Odds and Ends: Airbus will “win” the Air Show; AvWeek’s McNerney interview; 747-8 vs 747-400

Airbus will “win” the air show: We did this preview for CNN International.

Jim McNerney Interview: Aviation Week has this long one.

Dominic Gates of The Seattle Times will be blogging from the Paris Air Show. You can follow him here. He has several reports worth reading.

Meantime, he reports that the Boeing 787-10 may be built in South Carolina, not Boeing’s main plant at Everett.

NYC Aviation has an interesting pilot perspective on flying the Boeing 747-400F and the 747-8F.

21 Comments on “Odds and Ends: Airbus will “win” the Air Show; AvWeek’s McNerney interview; 747-8 vs 747-400

  1. Airbus is always “winning” the shows because they hoard the orders.
    I think no sane person really gives anything on that.
    Even the rock-hard Airbus supporters.

    • It’s all marketing. Just like most of the other announcements and statements from A and B.

      Order totals and backlogs over longer term matter more, but of course the air show orders will add up, too.

  2. It takes some time to work out all the details of a contract to by XXX airplanes from OEM-XYZ. Those details are unique to that airline order, such as price, delivery dates, production slots, deposits, etc. Somehow, I just don’t see Airbus, or Boeing, sitting there without pre-written contracts ready to be signed and firmed up.

    Interesting prospective on comparing the B-747-8F to its older sister, the B-747-400F, especially on the comparison flight plan from ANC to HKG on the same amount of fuel burn, but substantially more revenue cargo.

  3. They both like to announce orders at the airshows, for many different reasons.
    But what we must also keep in mind is that the airlines, the customers, would also have to agree to announcing the order at the airshows. For them, this can also be a benefit.

  4. Scott, with regards to your CNN puff piece… you actually think that Leahy is the equivalent counter part of Ray Connor? Sorry, that’s just not the case. Not by ANY stretch of the imagination. Ray Connor is the CEO of BCA, the equivalent position on the Airbus side would be Bregier. The equivalent to Leahy would be the head of BCA Sales, John Wojick. You give Leahy way too much credit. He has no authority over production, over R&D, or the responsibility for the full profit and loss of the company, like Connor and Bregier do.

    • Yeah, John Leahy is just a nobody of consequence; a Yank M.I.A in France.

      EADS has announced today the composition of the new Group Executive Committee, as previously indicated in May upon conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.

      The Group Executive Committee’s focus is on defining overall strategies and policies, on developing and coordinating key markets and campaigns, on people and leadership development, as well as on furthering research & development and product strategies with significant Group-wide impact.

      Besides Tom Enders, 53, as the EADS Chief Executive, the following top managers form the EADS Group Executive Committee:

      •François Auque, 56, CEO of Astrium and Coordination of Space & Defence
      •Thierry Baril, 47, Chief Human Resources Officer EADS & Airbus
      •Lutz Bertling, 50, CEO of Eurocopter
      •Jean Botti, 55, Chief Technical Officer of EADS
      •Fabrice Brégier, 51, CEO of Airbus
      •Günter Butschek, 51, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus
      •Bernhard Gerwert, 59, CEO of Cassidian
      •Marwan Lahoud, 46, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer of EADS
      •John Leahy, 62, Chief Operating Officer – Customers of Airbus
      •Sean O’Keefe, 56, CEO of EADS North America
      •Domingo Ureña-Raso, 54, Head of Airbus Military
      •Harald Wilhelm, 46, Chief Financial Officer of EADS & Airbus

      http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en/news/press.20120906_eads_group_executive_committee.html

      http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en/our-company/our-governance/executive-committee/Members/John_Leahy.html

      • So? He’s still not the CEO of Airbus. What is your point? Other than to be pedantic and annoying?

    • Not sure why you think this a “puff” piece. Even Boeing expects Airbus to “win” and every air show is followed by a media frenzy of who “won” and who “lost.” Your point about Bregier and Wojick is noted. But Wojick doesn’t do any press events (that we’ve seen); Conner is the “face” of BCA and Leahy has been the “face” of Airbus far longer than Bregier (or Enders) and more than anyone else is associated as such. That’s our thinking.

      • Leahy still does not have the responsibilities that Connor and Bregier do. They are the CEOs. They have authority for the WHOLE of BCA and Airbus. Leahy only has responsibility for Sales; no production, no P&L, no R&D, no after market support, no supplier managment. You are comparing an apple to an orange. If you want to say who the “public face is” then on the BCA side that’d be Randy Tinseth. Just face it, your analogy was FALSE. You over inflated Leahy. Leahy reports to Bregier who reports to Enders (2 layers from the top). Connor reports to McNerney (1 layer from the top). You elevated Leahy.

    • John Leahy has been awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Government – which puts him in an elite class with the likes of Norman Schwartzkopff and Clint Eastwood. Airbus and France respect Leahy and this is why he’s lasted so long while Boeing has simultaneously gone through Nine (9) chief salesmen! Meanwhile, John Leahy has helped mastermind Airbus’ ascent to the #1 Jetliner Manufacturer in the world.

      So…I guess John Leahy really isn’t the “…equivalent counter part of Ray Connor”. John Leahy is much more than that!

      • Great, he’s an accomplished guy… so is my Golden Retriever, but that still doesn’t make him a CEO with responsibilities for the WHOLE of Airbus.

      • “Meanwhile, John Leahy has helped mastermind Airbus’ ascent to the #1 Jetliner Manufacturer in the world.”

        While Airbus has done a great job of growing their business over the past several decades, they are not currently the #1 jetliner manufacturer in the world. That distinction pingpongs back and forth across the Atlantic, and last year, belonged to Boeing, who topped Airbus in both orders, and more importantly, deliveries.

    • “Leahy’s actual counterpart, Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft, tends to keep a low profile.” as read in the article i think is correct and is not the same as “Ray Conner’s actual counter part is Leahy..” which of course is not correct.
      As you correctly mensioned JL doest have RC’s authorities but it appears that RC in Boeing acts as Leahy for Airbus which is what Scott wrote.
      Details..
      John Wojick? First time i read this name!

  5. All right, that’s enough on the part of everybody.

    Any more of the personal stuff and I will close down comments.

    Hamilton

  6. to be frank, it is easier to be chief salesman in a company
    1/ that is usually under promising and over delivering,
    2/ a company which is managed by engineers rather than bean counters and lawyers,
    3/ and a company whose exécutives are located in the middle of the main design and manufacturing center…and very fond of MBWA
    Nevertheless, John LEAHY is certainly an extremely talented guy!

    • Only that MBWA is translated differently in Airbus language: GLS: Go-Look-See

    • The only one of the current 4 OEMs of airliners that meets your benchmarks is Embraer. So that would be John Slattery. He is having a good week, just pulled in 365 new E jets.

  7. Jimmy :
    John Leahy has been awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Government – which puts him in an elite class with the likes of Norman Schwartzkopff and Clint Eastwood. Airbus and France respect Leahy and this is why he’s lasted so long while Boeing has simultaneously gone through Nine (9) chief salesmen! Meanwhile, John Leahy has helped mastermind Airbus’ ascent to the #1 Jetliner Manufacturer in the world.
    So…I guess John Leahy really isn’t the “…equivalent counter part of Ray Connor”. John Leahy is much more than that!

    John Leahy, the mouth that roared.

  8. Mike Bohnet :
    That distinction pingpongs back and forth across the Atlantic

    It only crossed the Atlantic once since Airbus took that distinction in 2003 and that was last year. But yes, if things continue the way they are at the moment, Boeing is likely to keep it for a while.

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