It could have been much worse. International Airlines Group (IAG), formed by the merger between British and Spanish flag carriers British Airways and Iberia, posted a €997 million (US$1.29 billion) 2012 before-tax loss, dragged down by a €343 million impairment charge against the intangible assets and a €202 million transformation cost at the beleaguered Iberia unit. Amid a moribund Spanish economy where the unemployment rate has hit a staggering 26.1% …Read More
Tag Archives: Rolls-Royce
Boeing 777X to spark mini-jumbo war
GE9X to feature 16 blades, versus 18 on GEnx engines Folding wingtip to be operated hydraulically Folding wingtip to improve lift-to-drag by 12% Folding wingtip 800lbs weight penalty, against 777-200′s 3,200lbs 777X to remain ICAO Code E aircraft on aprons 787-styled tail fin, elimination of overwing exit confirmed Elimination of overwing exit saves 1,000lbs of weight 787-styled larger dimmable windows, lower cabin altitude being studied 777-8X & -9X range boosted …Read More
Boeing 777X & 787-10X unfazed by 787 battery woes
787-10 ‘Gate 4′ formal launch still planned in June 2013 Time between start of final assembly & flight testing on 787-9 narrowed to 4 months Folding wingtip decided for 777X 800lbs weight penalty for 777X folding wingtip, compared to 3,200lbs for 777-200 study in 1995 Folding wingtip contains no moveable parts, to be operated electrically 777X has same wing span as 777-300ER on the ground & stay as ‘Code E’ …Read More
Special Report: Boeing remains formidable even if BAE/EADS merger goes ahead
BAE/EADS merger to create world’s biggest aerospace company Merged BAE/EADS to be 35% bigger than Boeing based on 2011 sales Boeing 2011 profit of US$4.01 billion 22.6% higher than BAE/EADS’s combined US$3.27 billion profit Boeing 2012 H1 profit of US$1.89 billion 26.3% higher than BAE/EADS’s combined US$1.5 billion profit Little cost & revenue synergies on BAE/EADS merger Production ramp-up, weight reduction biggest 787 challenges as risk declines A 787-8 between …Read More
Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme starts to soar
Following the Boeing 787 Dreamliner roll-out in Everett, Washington for the first time on 8th July, 2007, the Chicago-based airframer suffered perennial delays on the game-changing mid-sized, long-range widebody aircraft programme, ranging from delays caused by a delamination in the 787′s side-of-body area to an in-flight fire in November 2010 over Laredo, Texas due to a foreign object debris (FOD) in the P100 electrical panel that prompted a redesign in …Read More
Gleam of hope for Cathay Pacific in stormy skies
Call it a black swan event. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, Asia’s largest international carrier, has posted its worst interim results for the first half of 2012 since the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak and the 2008 global financial crisis in recording a HK$935 million (US$120.6 million) loss attributable to shareholders, a dramatic reversal of the HK$2.81 billion (US$359.9 million) six-month profit posted in the prior year period. …Read More
Boeing chooses largest wingspan for 777X
As Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing heads into the future following a better-than-expected 2012 second-quarter net profit of US$967 million, or US$1.27 per share versus the Wall Street consensus of US$1.12 per share, it continues to map out its future widebody strategy that will see new members being added to its popular large twin-engine, long-haul 777 as well as the carbon composite 787 Dreamliner aircraft families. Running ahead in these in-house …Read More
Airbus is right on A330 improvement strategy
Having decided against re-engining the twin-aisle medium to long-haul A330 aircraft which is likely to undermine the business case of its A350-800 sibling (“Airbus mulls re-engined A330 along with sharklets“, 5th Mar, 12), Airbus is adopting the least risky option of offering new, higher gross weight variants of the A330 aircraft family that not only will see the A330 being more capable than it has ever been, but also provide …Read More
Revamped 777X may limit sales prospects of Boeing jumbo
There is little doubt that a possible order bonanza for the re-engined narrowbody offering from Chicago-based Boeing, the 737 MAX, at next week’s Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom (UK) is going to be under the media spotlight. However, as the world’s second-largest aircraft manufacturer mulls an upgrade to its highly popular long-haul twin-jet with a 787-styled composite wing, a lighter airframe with advanced aluminium-lithium (Al-Li) material and a …Read More