350 faces further challenges but business case remains sound
In releasing its 2011 third-quarter pre-tax profit of €1.1 billion, European plane-maker Airbus parent European Aeronautics, Defence & Space Co. NV (EADS) announced the Airbus A350-900 XWB’s entry into service (EIS) has been delayed by up to six months. The start of final assembly of the first A350-900 was deferred to the first half of 2012 and its first flight is now scheduled for early 2013 from the airframer’s previous …Read More
Photo blog: Boeing 787′s maiden flight lands at Hong Kong
As the world’s first revenue flight of the delayed Boeing 787 Dreamliner takes place today with an All Nippon Airways (ANA) charter flight from Tokyo Narita International Airport to Hong Kong, it is greeted with a warm welcome by journalists and aviation analysts as this puts an end to more than three years of delays plaguing the game-changing aircraft as a fractured global supply chain resulted in a significant amount …Read More
Challenges remain as Boeing 787 becomes reality
When Boeing delivered its first 787 Dreamliner to its launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) on 25th September, not only did it mark an end to more than 3 years of delays in the revolutionary aircraft’s first delivery which had originally been envisioned to take place in May 2008, the Chicago-based airframer also turned a dream into reality (“Boeing 787 is a dream (almost) come true“, 11th Jul, 11) in …Read More
Boeing 787: a dream becoming reality & its road ahead
With Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing securing the type certificate and its production certificate 700 from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification, the first delivery to the revolutionary airplane’s launch customer, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), is finally in sight following a bumpy ride in the 787 Dreamliner’s production system which saw its global supply chain struggled on build quality and parts shortages as well …Read More
Boeing 787 makes progress despite delay risks
- 787-9 entry into service (EIS) delay risks still exist despite Boeing dismissal – Delay longer than the currently expected 3-6 months could have some rippling effect – 787 production ramp-up likely to slip slightly – 787-10X expected to be launched in 2012 at the earliest Chicago-based airframer Boeing dismissed the notion that a slide in the end of 2013 entry into service (EIS) target of the stretched 787-9 variant …Read More