The Boeing Company

[Kenneth T 0]

Wow, another breakthrough in the aviation history. I would love to see the B737ER in MH colours.

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Denies Media Report On 787 Delivery Delay

 

May 4, 2008

Boeing denied a German media report on Saturday it had informed customers of another delay on its new 787 Dreamliner model.

 

"There has been no change since our announcement in April," said Yvonne Leach, a spokeswoman in Seattle, adding that, on average, delays would put deliveries about 20 months behind schedule.

 

German daily Die Welt reported on Saturday, quoting a letter from Boeing to customers, the delay would affect deliveries planned for 2012 and push them 27 months behind schedule.

 

Early last month Boeing announced the third major delay on the 787 as it makes slow progress on assembling the plane and continues to grapple with underperforming suppliers.

 

None of the 55 or so airlines which have bought the plane have cancelled their orders, but many have said they will seek compensation for late deliveries.

 

The delay mirrors the wiring problems on Airbus's A380 superjumbo, which ended up almost two years late.

 

German magazine WirtschaftsWoche said in a preview of a story to be published on Monday that Airbus would have to delay deliveries of A380's scheduled for 2009. It said Airbus had also informed customers of the delay in a letter.

 

Both Boeing and Airbus have played down expectations for plane orders this year, after the unprecedented boom which resulted in 2,754 orders between them last year.

 

Most analysts are expecting about half that number this year.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Finalizes USD$2.2 Bln Iraq Plane Sale

 

May 5, 2008

Boeing said on Monday it sealed a USD$2.2 billion airliner order with the government of Iraq, as the country looks to ramp up commercial flights in the region.

 

The deal, originally struck in February, is for 30 of Boeing's single-aisle 737-800 jets.

 

Boeing said it was still finalizing an agreement to sell Iraq 10 of its new 787 Dreamliners, worth about USD$1.65 billion at list prices, which would allow for longer, intercontinental flights.

 

Iraq, which is also buying commercial planes from Canada's Bombardier, took options to buy a further 10 737s.

 

Under the deal, signed at a ceremony in Baghdad on Monday attended by Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Boeing commercial planes chief Scott Carson, the US plane maker will advise Iraq on rebuilding its commercial airports, training personnel and arranging maintenance for old planes.

 

In the past few years Iraqi Airways, the country's state-controlled airline, has restarted limited service with old jets, which some countries do not accept at their airports for safety reasons. The airline, the oldest in the Middle East, was grounded under United Nations' sanctions in the early 1990s.

 

Upon delivery of the new Boeing aircraft, Iraqi Airways plans to expand its network from the Middle East into Europe, India and China, an Iraqi aviation official said in February.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Delays New 747, Shares Fall

 

November 14, 2008

Boeing pushed back the schedule on the cargo version of its 747 jumbo by nine months as the plane maker attempts to get operations back to normal after a drawn-out strike by its machinists.

 

The delay, caused by design changes and lack of resources at a stretched Boeing, along with the 58 day strike, comes on top of continuing problems with the new 787 Dreamliner, which is already about 18 months behind schedule.

 

The company said on Friday that the first 747-8 Freighter would now be delivered in the third quarter of 2010, rather than the previous target of late 2009. That chiefly affects Japan's Nippon Cargo Airlines and Luxembourg's Cargolux Airlines, which made the first orders for the plane in 2005.

 

Boeing has firm orders for 78 of the freighters, worth about USD$23 billion. The delay may not be all bad for customers, as a looming global recession looks set to reduce the amount of goods being flown around the world. Cargo operators will hope the economy has recovered by the time the planes are delivered in the second half of 2010.

 

The passenger version of the plane, called the 747-8 Intercontinental, will now be delivered in the second quarter of 2011, rather than the previous target of late 2010, Boeing said.

 

That is a blow for Lufthansa, the only airline that has signed up to buy the 747-8 passenger version, ordering 20 in 2006, worth about USD$5.8 billion at list prices. Boeing's business jet unit has also placed orders for eight of the planes, likely on behalf of wealthy clients or heads of state.

 

The 747-8 is Boeing's biggest plane, seating 467 passengers in a standard three class layout. It is the nearest competitor to the 500-plus seat Airbus A380.

 

Boeing said delays were partly caused by limited availability of engineering resources within the company, as the resources have recently been focused on the 787, its most high profile and potentially most profitable plane.

 

Boeing shares fell USD$2.02 to USD$41.14 on the NYSE. The stock is down 52 percent this year.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Regulators Demand Safety Checks On Boeing 737s

 

November 19, 2008

The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency safety mandate to check fuel pumps on more than 560 Boeing 737 airliners flown by US carriers, the agency confirmed on Wednesday.

 

The inspections, required for four versions of the single-aisle 737, are meant to ensure that the fuel pumps turn off correctly. Failure to do that could result in fire or explosions, the FAA said.

 

Aircraft are not expected to be grounded for the checks, an FAA representative said, meaning that flights should not be disrupted.

 

(Reuters)

 

NG's are affected: -600, -700, -800 and -900 models...

 

 

Boeing Sees Lower Orders This Year And Next

 

November 19, 2008

Boeing is expecting plane orders to dip this year and next from its industry record in 2007, as volatile oil prices and the softening economy catches up with airlines.

 

"We have reached the orders peak," Boeing's commercial plane unit chief executive Scott Carson said on Wednesday, predicting declining orders for his company in 2008 and 2009.

 

The drop-off is not a great surprise, as airlines have recently scaled back growth plans in the face of record oil prices and signs that travel demand is slowing.

 

That comes after three years of unprecedented growth in sales for Boeing and rival Airbus.

 

The US plane maker booked a record 1,413 net firm orders last year, but has only 640 so far in 2008, with only six weeks left in the year.

 

Orders coming down further would be a reversion to more traditional levels. In the four years 2001 to 2004, Boeing took in a total of 1,076 orders.

 

Boeing is still assessing the delays on its new 787 and other planes, after the strike by its assembly workers that stopped production at its Seattle-area plants for 58 days.

 

"We today are very focused on restarting our production systems," said Carson, as the company works to recover from the strike, which ended on November 2.

 

Boeing has previously said that each day of the strike would add a day to its delivery schedules, plus some extra time as it brings production lines up to full speed.

 

That would indicate at least an eight week delay on all Boeing planes. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that all planes would be delayed by up to 10 weeks, citing people familiar with the situation.

 

The company declined comment on that, and Carson did not address the exact delay in his presentation. Boeing is expected to announce new production schedules and update its financial outlook -- taking into account the strike and other issues -- in the next few weeks.

 

On top of the strike, Boeing has problems on several programs. The new 787 Dreamliner is being held up by problems with fasteners holding the plane together, some of which were incorrectly installed. Carson said on Wednesday Boeing was still assessing the status of the 787, which is now almost two years behind schedule, and reiterated that it will not make its first test flight until next year.

 

Boeing has already pushed back deliveries of the newest version of the jumbo, the 747-8, and the new freighter version of the 777. It also faces disruptions on its 737 production line because of problems with nutplates -- small structural joining parts -- which were not correctly coated.

 

"It's been a long four-five months for us," said Carson, reflecting on production delays and the machinists' strike.

 

Boeing' shares fell 4.7 percent to USD$37.70 on the New York Stock Exchange, not far above the almost five-year low of USD$38.05 hit on Tuesday.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Targeting 10,000 Job Cuts

 

January 29, 2009

Boeing reported an unexpected fourth-quarter loss on Wednesday and forecast 2009 earnings well below Wall Street estimates as it grapples with a dip in demand for its planes while airlines feel the pain of recession.

 

Expecting more plane order cancellations and uncertainty over the US defence budget, Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney said he was targeting 10,000 job cuts this year, or about 6 percent of the company's total.

 

That includes the 4,500 job cuts announced by its commercial plane unit earlier this month, with the balance coming from Boeing's defence unit and corporate and support areas.

 

The plane maker, which is still struggling to recover from a two-month strike by its assembly workers last year, predicted a further dip in plane orders this year after handing back the title of biggest-selling plane maker to rival Airbus last year.

 

Boeing is likely to book fewer orders than the 480 to 485 deliveries it expects to make this year, said McNerney, a sign that the company is now firmly in a down cycle after a three-year plane sales boom. Last year Boeing booked 662 new orders. The year before it hit an industry record of 1,413 orders.

 

"The guidance could have been much lower if Boeing had forecast a more conservative build rate for commercial airplanes in 2009," said Macquarie Securities analyst Rob Stallard.

 

Boeing, which is based in Chicago, reported a quarterly loss of USD$56 million, compared with a year-earlier profit of US$1.03 billion.

 

The loss was caused by the 58-day strike by Boeing's machinists union, which straddled the third and fourth quarters, cutting plane deliveries in both, along with extra costs on the delayed 747 and a one-time litigation charge.

 

Revenue fell 27 percent to USD$12.7 billion, largely because of the strike, which prevented the delivery of about 70 planes in the quarter.

 

It expects delivery of 480 to 485 commercial planes this year. That number would have been much larger if Boeing had stuck to the original timetable for the new 787 Dreamliner, but the plane is now delayed by two years and has still not left the ground.

 

Boeing repeated its target to make the first 787 test flight in the second quarter of this year and first delivery in the first quarter of 2010.

 

Correcting problems with fasteners and incomplete work from suppliers on the 787 has gobbled up engineering resources at Boeing's Seattle-area plants. This has hurt progress on the new 747 jumbo, which is now also well behind its original schedule, and will not be delivered until late 2010.

 

Ailing airlines are adding to Boeing's woes, with many expected to defer or cancel orders outright as travel demand dips in the global recession.

 

Boeing said one unnamed airline had recently cancelled a 787 order and that its Boeing Capital unit would have to provide financing for some purchases this quarter.

 

It said it now has 895 orders for 787s, as opposed to the 910 it reported at the end of December, suggesting orders for 15 planes have been cancelled.

 

(Reuters)

 

[Li Ren 2]

China-assembled Airbus A320 makes first flight

 

SHANGHAI —

 

The first Airbus A320 jet assembled outside Europe made its maiden flight Monday after its assembly in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin.

 

The Airbus Final Assembly Line China, or FALC, in Tianjin plans to begin deliveries to customers in June, European Aeronautics Defense and Space Co. said in a statement.

 

The jet successfully conducted a four-hour flight from the Tianjin International Airport, it said.

 

The plant is expected to be able to produce four A320s a month by 2011 and a total of about 300 A320 planes by 2016.

 

"This A320 assembled in China unquestionably demonstrated the same quality and performance as those assembled and delivered in Hamburg or Toulouse," Fernando Alonso, senior vice president for Flight & Integration Tests at Airbus said.

 

The jet is to be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing in June for operation by Sichuan Airlines, a regional carrier based in central China's Sichuan province.

 

Airbus holds a 51 percent stake in FALC, a joint venture between Airbus and a consortium that includes China Aviation Industry Corp., the country's biggest aircraft maker, and the Tianjin Free Trade Zone.

 

The decision by Toulouse, France-based Airbus to make aircraft in China is seen as part of its long-term strategy to win a greater share of the Chinese market that for years was dominated by Boeing.

 

The project was built in anticipation of large Chinese orders for the popular single aisle jet that seats 150 or more passengers. Size-wise, the plane is well suited for Chinese domestic routes expected to show strong growth in the years ahead as the economy continues to expand.

 

Source

China Boleh

[Pieter C. 5]

Li Ren,

 

What has this to do with Boeing ???

[Li Ren 2]

Hehe,it is in rivalry against Boeing

[Andrew Ong 1]

Copa Airlines orders 13 737-800s:

 

Boeing, Panama's Copa Airlines Announce Order for 13 737-800s

 

PANAMA CITY, July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Copa Airlines today announced an order by the Panamanian airline for 13 Boeing 737-800 airplanes, plus options for an additional eight.

 

The order represents a mixture of option conversions and new orders and brings to 27 the number of Boeing Next-Generation 737s the airline has on order.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Carson and Copa Chief Executive Officer Pedro Heilbron announced the order during a ceremony today in Panama City. Panama President Ricardo Martinelli and Rafael Barcenas, Director General of the Panama Civil Aeronautics Authority, presided over the event, with other government officials in attendance.

 

"Copa Airlines continues to be successful in a very challenging economic environment through the use of the latest in commercial aviation technology," Carson said during the ceremony. "With this order, Copa will be one of the early beneficiaries of Boeing's recently unveiled 737 performance improvement package."

 

The airplanes also will be outfitted with Boeing's signature Sky Interior. Drawing from years of research used to design the interior for the 787 Dreamliner, the 737 Boeing Sky Interior features new, 787-style sculpted sidewalls and window reveals that provide passengers with a greater connection to the flying experience.

 

"The Boeing 737s have been a major factor in Copa's success, providing us with operating and cost efficiencies, and enabling us to offer our passengers world-class service and an extensive route network throughout Latin America," said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines. "This aircraft order reaffirms our confidence in our business model and the growth potential of Latin American aviation."

 

Copa was the first carrier in the Americas to incorporate blended winglets on its 737s. All of its Next-Generation 737s use the distinctive curved wing ends, which improve fuel efficiency and lift while reducing engine wear and carbon dioxide emissions. Copa also was the first in the region to order Next-Generation 737s with the Vertical Situation Display system, which provides pilots with an easy-to-understand flight-path view.

 

Copa operates from Tocumen International Airport, a time-saving hub on long routes between the United States, South and Central America, and the Caribbean. The airline flies four of the world's longest 737 routes from there - to Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo and Los Angeles - thanks to the 737-800's exceptional range.

 

The Next-Generation 737 is the newest and most technologically advanced airplane in its class. It flies higher, faster and farther than previous models and competitors. In addition, its flight deck features the latest liquid-crystal flat-panel displays and is designed to accommodate new communications and flight-management capabilities.

 

 

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=750

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing May Offer US Air Force Choice Of Tankers

 

September 25, 2009

 

Boeing said it might offer versions of both its 767 and 777 aircraft against the rival team of Northrop Grumman and EADS in a renewed USD$35 billion contest to build a refueling fleet for the US Air Force.

 

Boeing said on Friday it was deciding whether to stick with its modified 767 tanker, which lost a previous, cancelled competition, or offer a larger 777-based tanker -- or both.

 

The Air Force and the Defence Department on Thursday jointly spelled out how the winner of the lucrative deal would be picked.

 

Boeing said it is reviewing the detailed draft bidding rules published on Friday by the Air Force.

 

"We want to understand how requirements will be defined and prioritised and how the proposals will be evaluated," said William Barksdale, a Boeing spokesman, in a statement. "That information will help us decide which plane to offer or whether to offer both planes."

 

Northrop Grumman, which is offering a tanker based on EADS' Airbus A330 aircraft, is deferring public comment until it has completed a review of the draft request for proposal, said Randy Belote, a company spokesman.

 

The companies have 60 days to comment on the Air Force's draft rules before final bidding specifications are released.

 

The Air Force plans to award a contract by June, for an initial batch of 179 tankers, which refuel other planes in mid-air. The new aircraft would replace KC-135 tankers that have an average age of 50 years.

 

The plan calls for delivery of planes to begin in 2015, with the first ones operational in 2017. Two successive competitions would take place in the decades to come to complete an Air Force fleet renewal expected to cost more than USD$100 billion for up to 600 new tankers.

 

SPLIT BUY POSSIBLE?

 

In Congress, the competition pits Boeing backers from Washington state and Kansas, where the company would do much of its tanker work, against lawmakers from Alabama, where the Northrop-EADS team would do final assembly of its planes.

 

Boeing, the Pentagon's No. 2 supplier by sales, ahead of third-ranked Northrop, is eager to prevent rival Airbus and EADS from obtaining a strategically important foothold on US soil. With a plant in Mobile, Alabama, EADS could take advantage of foreign exchange and labour rates on either side of the Atlantic.

 

Rob Stallard, a defence industry analyst at Macquarie (USA) Equities Research, predicted the Air Force would end up buying tankers from both Boeing and Northrop because of political forces. The Defence Department has said it opposes a split buy.

 

"The Boeing and NOC/EADS camps on this are so entrenched that the administration would create a lot of disgruntled congressmen if they were to pick either team over the other," Stallard said.

 

"At a time when the government is trying to get a lot of important legislation through the Congress, they do not need this being held up by the tanker," Stallard said.

 

A year ago, the Pentagon scrapped a tanker deal awarded to Northrop and EADS after the Government Accountability Office, the audit arm of Congress, upheld a protest by Boeing. The GAO found the Air Force failed to follow its own rules in evaluating the bids.

 

The first US attempt to award a tanker contract collapsed in 2004 amid an ethics scandal that sent a former senior Air Force weapons buyer and Boeing's former chief financial officer to prison.

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Net Orders For 787s, 737s Drop

 

October 8, 2009

 

Boeing said on Thursday its net orders for 787s and 737s were reduced by ten each in the week ended October 6.

 

The world's second largest planemaker said it had taken 11 orders for 737s from unidentified customers during the reporting period.

 

Boeing and rival Airbus have suffered this year as carriers and air cargo operators grapple with economic weakness in many parts of the world.

 

(Reuters)

 

Does anyone which airlines cancelled ?

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Has No Cancellations From Chinese Carriers

 

October 15, 2009

 

Boeing has received no cancellations of aircraft orders from Chinese airlines, a senior executive said on Thursday, although deliveries have been adjusted as carriers trim costs to cope with weak demand.

 

Chinese carriers have pursued cost-cutting initiatives due to weak business in international air travel that has pushed the country's top three airlines into the red.

 

"We have no cancellations from Chinese airlines, only minor adjustments in deliveries," John Bruns, vice president for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, responsible for China operations, told reporters at a media forum.

 

Last month, an executive at the US plane manufacturer said that Chinese airlines were negotiating with the company to further delay taking delivery of 787 Dreamliner orders.

 

The Chinese government has handed out cash aid to its ailing airlines and encouraged them to scrap or delay aircraft orders after the country's air travel growth fell into single digits in 2008 for the first time in five years.

 

Boeing has also been struggling with a range of supply, manufacturing and design problems, made worse by a two-month strike at its Seattle-area plants last year.

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

FAA Seeks Certain Safety Work On Boeing Jets

 

October 18, 2009

 

The US FAA wants airlines to replace a fuel system part and conduct structural inspections on nearly 1,500 Boeing jets.

 

In proposed directives, the Federal Aviation Administration asks airlines to replace fuel pump parts on nearly 700 Boeing 757s and inspect more than 780 newer 737s for tiny fuselage scratches.

 

Boeing said on Friday it recommended to regulators that both steps be taken as part of ongoing safety programmes for the fleet.

 

On the fuel system modification, the FAA wants airlines to replace certain parts so that power would be cut to the pump in the event of an electrical short or other wiring problem.

 

Boeing, the FAA and airlines have worked for years to reduce chances that electrical shorts could ignite fuel vapours. Other models have undergone similar changes. The effort stems from a fuel tank explosion that destroyed TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747, in 1996.

 

On structural inspections, the FAA wants airlines to check for small scratches on newer generation 737s that may have occurred during maintenance or in flight. Safety experts say scratches should be addressed before they become cracks.

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

787 remains on track to fly this year

 

Monday October 19, 2009

 

Responding to media speculation that its 787 program may suffer more delays because of the complex side-of-body modification, Boeing VP and GM-787 Dreamliner Program Scott Fancher issued a statement Friday claiming that the troubled aircraft is on schedule to fly this year.

 

"The design of the side-of-body solution is on track. Installations of the fittings are proceeding well and we are pleased with the progress we are making on this important effort. We continue to be on track to fly the 787 by the end of the year," Fancher said. The manufacturer will deliver a more comprehensive review of the program's status on Oct. 21 during its third-quarter earnings call.

 

Last week, various media outlets reported that sources on the 787 production line claimed that some parts of the fix needed redesign, which may push first flight into 2010. Supporting that scenario, the first flight aircraft, ZA001, which was scheduled to return to flight test on Oct. 15, remains in the paint hangar where the modification is being undertaken.

 

Separately, Boeing has come up a plan to ease the certification pressures created by the overlaps in the 787 and 747-8 programs. The 787 flight test program will be based at Boeing Field while flight testing for the 747-8F will be conducted at remote sites. Its initial airworthiness testing will be conducted at Moses Lake in central Washington. Once that is completed, the three 747-8s in the certification program will be located at Palmdale, Calif., for the balance of the testing.

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Posts Bigger Than Expected Loss

 

October 21, 2009

 

Boeing on Wednesday posted a larger-than-expect quarterly loss on a cost reclassification related to its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner.

 

But Boeing said the plane was still on track to fly this year. The company blamed its loss also on an additional charge related to its delayed 747.

 

To reflect the 787 and 747 impacts, earnings guidance for 2009 has been changed to a range of USD$1.35 to USD$1.55 per share, from USD$4.70 to USD$5.00 previously.

 

"The 787 cost reclassification and the 747 charge for increased costs and difficult market conditions clearly overshadowed what continues to be otherwise solid performance across our commercial production programmes and defence business," said Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney in a statement.

 

"We look forward to getting the 787 and 747-8 in the air soon and moving forward with flight test and certification for these two important programmes," he said in a statement.

 

Boeing said the net loss was USD$1.6 billion, compared with a profit of USD$695 million a year earlier.

 

The latest results reflect the reclassification, to research and development, of costs incurred to July for the first three 787 flight-test planes, spending on those planes for August and September, and the 747 charge.

 

Revenue rose 9 percent to USD$16.7 billion. The year-ago period was impacted by a strike.

 

Revenue from its commercial plane division increased 13 percent to USD$7.9 billion on higher deliveries. The division booked 96 gross orders during the quarter, while 17 orders were cancelled. Contractual backlog was USD$254 billion.

 

The company said the first flight of the long delayed 787 Dreamliner remains on track to occur by the end of 2009, with first delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010.

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

NE Asia Needs 1,200 Planes Over 20 Years - Boeing

 

October 22, 2009

 

Boeing estimates northeast Asia will need about 1,200 planes worth about USD$190 billion over the next 20 years, a senior company executive said on Thursday.

 

Northeast Asia plays a big role for Boeing with Japan its biggest single-country international market for its commercial planes.

 

A drop in global passenger demand has Boeing and rival Airbus headed for their worst annual order tally in at least 15 years as struggling airlines cancel or defer almost as many planes as they are buying.

 

But Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said there were signs of improvement.

 

"We are seeing a stability in the world economy," Tinseth told reporters in Tokyo.

 

"The year 2010 would be the year of economic recovery, and 2011 would be the year of recovery in airlines and 2012 would be the year when we see an increase in demand for airplanes," he said.

 

Tinseth reaffirmed that Boeing plans to deliver the first of its repeatedly delayed 787s to launch customer All Nippon Airways in the fourth quarter of 2010.

 

Japanese airlines have ordered nearly 850 Boeing planes in total, and about 80 percent of planes ordered by Japanese carriers in the past decade are Boeing-made.

 

But Japan's aviation market has entered a bumpy period in the past year, with Japan Airlines hit by the global economic downturn and volatile fuel prices.

 

JAPAN MARKET

 

Expecting Japan's economic growth to average 0.8 percent a year in the next 20 years, Tinseth said Japanese carriers would need about 60 to 65 percent of the 1,200 planes that Boeing estimates would be needed for northeast Asia, which also includes South Korea.

 

Of those 1,200 planes, about 47 percent would be wide-body, twin-aisle planes, he said. Single-aisle jets will also likely be used more due to their popularity with budget carriers and airlines flying shorter distances, he said.

 

"We estimate two-thirds of such (expected) deliveries (for northeast Asia) would be for growth," Tinseth said, adding that one-third would be for replacements of old planes.

 

Tokyo's Haneda airport, which handles mainly domestic flights, is scheduled to open a fourth runway next year. The expansion is expected to increase annual capacity by 40 percent by 2010 and allow airlines to launch new routes.

 

Already, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways have expressed interest in launching new services to Haneda, which is closer to downtown Tokyo than Narita airport.

 

Globally, airlines will need 29,000 new planes between now and 2028, worth around USD$3.2 trillion, Boeing estimated earlier this year.

 

(Reuters)

[LeeTZ 1]

Do Boeing has B777-300 LR series?

[Chris Tan A C 0]

Update on the Boeing 747-8I.

Korean Airlines order 5 frames, being the 2nd customer of this aircraft type (excluding VIP orders) after launch customer Lufthansa.

Aircraft be delivered between 2013 to 2015.

Good news for Boeing and the 747-8I programme.

 

More information on flightblogger, flightglobal.com, airliners.net, etc.

 

Cheers! CT

[C.Foo 3]

Boeing 747-8 Flight to be on Sunday 21st January

 

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/524861-0-0-1.jpg

 

Pic of 748 with the new boeing livery

[Mohd Idham 0]

Update on the Boeing 747-8I.

Korean Airlines order 5 frames, being the 2nd customer of this aircraft type (excluding VIP orders) after launch customer Lufthansa.

Aircraft be delivered between 2013 to 2015.

Good news for Boeing and the 747-8I programme.

 

More information on flightblogger, flightglobal.com, airliners.net, etc.

 

Cheers! CT

 

 

also http://boeingblogs.com/randy/

[Pieter C. 5]

TAAG places order for two 777-300ERs worth $544 million

 

Friday April 30, 2010

 

TAAG Angola Airlines placed a firm order for two 777-300ERs and secured purchase rights for two more, the airline and Boeing announced yesterday. The two 777-300ERs are valued at $544 million at list prices. Boeing said it last year listed the order as unidentified on its Orders and Deliveries website. TAAG said it will use the aircraft "for route expansion to additional European destinations." It currently operates 777-200ERs from Luanda to Lisbon (10-times-weekly), Beijing via Dubai (twice-weekly) and Rio de Janeiro (four-times-weekly). The EU lifted restrictions on TAAG when it published its latest blacklist of banned airlines in March, saying the carrier would be allowed to fly to any EU destination "under certain strict conditions with specific aircraft."

 

however,

 

El Al cancels order for four 777-200s

 

Friday April 30, 2010

 

El Al said yesterday that it is cancelling an order for four 777-200s placed two years ago. "Since the agreement with Boeing was signed in 2008 and the global crisis occurred in world markets, there have been substantial changes in the aviation sector," El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedi said, according to Reuters.

 

and,

 

Transaero to add five 777-200s, nine 747-400s this year

 

Thursday April 29, 2010

 

Transaero Airlines' board approved the acquisition of five 777-200s and nine 747-400s as part of its ongoing fleet development and modernization program.

 

Deliveries will start in May and continue throughout the year. The widebodies will be purchased through financial leases, an airline spokesperson confirmed to this website, adding that it concluded an agreement with Japanese trading company JALUX for the 747-400s in a deal worth $252 million. The -400s previously were operated by Japan Airlines and will replace Transaero's -200s and -300s. They will be operated mainly on international routes.

 

Financial details of the 777 agreement could not yet be released in accordance with Russian regulations but are expected to be disclosed next month, the spokesperson said. All of the 777s previously were operated by Singapore Airlines and will be used by Transaero for operations on both international and domestic routes, primarily to destinations in the Far East.

 

Separately, Russia's largest privately held airline this month applied to the US Dept. of Transportation for permission to begin scheduled services from Moscow Domodedovo to New York JFK and Miami, airlineinfo.com reported. According to the filing, Transaero plans to commence once-weekly service to MIA in October and a twice-weekly service to JFK in December. Additionally, it applied for authorization to operate charter flights between Russia and the US.

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Takes Orders For 20 777s In Last Week

 

May 7, 2010

 

Boeing on Thursday said it received 20 orders for widebody 777s in the week that ended May 4.

 

The order, worth USD$4.1 billion to USD$5.2 billion at list prices, was placed by one or more unidentified customers and brings the total orders for Boeing commercial planes to 112 in 2010.

 

Boeing's commercial plane division is recovering from a relatively weak 2009 when it received 142 orders -- down 61 percent from the previous year -- as airlines around the world struggled with weaker travel demand during the economic recession.

 

Boeing also reduced the number of 777 orders in the last week by four, bringing the net 777 orders for the week to 16.

 

(Reuters)

 

I know the minus 4 are from El Al...so, who ordered the 20 ? EK ? QR ?

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing To Boost 737 Production

 

May 17, 2010

 

Boeing said it would boost production of its narrow-body 737 model to 34 aircraft per month, citing strong demand from airlines as they rebound from a steep downturn in 2008 and 2009.

 

The increase from 31.5 per month is set to begin in early 2012, the world's No. 2 plane-maker said.

 

"Even through the global economic downturn, our diverse 737 backlog has remained very strong," said Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes in a statement.

 

"Increasing the 737 production rate is the right thing to do to meet the growth and fleet replacement needs of our customers," he said.

 

Earlier this year, Boeing said it sees improved demand and fewer order cancellations and deferrals.

 

In March, Chicago-based Boeing said it would increase planned output rates for two of its popular wide-body aircraft as demand resumed among airline customers who cut back during the economic downturn.

 

Boeing executives said recently they were evaluating the need for a 737 production rate increase, as well as the ability of BCA and its suppliers to meet increased demand.

 

Such comments by Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney squashed earlier speculation the company would either leave production rates steady or even cut them as some experts had believed.

 

Boeing's plans underscore a recovery in the airline industry that faced a sharp drop in orders in the last two years.

 

Boeing and rival Airbus were dogged in 2009 by fewer orders as carriers around the world grappled with falling travel demand in the sagging economy.

 

Orders for Boeing's commercial aircraft output fell 61 percent to 263 in 2009, as air travel and freight transport slumped.

 

"Going to 34 a month is easily obtainable. The capacity is in the system," said Alex Hamilton, senior aerospace analyst at CK Cooper.

 

"If that implies that airlines are doing better, that also implies there are orders to come."

 

Boeing said its suppliers were prepared to support the increase. The increase is not expected to affect 2010 financial results, the company added.

 

(Reuters)

 

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Boeing To Bid For Tanker, Despite Concerns

 

May 17, 2010

 

Boeing on Monday said it intends to bid in a multi-billion dollar US Air Force aerial tanker competition although it remains concerned that rival bidder EADS could have an advantage in the competition because it receives government subsidies.

 

Defense News on Monday quoted an unnamed senior Boeing executive as saying that Boeing was considering not bidding for the contract, valued at up to USD$50 billion, given concerns about whether the company could win the deal or make a profit.

 

The two companies must submit bids by July 9 to build 179 new aerial refuelling planes for the Air Force -- the US military's third attempt in nine years to begin replacing its ageing fleet of KC-135 tankers.

 

Defence analyst Loren Thompson said Boeing's top defence executive Dennis Muilenburg raised the possibility of pulling out of the competition with company insiders last week, apparently convinced that the Pentagon was "trying to rewrite the selection criteria to favour a team led by EADS."

 

In a blog posted by the Lexington Institute, Thompson said he doubted Boeing would truly withdraw from the competition, and its executives were probably being "paranoid," since the Air Force's framework still seemed to favour the smaller, cheaper Boeing 767-based plane over EADS' larger A330.

 

Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said the company planned to submit a low-cost bid that met all of the Air Force's requirements, but the company regretted that its concerns about subsidies to EADS, the parent of Airbus, would not be reflected in the Pentagon's evaluation of competing bids.

 

Boeing executives "are deeply concerned about the ability of a heavily and illegally subsidised Airbus/EADS to accept levels of financial risk that we cannot in a way that distorts the competition," Beck said.

 

One source following the issue said Boeing was keeping its options open, particularly if the Air Force made changes to the final request for proposals that appeared to favour EADS before the July 9 deadline.

 

But it was difficult to imagine Boeing withdrawing from a competition worth tens of billions of dollars at a time when overall defence spending is expected to flatten out or even decline, said the source, who was not authorised to speak on the record.

 

"I think that Boeing is playing with enormous fire here," said analyst Scott Hamilton of Leeham, adding that Boeing risked angering the Air Force and Defence Secretary Robert Gates by politicising the tanker competition.

 

Gates cancelled the last tanker deal, which Boeing had lost to EADS and Northrop Grumman, after government auditors partially upheld Boeing's protest and lawmakers became deeply involved in debating the procurement.

 

Boeing-backed legislation that would add the cost of any subsidy deemed illegal by the World Trade Organisation to major weapons contracts could also backfire, he said, noting that the trade body was due to rule next month on a European countersuit alleging that Boeing benefitted from illegal tax subsidies.

 

The WTO ruled earlier this year that Airbus benefitted from billions of dollars of European government subsidies to develop its A330 wide-body aircraft, among other commercial planes.

 

The Defence Department says it cannot factor the ruling into its procurement, given that it could still be appealed.

 

EADS declined comment on the Air Force's tanker procurement process, but said reports of a possible Boeing withdrawal were "another attempt to distract attention from the fact that EADS North America has a more capable tanker that is flying today, while Boeing can only offer an untested conceptual design."

 

One defence official said the Pentagon was keenly aware of the importance of the tanker competition and was at pains to ensure a flawless process this time around -- and that meant strictly limiting any conversations with the rival bidders.

 

"We know we have to get this right this time," said the official, who was not authorised to speak on the record.

 

(Reuters)

[Pieter C. 5]

Boeing Confident As Air Travel Demand Returns

 

May 21, 2010

 

Boeing said its 787 Dreamliner and other aircraft would help drive growth as global air travel demand resurges and US military spending growth slows.

 

Boeing, the second-largest commercial plane maker behind Airbus, also said on Thursday that it planned to look overseas for opportunities to increase its defence business and would move more aggressively to expand aircraft services.

 

Chief executive Jim McNerney told Boeing's investor meeting that the company saw "an improving business environment, not yet robust."

 

Still, McNerney said major aircraft programmes such as the 787 and 747-8, as well as international demand for defence aircraft, boded well for the company as the commercial aerospace recovery gains steam.

 

"Nothing derails the future," said Alex Hamilton, an analyst with CK Cooper, who attended the investor conference in Philadelphia. "We're in the first year of a multi-year up cycle."

 

Chicago-based Boeing said the 787 aircraft, which is more than two years behind schedule, is on track for first delivery by year's end. The fuel-efficient 787, which McNerney said accounted for about 40 percent of Boeing's commercial backlog, is key to future profitability.

 

The company said the carbon-composite 787 would hold back margin performance in the commercial plane division initially, even as it produces growth longer term. The company plans to boost output of the plane to 10 a month by the end of 2013.

 

This week, Boeing said it would boost output of its popular 737 narrow body, citing strong demand from airlines as they rebound from the downturn. Earlier this year, it announced a production increase for its 777. Airbus said earlier this year that it would raise production of its A320 plane.

 

On Thursday, Boeing said it was mulling whether to raise 737 rates even beyond the 34 a month it set beginning in early 2012, saying the model was significantly oversold. The company added it was also mulling whether to retrofit engines for the aircraft or revamp it completely.

 

The company also said it was keen to expand the business that services aircraft.

 

(Reuters)