ALL THINGS BOEING

                       Boeing’s 1st Priority is Current Certifications

Boeing will focus on successfully completing plane certifications, shoring up its supply chain and improving technologies in development before launching a new plane model, said Chief Executive Dave Calhoun.

“You have to be patient, you have to get your ducks lined up,” Calhoun at a briefing at Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina, factory organized ahead of the Paris Air Show in late June.

These include the shortest version of its best-selling 737 Max, the 737-7, as well as the longest is the 737-10. The third jet moving through the US regulatory process is the long-distance 777X.

“It’s enormous amount of work at scale to move through all those certifications,” Calhoun said.  Mike Fleming, who heads Boeing’s development programs, said Wednesday, May 31st, that certification of the 737-7 was taking longer than expected.

“ The amount of documentation that we are producing on these airplanes relative to what what we had to produce in the past is considerably more,” said Fleming, adding that the company still hopes to receive final approval for the jet by the end of the year. The company also expects to be cleared to undertake certification flights on the 737-10 “within this year,” Fleming said.

Source: Boeing

           Boeing Steps Up 787 Production to Four Aircraft Monthly

Boeing’s 787 program continues gaining momentum with recently stepped up production of its flagship widebody jet to four aircraft monthly.

Lane Ballard, vice-president and general manager of the 787 program, said during May 30th press conference at the company’s 787 assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina that Boeing show rolling a 787 off its production line every five production days.

Boeing plans to ramp up production of its widebody to five aircraft monthly by the end of the year-end, double that rate by opening a second production line in 2024.

Source: Boeing, picture United Airlines

Boeing Orders And Deliveries in May

Boeing booked 69 orders in May, including 59 Maxs and 10 Dreamliners. It also reported 11 cancellations, which included four 737 Maxs for Air Niugini, six 777 freighters for Hong Kong International Aviation and one 777-300ER for an unidentified customer.

Deliveries of the cash-generation Boeing 737 Max increased to 35 jets in May, Boeing said on June 13.  The company handed over only 17 MAXs to customers the prior month, when Boeing found a bracket installation defect that forced it to fix aircraft before delivery.

Boeing delivered 50 jets in May, 13 fewer than European rival Airbus, but a 43% improvement on the same month last year. Over the first five months of the year, Boeing delivered 206 aircraft-fewer than rival Airbus, which has delivered 244 aircraft over the same period.  Airbus is also slightly ahead on net orders, with 144 to Boeing’s 127.

Source: Boeing.

                                   ALL THINGS AIRBUS                           

               Airbus A321XLR Delays Average 12 Months

Qantas Airways will receive its first Airbus A321XLR in December 2024, six months later than first planned.  Airbus declined to comment on specific deliveries, but a top executive told Reuters on Sunday, June 4th it was seeing a more predictable  pattern in its industrial activities and what appeared to be the start of a more positive trend.

Source: Airbus

                                  Airbus Orders And Deliveries In May

Airbus’s net orders for the year remained unchanged during May, additional agreements were offset by cancellations.

Delta Air Lines took a single A330-900, and the only other activity comprised orders for 16 A320neos- seven for Lessor BOC Aviation and nine for an undisclosed customer.  But the modest gain of 17 aircraft during the month was negated by the cancellation of a single A330-900 for Virgin Atlantic plus the removal of 16 A320neos from the backlog.

Airbus delivered a total of 63 aircraft during May.

Source: Airbus.                                 

                               REGIONAL/BUSINESS JETS

                          Embraer In No Rush to Launch Turboprop

Embraer will not rush to a decision on whether to launch its planned regional turboprop, after failing to secure sufficient buy-in from engine suppliers to bring the product to market later this decade, commercial aviation chief says.

“We are disappointed,” says Arjan Meijer, following the Brazilian airframes’s decision to put its development effort on hold.

“When we paused the program a few months ago, there were some airlines that were disappointed,” he says.

“To have an aircraft in this segment in a two-and two configuration with a much better and quieter cabin and better performance is really something that the market is looking for.”

Following the decision to pause the project, Meijer says Embraer’s earlier 2028 entry into service target for a new turboprop now will “slide to early 2030.”

Source: Embraer, picture Embraer 

                 First Global 8000 Prototype Flies Maiden Sortie

Bombardier has flown its first Global 8000 prototype as the airframer looks to keep the new jet on track for service entry in the latter half of 2025.

Launched at EBACE last year, the 8,000nm(14,800km)-range twinjet builds on the current Global 7500, using the same wing, fuselage and GE Aerospace Passport engines.  Although Bombardier has already flown a modified version of its FTV1 test aircraft, the recent sortie shows the program continuing to make progress.

Stephen McCullough, senior vice-president of engineering and product development, speaking at EBACE on May 22, said the milestone took place middle of May and performed flawlessly.  “On the first day of testing it conducted a flight of more than 7.1 hours”, he says.

“We are fully on track for a successful service entry of 2025,” he adds, noting that the airframer is “confident of meeting its performance commitments”, carrying 19 passengers at speeds of up to Mach 0.94-up to 13% faster than the Global 7500.

Changes between the two aircraft include modifications to the control software for the Passport engines and the carriage of more fuel to boost range.

Source: Bombardier, picture Bombardier                                                                 

                                       OTHER AVIATION NEWS

               SpiceJet Will Add 10 737 Maxs From September 2023

India’s SpiceJet will add 10 Boeing 737 aircraft to its fleet between September and October to cater to the growing passenger traffic, the low-cost carrier said.

As of June 2023, its fleet comprised 91 aircraft, according to the SpiceJet website.  It was not clear if the figure included the 25 planes it has grounded.  The low-cost carrier is trying to revive the grounded fleet, the latest being a partnership with FTAI Aviation for lease on engines.

SpiceJet said the grounded planes will resume services soon.  “The introduction of these planes, which coincides with the peak travel season in India, will help us launch routes and strengthen our presence on existing ones,” SpiceJet said in a statement.

Source: SpiceJet, Picture SpiceJet

               Avolon $4 trin Needed to Transform Global Jet Fleet

Global Aviation needs $4 trillion over the next 20 years to fund new commercial airlines and leasing companies will take delivery of 44,300 commercial passenger aircraft by 2042, of which approximately half will be for replacement and half for growth, the world’s third-largest aircraft lessor said.

The world’s commercial passenger aircraft fleet is set to nearly double to 46,880 aircraft by 2042, the Dublin-based firm predicted.

The new report comes ahead of the June 19-25 Paris AirShow where aerospace companies will highlight plans to reach and industry-wide target of net zero emissions by 2050, while wrestling with short-term supply chain problems.  Avolon has said the focus should be on increasing the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuels(SAF).

Growth will be dominated by narrow-body jets including the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

Europe’s Airbus will maintain leadership of the narrow-body market with 53% share of the fleet rising to 58% by 2042, Avolon predicted. Boeing will maintain leadership of the widebody market with 59% share.

Source: Avolon

              Air Niugini Finalized an Order for Two Boeing 787-8s

Air Niugini announced an order for two 787-8 Dreamliners to support the growth of the carrier’s long-haul fleet.  The jets will enable the national flag carrier of Papua New Guinea to fly new routes from the Pacific island nation and boost capacity for inbound tourism.

“Signing this contract with Boeing for the purchase of two modern, widebody 787 Dreamliners will enable Air Niugini to grow its network across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand and fulfill its mission as the Premier airline in Papua Guinea, providing the best air service in the region,” said Gary Seddon acting CEO of Air Niugini.

More than 85 customers around the world have placed orders for more than 1,600 Dreamliners, making the 787 Dreamliner the fastest-selling in History.

Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family’s fuel efficiency, flexibility and range have enabled airlines to open more than 350 new nonstop routes.

Source: Boeing, Air Niugini, Picture Boeing

                    Boeing Business Jets Secures First BBJ 777-9

Boeing Business Jet’ new president Joe Benson has an instant impact at EBACE (European Business Aviation Conference& Exhibition), revealing his team has landed orders and commitments this year to sell four VVIP-configured airliners, including its first BBJ 777-9.

“What I love about our orders is the diversity,” said Joe Benson in Geneva on May 22.  ”We have each part of our family represented in those orders and commitments.”  Benson was appointed as BBJ’s president on May 8, stepping into a role held, for slightly less than a year, by Erica Pearson who has switched to a new post in Boing’s commercial unit Boeing’s commercial unit.

“One of the things I bring to the job is continuity,” says Benson, who joined the Company in 2010 and previously was BBJ’s deputy to the president and Business director.”  There’s been some turnover recently…This is my dream job.”

The four BBJ commitments taken this year include orders for one BBJ 737 Max 7 and for two BBJ 787s, while another customer took an option to purchase one BBJ 777-9.  Boeing declines to name the customers but Boeing says buyers of large BBJs like 777-9s tend to be governments, which use the aircraft for head of state transport.

This month to be exact, July, 1998, 25 years ago the first BBJ was rolled out into the Seattle sunlight.

Source: Boeing, Picture Boeing        

 

LATEST NEWS

• Bermudair is planning to fly from Bermuda to three US cities in Florida, Massachusetts and New York, starting with two Embraer 175s.

• Togo’s ASKY is to add its first Boeing 737 Max 8s after reaching agreement to lease a pair of the jets from AerCap.

• Boeing is seeking authorization to fit mini-suites to its 737 Max range, similar to those already approved in other aircraft types.

• FAA has finalized a rule requiring new passenger aircraft have “secondary” Cockpit barriers’ measure intended to better prevent passengers from storming the cockpit.

• Comac’s C919 following 16 years of development and six years of rigorous flight testing, China’s first narrowbody jet, the C919, entered commercial service on May 28.

• Flair Airlines is leasing two more Boeing 737 Max jets through a sale-leaseback deal with SMBC Aviation Capital, and will begin flying this summer.

• Riyadh Air is displaying its livery for the first time at the Paris Air show on a Boeing 787-9 on the static display.

Sources:  Boeing, Flair Airlines, Togo’s Asky, Bermudair, FlightGlobal

AIR CARGO

                        Air Tanzania Unveils Cargo Services

Air Tanzania has outlined initial cargo services including cities in the middle East and India, after introducing a new Boeing 767-300F freighter to its fleet.  The airline states that its cargo network will include flights to Dubai and Mumbai, as well as the African destination of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi from June 26.

Air Tanzania received the new-build registered 5H-TCO, and powered by General Electric CF6 engines on June 3, ordering it in mid-2021.  Boeing says the transfer is its first direct delivery of a 767 cargo jet to an African carrier.

“We are looking forward to expanding our imports and exports industry that require timely delivery,” says Air Tanzania managing director Ladislaus Matindi.

Arrival of the aircraft will open opportunities for global businesses to transport commercial cargo goods to various parts of the world, which will boost national economic growth.  Air Tanzania operates a fleet which includes Boeing 787s,Airbus A220s and De Havilland Dash 8s, and it has another 787 and two 737 Max jets on order.

Source: Boeing, Air Tanzania, Picture Air Tanzania

                    Texel Air Sets Up Auckland-Based Cargo Carrier

Middle Eastern Freight operator Texel Air is to establish a Pacific region sister carrier, which will be based at Auckland in New Zealand.

Texel Air is located in Bahrain and uses a fleet comprising several variants of Boeing 737 freighter: two 737-800s, two 737-700s and a 737-300.

It states that the Auckland airline — to be branded Texel Air Australasia—will initially have a 737-800 converted freighter, and two more will be introduced by the end of this year.  The new operation was formally unveiled on June 10.

The company aims to expand the oval fleet to 10 aircraft by 2026, mainly flying wet-lease capacity in Australia and New Zealand to support cargo and express services.

“These next steps are sure to create employment opportunities and boost economic growth,” says Texel chair John Chisholm, who is a New Zealand national.

Texel Air Australasia’s initial aircraft was originally delivered as a passenger jet to Korean Air in 2001.  It was operating with Texel’s Bahraini arm before being transferred to the New Zealand registry.

Source: Texel Air, Picture Texel Air.

                         

Researched and Compiled by :

Ed Kaplanian    Commercial Aviation Advisor 

Contact – ekaplanian@yahoo.com

Editor:   Lee Kaplanian