2019 Outlook: A critical year for Mitsubishi’s MRJ regional jet

By Bjorn Fehrm Subscription Required Introduction January 8, 2019, © Leeham News.: Mitsubishi Aircraft’s MRJ should originally have entered service 2013. Now the plan is 2020, a record seven years of delay. But 2020 can be the last… Read More

Pontifications: AFA holds aerospace job fair that WA state should have done

Jan. 7, 2019, © Leeham News: The first dedicated aerospace job fair in Washington State may draw more than 1,500 people today, says the president of the organizer, Aerospace Futures Alliance. Kelly Maloney, AFA president, opened the fair… Read More

2019 Outlook: ATR begins year in commanding position

Subscription Required Introduction Jan. 7, 2019, © Leeham News: ATR, the turboprop airliner OEM, enters 2019 in a commanding position. Year-end 2018 order numbers for ATR and rival Bombardier aren’t in yet. Through October, ATR held 74% of… Read More

2019 Outlook: COMAC’s slow but steady progress

Subscription Required Introduction Jan. 4, 2019, © Leeham News: This is not the year where China’s COMAC will have break-out progress for the C919, its challenge to the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. Flight testing is slow and… Read More

Legendary Herb Kelleher dead at 87

Jan. 3, 2019, © Leeham News: The incomparable Herb Kelleher died today. He was 87. Kelleher was a co-founder of Southwest Airlines, which rewrote airline service in the US and which became the forerunner of many, many low… Read More

KKR invests $1bn in small lessor

Jan. 3, 2019, © Leeham News: The US private equity fund KKR agreed to invest $1bn in boutique lessor Altavair, a deal that includes taking a 50% stake in the company. KKR may supplement the investment with additional… Read More

2019 Outlook: Irkut leads Russia’s airliner industry

By Bjorn Fehrm Subscription Required Introduction January 3, 2019, © Leeham News.: The last year was a quiet year for the airliner side of Irkut Corporation (Irkut). It continued testing its two MC-21 single-aisle airliners and rolled out… Read More

LNC’s Top 10 stories in 2018

Jan. 2, 2019, © Leeham News: Boeing dominated the Top 10 news stories last year, as measured by views. Displacing Airbus at Hawaiian Airlines, which ordered the 787-9 and canceled the A330-800, led the readership. Airbus’ launch of… Read More