Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
There's more to real news than a news release.
Open Forum, Week of Feb. 2
Feb. 2, 2026: LNA’s Comments Open Forum allows Readers opportunities to comment about any post (note, we said “Post”, not any “Topic”). All comments will be held for review and Moderation per our new policy. The Open Forum enables Readers to Comment on paywall articles (to the extent the paywall preview is open to all readers).
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Interested in the apparent soft launch of the A220 stretch this week. Any thoughts on what Airbus aims to do with this model?
@FF
This is a niche application targeting Breeze and Air Baltic. It is a duplicate of the A320neo. It really only applies to operators that fly the A220 and not the A320.
It has been speculated that an A220-500 is a prominent fixture if Airbus ever decides the A320 replacement is up-gaged to avoid duplication of market coverage.
It’ll be interesting to see when the A220-500 shows up.
Farnborough 2026
Any stretch variant commercial launch is going to target existing customers.
Don’t be surprised to see Delta amoung them as they have around 50 A319’s
However the operating cost per seat basis it would exceed the A320 but only match the 737 max 8
In addition to airlines who already have the A220-300, I think airlines who have A319/A320 CEO, who haven’t yet ordered NEO or Max replacements for them, might be interested in the A220-500 for routes where the A321 is too much airplane. Might include American, Air France, Avianca, Lufthansa?
Another way of looking at it, is what other airplane sells? The A319NEO and the 737-7 are both dead; the A320NEO nearly so. But the 737-8 still sells well, so that’s the next smallest plane the A220-500 needs to match up against IMO. Could Airbus make the numbers stack up on a plane that is lighter, shorter ranged, with a less powerful engine, and slightly smaller than the 737-8 ?
Would not be surprised if the LH Group adds some for ITA, Swiss and LH City, all of them either operating A220 or have them on order – this would allow for an efficient intra-europe plane.
Qantas, Air Canada, JetBlue, Korean, LOT are also operators and thus targets for the Airbus sales crew.
My reading is that P&W showed sufficient proof to Airbus that they can ramp up/improve the GTF program, to allow Airbus to take the risk of the A220 Stretch. The additional sales should give confidence for the ramp up investments required also on the A32x side. Less A32x gliders and more XLR in the mix.
In return allows for more production on both A220 and A321 side in an undersupplied market and more market share, while possibly forcing Boeing to move first on the NSA
With the A220 already getting the Airspace Bins, i would suspect the A350 style winglets (moving closer to the 36m gate limit) and clawing some Aero improvements to help with the -500 range.
Anyways as a regular passenger on the Swiss A220, i can tell that i prefer the bird over the NEO/MAX 🙂
Not sure I will ever get to fly it as its not used in NW US. I don’t know if Delta flys any into Seattle or the other West Coast/Rocky Mt airports.
I did get to walk around an ANA A220 when they were moving them through Anchorage.
Its a really nice looking aircraft.
Delta Air Lines, Breeze Airways, airBaltic, Air France, and JetBlue are all said to be interested. [I think Qantas may also want to have a look.]
If it can beat the Max 8 in CASM, another nail in the Max’s coffin. BA fans insist because AB is not making money, it has no choice but to kill it. 😱
> “I think [the A220] needs the -500 to be a powerful product range,” says Faury. “That’s what we hear from airlines as well.
“The -300 is a very good [aircraft]. The potential of the 500 is probably even stronger.”
The discussion on the A220 caught my eye. Lot of interesting ebb and flow on it.
Clearly the A320NEO is not dead. Its matching up with the MAX-8/9 and that is selling in good numbers.
The A220-xxx can be a good fit but its also an odd man out on the cockpit difference and no common type rating with the rest of Airbus. There would be a lot of unhappy Airbus customers if they were forced into the A220.
As for the Nail In the Coffin, somewhat morbid and totally untrue. Boeing could make 50 a month and still have 5 years backlog that auto extends on each new sale.
I agree with the Nail in the coffin to be to harsh.
With NEO/MAX practically sold out, it will need all players to meet the market demands. Pretty sure both will continue to sell well.
The MAX10 will make a fine people mover, while the XLR, should make for great plane on shorter longhaul especially in the shoulder seasons and thinner routes.
If Airbus manages to deliver a compelling A220-500 and get it certified and into the air, it will sell with existing customers on slot availablity and better economics.
Bit of a A330 A350 combo situation.
A220 and A320 stack in capabilities.
Only for Airbus the A220 is less low cost than the A330 is.
Boon: if possible produce what customers would like to have.
Frank M
Reality check: Max 8 backlogs 2,700 (my est based on backlog of Max 7 + 8 – est. backlog of Max 7)
The Max 8 is the only one in BA’s lineup that can outmatch its main competitor, well, with the A220 stretched, not anymore.
BA’s NB lineup had 33% market share only! (per LNA)
In a few years’ time, airline customers will start to realize theBoeing Max is a dead-end, there won’t be a “next” generation anymore. All their pilots will have to be retrained. That’s the harsh and inconvenient reality no one here talks about [except me!! 🤪].
> Richard Aboulafia sees a risk that Boeing’s market share in the single-aisle market will dip below 30% without the entry into service of a new aircraft…
“If it can beat the Max 8 in CASM’
Not the case, as it will beat the A320 easily
Strange statement!?
Qantas orders are currently leaving an interesting gap between the a220 and a321xlr. Another possible user is Air New Zealand when it replaces its 17 domestic a320 ceos
I would love to see an A220-500.
The only airline that is running the mix in the US is Delta. What kind of financial sauce they use to make it pay, not a clue. They did it with 717s etc so its not an A220 specific feature though the savings are big in fuel use (and maint other than those pesky GTF)
A220 takes two fully paid pilots, that is a big cost only Delta has worked out here.
I don’t see mixed fleet A320/321 wanting the A220 as a significant benefit is pilot flexibility. I doubt there is much exchange up into A330/350 or down, though probably some.
Even a mixed A220/A321 fleet has its issues, at least the MAX is consist-ant across that spectrum even if you don’t have common type with 787.
At least in US the Wide Body flights are the ones to move up to and senior airpersons get those. Those pesky line pilots are not wanted! Probably very rate you can’t get a fill in Wide Body pilot for a fill in.
@TW: JBLU has 220s and 320 family.
Breeze (220s) wants the -500.
Across the border, AC has 220s, 320 family *and* MAXes.
UA would have ordered a bunch of the a220s. BA was too eager to sell aircraft without making a dime. Alas!
@Scott:
Point taken. Jet Blue looks to be shifting to that split of A220 and A321.
Like Delta its a foot into those waters, but its also interesting with cockpit commonality loss.
Breeze is solidly in the Air Baltic camp where its the only bird they plan on for the future. No A320/321 of any type. So yea, they are a natural A220-500 customer. I don’t know a lot about them let alone what their future routes and aircraft needs look like.
Air Canada is a strange one, old A320CEO and no update orders but back-filling from other fleets. A bit hard to assess as their always was a natural link into the A220 for them and yes, the A220-500 would allow them to retire the A320CEO that they clearly have a need for but don’t want to buy new ones (A321NEO yes)
google AI offers a longer list of potential interest:
* Air France: The Air France-KLM Group has frequently expressed interest in a stretched version of the A220, with CEO Ben Smith mentioning in 2019 and later years that it would be an ideal replacement for their Airbus A320 fleet.
* Breeze Airways: Founder David Neeleman has indicated the airline is interested in the A220-500, as it fits their strategy of utilizing high-efficiency, new-technology aircraft with 2/3 seating configurations for better economics.
* airBaltic: As one of the largest operators of the A220-300, the airline has stated they are looking forward to a stretched, higher-capacity variant for their fleet development.
* Delta Air Lines: As the largest global operator of the A220, Delta has been identified as a leading potential customer for the -500 variant to further modernize their fleet.
* JetBlue: Identified as a significant operator and potential customer, having invested heavily in the current A220 family.
* Luxair: The airline has indicated interest in the A220-500 as a potential replacement for their Boeing 737 fleet to keep a non-mixed fleet.
* Air Canada: Cited as a potential key carrier for the stretched version.
realistically Airbus would not offer such a stretch for just two “not big” customers.
In the mix you have to discount the A220 only airlines. Of course they want a A220-500.
AF/KLM is an outlier. It would be interesting to see why the -500 would work for them vs a common type rating fleet.
Once you hit the wide body birds then a mixed fleet seems to be a lot less of an issue. Lots of 787s and you have enough pilots to switch around if needed. Probably pilots happy to get the added hours in.
AF looks to be letting its A320/321 fleet expire and going all in on A220 for all needs. Its an older CEO fleet.
KLM is not going with A220 for its various groups. NEO for KLM itself.
“In the mix you have to discount the A220 only airlines.”
To:
“Of course they want a A220-500. ”
Bit of a logic clash?
topic was “who would buy A220-500”
Not at all.
As Scott noted, add Breeze to the A220 groupies (which I have no issue with). So yes, a -500 fits right in sans going to a more expensive A320CEO/NEO without the common rating.
As noted I also expect Delta would put their money where the mouth is, they are one who is whole hog into A220 and mix of other Airbus and Boeing single aisle.
Delta is the only fleet like it in the world. Clearly they are working to an all A220 fleet in that segment which would simplify the mix they have now that does that mission.
At a guess the A220 will replace all not just the 717s , the 319s but the A320 as well. A -500 is a perfect fit there (assuming you can pay the pilots full wage and make money)
It will be interesting to see over time what happens with the A220-100s
The A320+ segment has the -10 at 187 seats (that is a packed -8) .
One should remember not that long ago, United was extremely interested in Bombardier C-series. BA’s only lever was to offer “United Airlines very low prices for the Boeing 737-700 to undercut Bombardier”, affecting the pricing of the MAX 7 and cascading on the rest of the Boeing 737 MAX family.
Bloomberg: 737-7 at ‘extreme risk, may not survive’
If common cockpit is essential, why would any airlines buy Embraer E175/190/195, Bombardier c-series or Boeing 787 in the first place?? That’s just a fig leaf.
Good things happened:
After ordering 50 a321xlr in 2019, United followed with an order of 70 A321 in less than two years. Then followed by another order of 60.
By now, United already has 62 a321neo flying — unlike the Max 10 it ordered almost a decade ago, not one has been delivered.😑
Luckily United will have almost as many a321 as the total of Max 8 and Max 9 it currently has, and more than the number of max 10 it has ordered!
In 2024, United CEO Scott Kirby said that it’s time for there to be a third choice for the world’s airlines to purchase large jetliner alongside Boeing and Airbus, if only United was not also (partly) responsible for the demise of Bombardier’s c-series.
All major US airlines are still flying A319/318 without a direct replacement, the A220 may be the closest one.
If airlines are concerned with the backlog of the a320/321 and the reliability of the Max, why don’t they consider the ugly duckling, A220, which may one day become a graceful swan?
* Lauda
* SouthWest
Better in the cost of a Max 7 or 8. Since the Max7 is in the stars and the Max8 doesn’t really fit, this could open a door in the new tough competition for Airbus in the USA that Southwest is facing recently.
I see there 200+ Order
The A220 has earlier slots available than the A320.
A customer eager to have earlier frames may be tempted by this — particularly a start-up that doesn’t yet have any other types in the fleet.
An A220-500 is no A320NEO.
– a NEO flies up to 186 seats
– a NEO has superior payload-range
– a NEO can carry AKH containers
– a NEO offers A320 series commonality
– a NEO offers engine choice
– a NEO has global MRO and pilot base
– a NEO can be cargo converted
A A220-500 probably has superior fuel consumption.
Pretty much my thinking.
I am not sure the containers is that much advantage but some airlines do use it. Nice to have the option would be the way I put it.
MAX sells nicely on a single engine choice, it would be interesting to get some data on how much a show stopper that is.
I would add in that an NEO can carry bigger cargo containers (I don’t know the same or different than MAX) as well as some freight offerings coming through though I don’t think and NEO is offering that, it would be CEO.
How often US airlines flying the 737 carry freight in bellies in domestic flights?
“FAA: Boeing Not Cleared for Full Authority Despite Progress”
“SINGAPORE — At an industry conference in Singapore on Monday, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said Boeing is making progress but still “needs to do more” before it can fully regain the delegated airworthiness/certification responsibilities curtailed after repeated quality lapses.”
“Bedford also described a longer-term intent to return more final-check responsibility to the manufacturer while repositioning government staff deeper inside production facilities, with more embedded oversight rather than simply “signing off at the end.””
https://airwaysmag.com/new-post/faa-boeing-no-full-authority-despite-progress
Inconvenient news for BA:
“Air India pilot flags possible defect with fuel control switch on a Boeing 787, airline grounds aircraft”
“The crew of the Boeing 787 reported abnormal behaviour of the left engine fuel control switch on Monday, as during engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towards CUTOFF”
“Sources said that the pilot reported that the left fuel control switch was slipping from RUN to CUTOFF if pushed down slightly, and was not locking properly in its position.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/air-india-grounds-boeing-dreamliner-fuel-control-switch-issue-10509536/
LOTS of different news outlets reporting this story.
Here we go again…
For some strange reason, out of all the 787’s flying today, only Air Indias’ fleet seems to have
defective fuel switches.
A perfect example why we need cameras in the cockpit of today’s aircraft.
AI accident would be an open and shut case .
Time: “Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Has a Long History of Safety Concerns”
Spoiler alert — not just Air India
https://time.com/7293945/boeing-787-dreamliner-long-history-safety-concerns/
Though the door plug was not secured on the Alaska 737-9 (MSN 67501), it took more than 150 flights until the plug blew off.
The crash near DCA is the result of deep “systematic failures” even though there were hundreds of flights everyday for years without any crashes.
Don’t forget JAL 123, which managed to perform 12,300 flights with a defective aft pressure bulkhead (incorrectly repaired by Boeing) before the defect manifested itself.
Whatever.
either such things don’t “manifest” in a catastrophic way at all
or integrity checks expose them before catastrophic failure.
Plus two separate circuits to two separate engines which are defective – not simultaneous- but a second or two apart, as would happen if someone flicked them off, like when they came back on again in 10-14 sec later …again slightly apart
I think you’ll find that there was an AD for cut off switches for 737s due to installation errors, the lockout wasn’t activated. It seems they use the same switch on the 787. NEVER heard of them cutting off by themselves.
Yea as well as in a reality move, they checked the entire 787 fleets. No switch was reported defective.
I believe it was assembly errors the lock gate did not get installed correctly. They never explained why they said it was 737 only. Seems it could get into the wild easily even if it was somehow linked only to 737.
Oddly, even those defective switches were never linked to a incident.
Not required but its a public confidante aspect that is requited and I heartily endorse it. I dislike those type of bulletins. While technically correct, the reality is people don’t fly or trust on technical. It takes all of a minute to check and it can be done by pilots on the next flight. I am no people person (or as my boss said, he is a technician not a politician when a manager complained I told her, you can go home, I have another job to do and a flight to catch out and I need to get this one done) but I get the human aspect to it.
As much as I love Airbus, they scare me a bit as they have had some serious software glitches lately and due to the commonality of software across the fleet, it was cross affecting. Ungh.
Nice thing about a MAX is it does not share programs with anything.
A caveat for those who care, the AI switch has also been listed as a suspected bad switch.
Everyone knows there’s only one airframer that suffered from software issue which caused two of its new aircraft to crash from the sky!
Keep in mind if you keep mucking with switches in ways not intended you will start breaking them as well. Hopefully you don’t break both at the same time and then knock them off.
As its a critical function, the action should be reversed, down should be on. Failing up is unlikely, down is more probably and if you keep mucking with them it is going to happen.
Mucking with is also not just up or down and testing (gently) the lock gate, its forcing them up and down in directions and motions never intended.
If you are going to do that AI needs its own spec grade switches, probably military class, that tends to be soldier proof and if a soldier can’t break it, no one can!
Let us not forget not one but two of the AIMFS turn themselves off then back on.
The sad reality that the data supports 100% what happened. Not who but what. Probably who as well but that is not a given.
The Carrema are horribly overdue. Not that some would believe those either.
Spaceship 2 Camera did exactly what OV-1 states. The crash made zero sense in the deployment timing as it was wrong time and specifically when they were trained not to do pull it and why.
But there the pilot went, pulled the handle. No one will ever know why he pulled the handle, but he pulled the handle he did.
There is another lesson in there, if someone can do it, eventually sooner or latter they will. So then we do inter-locks or specific point lockouts.
The issue there is you wind up with Severn more complex than an already horribly complex situation. Computers do not simplify things. The branch paths put people into rubber rooms.
Nope, hard to replace John Wayne d looking over and smacking a panicky co pilot in the head.
Maybe have Otto full time and programed to stop any action not in line with the mission? – like a 10,000 volt low amp zap.
AI171 and the stories following with that company’s 787s sure do make for an interesting story.
I think we’ll be seeing more odd stories like
that one in the future- and not just in aviation.
just a hunch.
Of all the 787 users Air India probably has the harshest climate conditions. hot, wet, dripping humidity, condensation.
Hot and humid is far worse than hot and dry.
That said, Sand has a quality all its own.
One more accident away?
When there’s smoke, there’s…
https://x.com/sjlazars/status/2018368372053053467
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HAKnKx0boAACoql?format=jpg&name=900×900
At the very least, the latest incident shows that 787 fuel switches *can* slip unintentionally from “run” to “cut off”.
In other words, this establishes reasonable doubt in the automatic pilot-blaming narrative that arose immediately after the AI crash.
As I said above: a very inconvenient news development for BA.
In fact, most serious Aviation types did not blame the pilots immediately.
The first theory was an engine loss.
The nattering of the ignorant always happens, serious people don’t pay attention to that.
In fact about everything but the pilots was pondered and attempted to be applied to the situation.
Equally I thought the survivor was a hoax. It made no sense but there he was and it all checked correct.
Odd that he is accepted when a clear showing on the CVR as well FDR corroborated withes were moved deliberately. .
You would be tempted to think people had an agenda if we did not know better.
Hasn’t been verified from analysis of the flights computers from the “full investigation”
Its just a pilots hand written note so far.
Theres 1250 787s delivered and only Air India has this ‘issue’
The CVR gave a different version which is ‘smoke then fire’ scenario
What can be learned from the CVR? I thought many say, without video,we won’t know what exactly happened!
Do some commenters now switched from blaming the pilot to questioning how accurate a pilot documented what happened? Isn’t it a bit too much since you weren’t even in the cockpit??
“…only Air India has this ‘issue’”
Alaska Airlines was the only airline to suffer a midair door blowout on a MAX. Yet, when inspections were carried out after that incident, multiple MAXs at multiple airlines were found to have improperly-fitted door plugs.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/faa-recommends-door-plug-inspections-boeing-model-midair-alaska-blowou-rcna134986
Someone always has to be first.
. “During engine start in London, on two occasions crew observed that the fuel control switch did not remain positively latched in the “RUN” position when light vertical pressure was applied. On the third attempt, the switch latched correctly in “RUN” and subsequently remained stable.”
I know of one and only one flight that had an issue and it was an Airbus. They had taken off when they found a suspect switch. The pilot kicked himself for not doing an auto return.
So in this case, they have not one, but two iffy switches (at least according to them) and they too off?
But they watched them closely. Wow. That defies any notion of sanity.
The pilots should be terminated and the rest should be taken into a sealed room and told if anyone in that airline ever does something like that again they will be terminated on the spot.
Stunning. Trump class brilliant.
“I know of one and only one flight that had an issue and it was an Airbus.”
Backup your claim or it didn’t happen!
The story seems a bit odd. The crew noticed the behavior twice while starting the engines, but apparently went ahead with the flight to Bangalore anyhow? I can’t imagine why any pilot would not return to the gate immediately. There must be more to this story that hasn’t been reported.
After a third attempt, the switch remained in the desired position.
The crew then decided to proceed with the flight, while regularly monitoring the switch position.
Not a good situation to have a component that works so unpredictably. Air India has removed the switch concerned — which was nowhere near end-of-life — and sent it to the OEM for inspection.
As a general remark: any component with a (semi) horizontal groove can act as a trap for foreign material — such as dust, crumbs, congealed liquids, etc. — which can then act as an impediment to smooth motion within that groove. Even worse is when such “crud” lodges in a spring-mechanism within the groove.
These fuel switches should have lift-up covers!
Abalone.
When one really reads what is happening here, the story becomes easier to understand. Air India has created a preflight test to check that the detents are secure. The problem is that while it sounds good to verify that the detent tabs are there, repeatesly loading the detent pin in this manner will precipitate a failure over time. The lack of a fleetwide detent failure history tends to show this goodhearted (?) effort as a meaningless point of noise in the data. No other operator has experienced a problem with the component. In my opinion the Air India test is designed to produce results supporting their narrative tthat it was parts not pilots that craahed their airplane.
Yep
TB:
No pilot would do that, it did not happen as portrayed.
Fortunaley we have FDR and CVR to sort that stuff out.
Anything from false report to the pilots mucking around flipping the switches around with the toggle pulled up.
What’s recorded in CVR? How does it help to solve flight mysteries like the jeju accident?
Petter (737 Captain) at Mentour Pilot: This is the 737 [Boeing] Should Have Made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7eG3CJ0OZY
Putting a 767 nose on the 777 worked because it was smaller than a 777 fuselage and it was in the same weight class as a 777 build wise.
You would have to change the nose profile to fit a 737 and its a heavy structure nose with totally different build methods.
I found the presentation and idea interesting but I could see why Boeing did not even try it. A lot of cost just to overlay a whiz bang setup over cable and pulley control system.
What nose did the 757 had? Also mentioned in the video. The 757’s fuselage is how many Milimeters wider than a 737’s fuselage?
How much time does it require for a pilot to go from a 737 to a 787 or from an A320 to an A350? Also 737 to A350.
757 had its own contoured nose. You are talking about merging a larger nose into a smaller hull not to mention totally different structure build.
And you still have a controls overlay on top of existing systems as those do not change. Control cables are still there as are all the other systems harking back to the start of the jet age.
You are asking for transition times that only an airline would have. If its a common cockpit then some difference training of a few hours and no sim time (Sim Time is better but not required).
Major shifts from a 737 to an A350, weeks at least. But exact times, shrug and why does it matter?
If you look at a 777 Nose, you will see a kind of odd angle. That is the merge into the 767 nose.
Oh no!! Don’t the 757 and 767 share a common type rating??
767 and 757 have a common type rating. The fuselage of the 757 is the same as for the 737. So a 737 with a 757 cockpit is quite possible. The video made exactly the point Boeing could have thrown out the cables with a mayor upgrade and a new cockpit.
All these improvements would have voided the major advantage the 737 has over the A320 or other more modern NB frames:
in wide areas only having to conform to an earlier significantly “easier”certification environment.
afaik (Scott?) : 767 757 commonality was a bit of an afterthought.
What I’ve gathered this was not a feature at design start.
guesswork: Airbus had set commonality into focus with A300 A310 cockpits?
just a fyi
“Canadian airlines have slashed 450,000 seats to U.S. destinations in the first three months of 2026, a nearly 10% drop from the same period last year”
Really sad though we comfort ourselves we are getting a horribly tacky ballroom.
Talk about a Pig with Lipstick.
I would like to have the previous good relations we had with Canada. Good times when the biggest issue was lumber disagreement.
More flights are cut between the US and Canada:
Raleigh
Boston
San Francisco
San Diego
Chicago
Seattle
Los Angeles
Amazing that BA suddenly has no aircraft available to participate in the Singapore airshow:
> Speaking to Aviation Week, John Dyson, Boeing’s head of product marketing for the 777X, said there was not a 777-9 demonstrator available for Singapore. “We are very busy with certification activities and the aircraft are being dedicated there right now.”
> Asked why no 737 MAX has been sent to Singapore, Dyson said that again is related to the certification process of the 737-7 and 737-10.
The buried lede:
> “**We are also in a restructuring process and we need to recover**. This is not the time to send an aircraft as a display. Even though there are so many important customers in Asia,” another Boeing sales person told Aviation Week.
No problem, I trust there’re others eager to step up:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HACucwya0AAmcG_?format=jpg&name=large
Remember, it’s just another craft made by BA
> Unable to tame *hydrogen leaks*, NASA delays launch of Artemis II until March
More on the Air India fuel switch issue:
“Both left and right switches were checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth/pawl fully seated and not slipping from RUN to CUTOFF. When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure.
However, applying external force in an indirect direction caused the switch to move easily from RUN to CUTOFF, due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with a finger or thumb, the DGCA said in a statement”
“Air India will send the impacted Fuel Control Switch module to the OEM for further checks. The total life of the component in question is 20,000 hours, but the total hours so far are only 3,440. The component has been used for less than 20% of its total lifespan”.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/fuel-switch-scare-air-india-to-send-impacted-component-for-checks-what-dgca-said/articleshow/127886349.cms
So BA had never told its airline customers how to “properly” operate the 787 switches??
Stranger than fiction?
> “When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure,”… But… the switch could be moved “easily” between ‘run’ and ‘cut-off’ if a force was applied in an “incorrect direction”, owing to the **base plate “allowing slip when pressed improperly”**.
This is an interesting video.
It shows a 737 fuel switch, but the basic design is the same as in the 787.
Note how the left switch has become “lazy”, and can be (inadvertently) moved by a passing motion of the hand in an oblique direction (without a conscious lift-and-shift action). There is no top guard to prevent this — only side guards.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUSWjdLkaiF/
The fuel switches in the A350 have top guards, which impede such accidental actuation:
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-cockpit-with-hand-on-the-switch-control-unit-airbus-a-350-900-xwb-79900757.html
The fuel switches are located in an area with notable hand traffic — the thrust levers above the switches may not see much action, but meal trays and beverage cups are distributed and collected above this area. Cutlery gets dropped, beverages get spilled — you name it.
Remarkable:
“The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is concerned that other countries are not applying “sufficient resources” to certifying US aerospace products, and the government is looking to level the playing field, according to the authority’s administrator Bryan Bedford.
“The remarks, made on the sidelines of the Changi Aviation Summit in Singapore, come days after US president Donald Trump threatened to decertify all new aircraft made in Canada until Ottawa approves new business jets made by US manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace.
““Our concern is whether or not sufficient resources are being applied to US products equal to the resources that we’re applying to certify foreign products,” Bedford said, as reported by Bloomberg and Reuters. “We just want a level playing field.””
“However, Bedford said that when the FAA certifies an aircraft, it expects other authorities to accept the certification. “They normally do a validation programme and those things shouldn’t take five, six, and seven years.”
“US-made G700 and G800 were certified by the FAA in 2025. Canada has not certified them because of pending fuel-icing tests, according to industry minister Mélanie Joly, who added that the certification process was “well underway.” Both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) granted Gulfstream an exemption until the end of 2026 to do more testing and address potential issues related to ice in the business jet’s fuel system. Canada did not grant that exemption.
“The Canadian Department of Transport told Bloomberg that it was working “to resolve outstanding certification matters in a way that protects safety and regulatory integrity, while maintaining market access on both sides of the border.”
https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/163395-us-faa-seeks-to-level-aircraft-certification-playing-field
===
If Gulfstream wants its products certified in Canada, then Gulfstream needs to ensure that its fuel anti-icing system meets regulatory requirements — rather than assuming that it will receive exemptions.
The issue has nothing to do with “sufficient resources” at the regulator.
Not sure how big the market of the G700 & G800 is in Canada.
The same playbook…. whining babies. Hahaha.
==========
AW: Ryanair Labor Negotiations Expected To Trigger Strikes
AW: Ryanair On Track For First MAX 10s In **February 2027** 🙄
[WN also said it expects certification of the MAX 7 by August!]
MAX-10 Ryanair EIS in Feb ’27?
Sure. Here, pull the other one..
but more important than Ryanair first Max 10
“Ryanair has advised passengers not to wear jeans while flying… and before you think the airline are unapologetically doling out fashion advice, their suggestion is centered around the fact that denim is uncomfortable during air travel and that softer, more flexible clothing may be a better option”
here is pro tip to Ryanair…have better leg space and seat pitch in your cabins
Ryanair also pays no attention to the injuries caused by synthetic fabrics melting and sticking to your skin during a slide egress evolution
One step at a time
AW: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/transnusa-satisfied-comac-ramp-spares-flexibility
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://leehamnews.com/2020/02/13/could-a220-fly-air-candidas-montreal-to-toulouse-route-part-2/
Darned right the UK is asking questions. Someone is going to get reamed and its not Boeing.
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/uk-asks-air-india-explain-boeing-dreamliner-fuel-switch-incident-2026-02-04/
I smell a big fat C-O-V-E-R UP.
A Disgruntled pilot’s union, playing a serious game of shifting blame to make a case what really happened on AI 171.
Just use common sense viewers.
If your aircraft is experiencing exactly the same events as 171, the last thing you’d want to do is fly it on 10hr.jaunt back to India.
Sorry AI pilot’s.
Your plot to discredit Boeing failed miserably.
Contrived is the word I am leaning to though its gotten into the Criminal realm as well.
If they have problems with Air India they need to address Air India. Boeing is guilty of egregious actions, but its not in this case.
As an aside, I am finding the AI disquieting, are we talking about Air India or Artificial (fake) Intelligence?
Agreed..
Enough with abbreviations..
I’ll make a point of it next time .
Thanx
https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/2026/02/boeing-delivers-35-777fs-in-2025/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20week%202026-06
Looks like Air India has some explaining to do .
According to Reuters, Britains aviation authority has asked how AI allowed a Boeing Dreamliner passenger jet to fly on to India when the crew experienced
the “incident” with the so-called…”defective fuel switches”.
Unbelievable, the lack of professionalism on behalf of the crew, not to mention .. passengers safety..and AI to allow the flight to proceed to India.
Completely lost all credibility anything AI related..
737 MAX pilots fly all the time with an out-of-spec engine de-icing system, featuring use of Post-It reminders in the cockpit to prevent catastrophe.
A question of perspective 🤔
Someone here has no idea how often aircraft flies with “defective” equipment on board!
Pretty stunning even for you two when you are comparing MEL with the two switches that can crash an aircraft when turned off by a pilot.
I did not think your credibility could get any worse but boy was I wrong.
Using the Earth as a Metric (Top of Mt Everest on down) you are rapidly approaching the bottom of the Marianas Trench.
Regarding the ongoing 737 MAX engine anti-icing debacle:
“The aircraft’s existing anti-ice system can overheat and damage the aircraft’s engine nacelle if it is used for longer than a short time outside of icing conditions. The heat produced by the system is hot enough to cause failure of the engine inlet inner barrel, potentially causing the engine to disintegrate and eject material at high speed.”
https://flightplan.forecastinternational.com/2024/01/30/boeing-withdraws-737-max-7-exemption-request/
A disintegrated engine is a pretty serious problem in an airborne aircraft 🙈
At least a fuel-starved engine is potentially recoverable — a disintegrated engine is not.
Thanks for this fact-based (and helpfully linked)
comment.
“A new engine question for Boeing’s delayed 777X”
(Spoiler alert: it’s a problem with a seal)
“The issue centres on a seal within the engine, identified during inspection work and now under analysis by GE Aerospace and Boeing. Early indications suggest it could require a redesign and a retrofit carried out during scheduled maintenance overhauls, rather than an immediate fleet-wide grounding type response. Even so, it introduces a familiar risk category for the 777X: The programme’s critical path is already dominated by certification and readiness, and any additional engineering loop, however “contained” it is framed, carries consequences for confidence, delivery pacing and entry-into-service reliability.”
“…For Gulf and Middle East carriers, the seal story will be interpreted through an additional lens: operational intensity. Networks across the region are built on high utilisation and tight fleet planning, with long-haul waves and minimal slack. A widebody programme that enters service with uncertain engine durability is not simply a technical inconvenience.
“It becomes a network risk. Airlines can absorb early issues by holding spares and building buffers, yet doing so reduces the economics the aircraft was purchased to deliver.
“The more strategic question is what this means for the delivery ramp once the aircraft is certified. Boeing can deliver the first aircraft in 2027 and still face a second challenge: scaling deliveries while ensuring early reliability is strong enough that airlines induct aircraft quickly and confidently.”
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/719932/business/a-new-engine-question-for-boeings-delayed-777x
Note: the PW1100G GTF engine also had a seal problem:
-Initial “Knife-Edge” Seal Issue (2018):
“Early GTF engines (PW1100G) suffered from a premature wear/cracking issue with the knife-edge seals in the high-pressure compressor, causing in-flight shutdowns.”
-The “Fix” Failure: “An attempted redesign of the seal initially made the issue worse, requiring a return to the previous design while a more robust, long-term solution was engineered.”
Imagine how long the engine will last operating at max thrust under thehot and harsh environment day after day!
Really bending my brain this morning to figure out what the point of a fair amount of verbiage is?
I know of a seal failure that was corrected on the first go, aka not the PW-GTF. That is far more normal. It was a seal in a pedestrian application (ie, how can you design a seal and have it fail miserably in a simple as dirt long used application?).
It seems to imply that GE is going down the same PW road. I seriously doubt it. While the GTF seal issue is an amazing bad situation, its not the norm a new seal fails and its even rarer if unheard of for a replacement to be worse (note to PW, did you fire the seal guy?).
I suspect everyone knows the issues of operating in the dessert. Her be dragons and all that.
The reality is eh seal has held up through all the testing so obviously its close to a good design.
GE and the shaft coating on the first GenX engines, identified, fixed, moving on. That is more the norm.
And if the dire prediction is accurate, why have not ME airlines cancelled A350-1000 left right and center?
As we have seen with the Trent 1000, PW GTF, LEAP, once you get a serious problem, it takes a fair amount of time to move it out of the system.
Airlines live with it, it took a long time before they abandoned the Trent 1000.
I failed to add that they tell us old brains are kept finely tuned by having to think about things hard.
You guys are doing a fine job in helping me out!
Or as was known in Surveying as Forcing a Closure.
You can force a closure but you can’t make it math out. Once you fudged numbers you are doomed, it has to close mathematically and when it does not you know its been falsified.
@TW
There are multiple seal fails and they can manifest in different ways. Bearing seal fails (oil leaks and chip detectors with chips). Air seal fails that produce pressure gradients that compromise the seal integrity (PW1100 example) and seal issues that result in compressor stalls.
The context of the link indicates GE is planning on campaigning in a new design at a regular shop visit. This implies an underlying fault the is more of a UER than an IFSD risk.
As it relates to max thrust you will have the most forgiving installation possible. These aircraft will have one or two cycles per day given the stage length. Even for ME operations that will likely mean one takeoff per day from home base.
The XWB-97 durability issue is also UER rather than IFSD, but that’s enough to give TC nightmares.
Unlike this new GE9X problem — which is in its infancy — there is already a tested solution for the XWB-97 problem.
Moreover, since the GE9X has no service hours and minimal test hours, god only knows what gremlins are waiting to reveal themselves. In contrast, the XWB-97 has accumulated more than 4 million service hours.
TC got carried away by tunnel vision.
TC wants 4,000 cycles on wing time. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot from him if that doesn’t come true.
>> Emirates has warned Boeing that it will not accept its first 777-9 aircraft unless they are “performing 100 per cent to contract” 😄
> TC wants 4,000 cycles on wing time.
I want a Pony. A real pretty one (IOW,
neither will happen).
And now the latest iteration of the MAX criminal charges saga:
“Fifth Circuit to Hear Oral Argument on the Victims’ Families’ Challenge to the Dismissal of the Boeing Criminal Case”
“Tomorrow I will be arguing in the Fifth Circuit for 31 families whose relatives were killed in the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. I have filed two Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) petitions with the Circuit, asking it to reverse District Judge Reed O’Connor’s approval of the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss its criminal conspiracy case against Boeing. The petitions explain that the Department violated the CVRA by not reasonably conferring with the families about its dismissal plans—and by concealing a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) from the families in the initial phases of the case. The petitions also argue that Judge O’Connor failed to fully assess whether dismissing the case was in the “public interest.” ”
https://reason.com/volokh/2026/02/04/fifth-circuit-to-hear-oral-argument-on-the-victims-families-challenge-to-the-dismissal-of-the-boeing-criminal-case/
“Airbus builds towards first flight of A350 Freighter as next prototype begins to come together”
https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-builds-towards-first-flight-of-a350-freighter-as-next-prototype-begins-to-come-together/166207.article
HGW 787 in the pipeline:
“Boeing expects to start delivering improved 787 Dreamliners in first half”
“SINGAPORE — Boeing expects to begin delivering improved 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners to airlines in the first half of this year, enabling longer flights or greater cargo capability, a senior executive said on Wednesday (Feb 4).
“Improvements to the maximum takeoff weight of the wide-body planes will let airlines fly a further 400 miles (643km) or five to six tons of additional cargo, said Darren Hulst, Boeing’s vice president of commercial marketing.
“”Those aircraft are actually already in the production system, moving through towards certification, and we anticipate deliveries of those aircraft beginning the first half of this year,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.”
https://www.asiaone.com/world/boeing-expects-start-delivering-improved-787-dreamliners-first-half
I thought they gave the 1st one to United this past week…
Abalone.
When one really reads what is happening here, the story becomes easier to understand. Air India has created a preflight test to check that the detents are secure. The problem is that while it sounds good to verify that the detent tabs are there, repeatesly loading the detent pin in this manner will precipitate a failure over time. The lack of a fleetwide detent failure history tends to show this goodhearted (?) effort as a meaningless point of noise in the data. No other operator has experienced a problem with the component. In my opinion the Air India test is designed to produce results supporting their narrative tthat it was parts not pilots that craahed their airplane.
Good solid assessment. ll
Great to see things laid out and supported in detail.
“Boeing layoffs: Planemaker to cut 300 jobs from defence division”
“The concerned jobs that will be eliminated are in the supply chain section of the defence division, and workers who are terminated will be notified this week, according to a new report.”
===
Same number, but different news:
“300 jobs to be moved to South Carolina”
“In a separate news, Boeing told employees last week that it plans to consolidate 787 engineering work in South Carolina as it ramps up production of its popular twin-aisle jet, the union representing its engineers said on Wednesday.
“It would mean moving about 300 jobs from Washington state, where engineers are represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), to a non-union state, the union said.
“Boeing’s two contracts with about 16,000 SPEEA members in Washington expire in October.”
https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/boeing-layoffs-planemaker-to-cut-300-jobs-from-defence-division-to-notify-affected-workers-this-week-11770259206892.html
Abalone.
Remember this. Boeing established a career path for Embry Riddle grads to walk straight into the company, east coast to boot.
Its been coming a long time
Boeing Engineering Center in Florida
Boeing opened its 65,000-square-foot Boeing Engineering Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 10, 2025. The facility supports engineering design, research, development, prototyping, and advanced technology for Boeing Defense, Space & Security Air Dominance programs. It is expected to create around 400 high-paying jobs in the Daytona Beach and Volusia County area.
Evergreen!
“Will the last person leaving SEATTLE — Turn out the lights”
High paying jobs are gone! Can you afford to repay your student loans working as a barista?
“WGS 2026: Airbus CEO says Chinese plane maker Comac is no longer a distant rival”
“Dubai: China’s aircraft maker Comac is no longer just a domestic player — and its recent moves have caught French plane maker Airbus’ attention.
“At the World Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury made it clear that China’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer is becoming a serious long-term competitor in global aviation.”
“Faury acknowledged that Comac’s ambition is real. “There is room for others,” he said, pointing to the huge global demand for new, fuel-efficient aircraft as air travel continues to grow. Faury also said this may be the golden age for demand for new aircraft, and traffic is going up. “The need for new aircraft, more fuel-efficient, more competitive, is very strong,” he said.”
“Faury said that the company’s strategy is to stay ahead through constant innovation rather than dismissing new rivals. “The best way to be protected against an emerging competitor is to keep investing, to keep developing your products, and to stay ahead in terms of technology and offerings,” he said.”
https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/airbus-ceo-says-chinese-plane-maker-comac-is-no-longer-a-distant-rival-1.500430073
“DSTA, RSAF and Airbus Achieve Full Certification of Automatic Air-to-Air Refuelling Capability.”
“Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), in partnership with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Airbus Defence and Space, has achieved full certification of the Automatic Air-to-Air Refuelling (A3R) capability on the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT).
“The certification was granted by the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) following an extensive qualification and flight-test campaign. The trials evaluated the A3R system under both day and night operational conditions, marking the completion of the system’s development and validation.
“World-First Operational Capability
A3R is a transformational capability that automates the air-to-air refuelling process, significantly reducing operator workload while enhancing mission effectiveness and operational safety. Recognising its potential, DSTA and the RSAF began a pioneering collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space in 2020 to jointly develop and mature the technology.
“Through this partnership, DSTA contributed to system design reviews and algorithm enhancements, enabling the A3R system to be tailored to specific operational requirements. Following multiple flight-test campaigns, the first operational deployment of A3R for daytime refuelling was achieved in 2022, with the RSAF becoming the first air force in the world to operate the A3R system.
“The final certification now extends A3R operations to night-time refuelling, completing the capability set.”
https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/dsta-rsaf-airbus-full-certification-a3r-capability/
===
Meanwhile, over at a competitor:
“As of early 2026, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus program continues to experience persistent, long-standing technical deficiencies, alongside new production-related issues that have resulted in billions of dollars in losses for Boeing. While the tanker is operational and flying missions, key systems, particularly the Remote Vision System (RVS) and the refueling boom, are still undergoing major redesigns and upgrades, with fixes delayed until 2026–2027. ”
https://theaviationist.com/2026/01/28/kc-46-pegasus-boeing-565-million-loss/
> Boeing’s defense unit to cut 300 jobs
==========
> Boeing Plans to Move 787 Engineering Work to South Carolina
South Carolina was the only state where the company hired significant numbers of workers last year. Most saw headcount cut, led by Washington state, where there were 2,500 fewer workers
Boeing ended 2025 with just under 182,000 workers…
After adjusting for the Jeppesen and Spirit AeroSystems moves, Boeing slimmed its workforce by about 1,500 people last year. That is far fewer than the 10% reduction that Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg announced in late 2024. [🤣]
=========
Must be sustainable!!
> for American businesses, unit profits from current production (the amount of pre-tax profit generated per every dollar of operational expense) has risen from around 5 cents per dollar for much of the 20th century…to over 20 cents per dollar in recent years
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HAMmMAaXYAAv-VI?format=jpg&name=small
Pedro. You are bit late to the party with this. Last year I posted the tie up between Embry Riddle and Boeings 65 thousand sqft campus and predicted the movement of the engineering work package now that the incoming engineering employee pipeline was divorced from Seattle and west coast schools.
Boeing Engineering Center in Florida
Boeing opened its 65,000-square-foot Boeing Engineering Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 10, 2025. The facility supports engineering design, research, development, prototyping, and advanced technology for Boeing Defense, Space & Security Air Dominance programs. It is expected to create around 400 high-paying jobs in the Daytona Beach and Volusia County area.
This is not starting a non aviation discussion. Its relevant as its an example of the issues in exporting products that require a lot of support (LCA).
“The Royal Thai Army procured the vehicles alongside hundreds of armored personnel carriers as part of a shift away from U.S. armor during a period of regional tension. However, the tanks proved unreliable, spare parts were difficult to source, and the fleet was retired by 2004, while older U.S.-supplied M48 tanks remained in service. By 2010, the Type 69-IIs were disposed of at sea as artificial reefs.”
The M-48s are not relevant other than they are a really old design, barely post WWII and keeping those vs new equipment is nuts.
But, support, support support and LCA are some of the most intensive equipment that requires entire areas of support, not just spare parts though that is as pillar.
We saw what happened with the S-100, the Russians could not give them away.
We see what happens with P&W, despite major issues on the GTF, they have loyal customers because P&W has done their utmost to both support and make up for the issues.
Trent 1000 customers stayed loyal until pushed over the edge by poor progress. RR was scrambling to build a support network in better numbers, PW had it and ramped it up (diffident stupor models – not the first time people have been noted to be unhappy with the RR model).
So when COMAC and Russia United are mentioned, you have to consider the entire support package and history.
I follow construction equipment, we are swamped with Chinese stuff. Great prices, lots are auctioned off because they don’t work and its easier to get rid of them than fix them.
Its not that people do not buy them, but when they do, most of those buyers know the issues and they are going to have to fix them and some cannot be fixed as no spare parts. If its cheap enough you can buy one for parts and fix all but one broke aspect.
You won’t find big companies taking that gamble, they have schedules to meet and contracts to fulfill. And yes there are off shore builders who are highly respected, Volvo and Komatsu being two. JCB though more niche in backhoes (here) is another one.
Let’s take a look at the records of LM’s F-35:
full mission availability rate at 40% for the F-35A, lower for the F-35B and F-35C.
You posted a link earlier this week explaining how delighted Transnusa is with the C909 after-sales service that it is receiving from COMAC:
https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/transnusa-satisfied-comac-ramp-spares-flexibility
I wonder how many PW1100G users are delighted with the after-sales service that they’re receiving from P&W…?
just a fyi some countries are friendly to Chinese products
“Nearly two in three Canadians want Chinese EVs, despite the risks”
I don’t understand why people are being ugly about the Chinese Jets. They are a little heavy, They are a bit thirsty. A little short on range, a little loud, But altogether far superior to the Spicejet and the SSJ100. They are delivering product and the customers seem satisfied. Not a bad job alltogether.
Remember that the west lost the Commercial Aircraft Industry when the Chinese made it a national priority. They play the long game.
Im sure theres no real issues with the C909- its based on the design of the DC-9 with an Antonov wing and newer ‘mini’ CFM-56 engines ( although called CF34-10)
Of course Transnusa is effectively a chinese aircraft lessor controlled business through a few subsidiaries
TransNusa is owned by two main entities:
PT Panca Global International Indonesia (51%): The majority shareholder, controlled by Indonesian businessman Leo Budiman.
Linkasia Airlines Group (49%): A Singapore-based company that is 72.82% owned by China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings (CALC)
The Chinese lessor CALC is considered the “actual controlling enterprise” of TransNusa.
Ultimate Ownership: CALC is a subsidiary of the China Everbright Group, a major Chinese state-owned investment conglomerate.
Economic Interest: CALC has stated in filings that it holds a 75% economic interest and 50% of the voting rights in the airline through its investment vehicles.
Nothing wrong with that ,Airbus funds some airline orders too. Its hard to get your planes into the market for critical airlines without considerable sweeteners
Duke
“Transnusa is effectively a chinese aircraft lessor controlled business”
Curious, what company law says a company is controlled by the 49% shareholder, not the 51% shareholder??
Do you have any proof?
@Scott
Let’s be fair: when did LNA start to cover the Royal Thai armed forces and tanks? If not, then why is this post is allowed?
Shouldn’t the same rule apply to all posters?
> But I am failing to understand the rules that say its a Leeham topic, related to at least civilian Aviation?”
I try to be be uniform but as policing this forum is not my day job, I don’t always catch everything. That said, I get really annoyed at this sort of bickering, finger-pointing and disregard of the established rules. I can always start blocking consistent offenders. Just remember that.
Hamilton
Maybe oddly, this is a move I am in agreement on. I don’t think they should ever have moved 787 build to Charleston but they are not going back either. Let alone all build in Charleston now (which makes sense on the given it is)
https://archive.ph/H6G1v
Engineers should be adjacent to the build. I toured Everett and they had offices right up the sides of the assembly hall. They could interact with each other and the work teams as needed. Boeing had deliberately set Everett up that way.
I am sorry for the families, but those are the hard realities. My dad moved 4 times when I was a kid. It was part of working his way into a better position. Not that this is that but it does go with the job as well as has to have been expected.
You do have the choice, move or quit. Those engineers are in high demand. I knew one who got all sorts of higher paid job offers. He elected to stay with Boeing as it suited him (and yes he moved twice in his advancement, also an engineer)
Of course it’s easy for those who have no skin in the game. Good luck selling your home which represents the biggest share of wealth for many
“India is prepared to order as much as $80 billion worth of aircraft from Boeing, according to the nation’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, following a trade agreement with Washington earlier in the week.”
just a fyi… Indian aviation industry is dominated by private airlines
I saw that story this morning on CNBC, and put it into the same category as that recent report (now months ago) of an “imminent” 500-plane Boeing order from China…👀
The CNBC article did point out that what Donnie considers to be in the recent US-India trade deal does not correspond to what India says is in the deal. No surprises there, of course.
Whoops!
“Ongoing CFM Leap engine shortages” leave a ME airline’s aircraft grounded
As expected based on the delivery situation at the mid-point of the month, January has been a *very* quiet month for AB deliveries:
“In January 2026, Airbus registered 49 gross orders and delivered 19 aircraft”
3 A220-300, 5 A320neo, 10 A321neo and 1 A350-900
https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/airbus/in-january-2026-airbus-registered-49-gross-orders-and-delivered-19-aircraft/
Same pattern as last year.
Same Pattern as always. Puff up the end, people are exhausted, a month to recover. Its the old Soviet model. ”
Boeing? Not too shabby
“The 737 MAX accounted for 37 deliveries, continuing to anchor Boeing’s delivery profile early in the year. Widebody activity included three 777s and five 787s, while no 767 deliveries were recorded during the month.” They beat Airbus again! Thats 3 months in the last year. Half the year is in reach.
You can not fix stupid (see Air India)
https://aeroxplorer.com/articles/latam-boeing-777-tail-strike-investigation-reveals-critical-one-hundred-ton-performance-calculation-error-at-milan-malpensa.php
I do agree that this is a Boeing and Airbus problem.
Both mfgs should have program functions that flag a stupid value.
Ok, you are going from Italy to Brazil, you need X amount of fuel, even without any passengers, you neex XXX V1 and takeoff is a lot longer than you seem to think.
Sad to dumb it down but when 3 pilots don’t have red flags flashing in front of their eyes.
I did dive tables. We knew ball park what the hold times were (or should have them). If you were not getting data back that was in that ballpark, you went on high alert and re-ran the calcs. You had screwed up someplace.
AF not only had the 3 x Flight 447 that did not do what they were trained for Pitots out, they took actions that were not in the book as well and did what few if any pilots have done, stall an aircraft let alone at altitude.
The planes systems did flag an error
“The cruise captain, observing the situation, [from the jump seat] ordered the selection of full takeoff thrust 12 seconds after rotation began.”
TRANS.
The Program gave thwm a warning that they ignored. When it says Vspeeds unavailable, you were warned.
Reminds me how many can’t do maths. Why doesn’t every pilot have to pass a simple arithmetic test before they get a license?
> Thirty-one families that lost relatives in two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 MAX jetliners asked a federal appeals court Thursday to revive a criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer.
https://x.com/seattletimes/status/2019737027168645592
> Southwest Airlines contractually would take delivery of 167 new Boeing 737 MAX in 2026. In reality, the number of deliveries is likely to be much, much lower with the company actually expecting only 66 737-8s — and none of the 101 737-7s Boeing owes them.
https://x.com/ByERussell/status/2019785966068650341
No certification of the 737-7 this year??
Any wonder why BCA continues to lose money?
No 737-7 for this year? Realistically, how many 737-7 is BCA able to deliver in 2027??
That ‘contractually take delivery of 167 new 737′ is a misunderstanding.
it includes planes that weren’t delivered in 2024, 2025 etc
Last year the airline’s base planning assumption was 38 aircraft.
CEO Bob Jordan has expressed optimism that the total could reach 50 to 55 if Boeing stabilizes production.
Southwest funding couldnt take 167 planes in one year even if they were available
So those planes that weren’t delivered in 2024 and 2025 won’t have to be delivered, ever??
FreightWaves: Maersk’s cargo airline is dumping its B767 cargo jets used on the trans-Pacific routes
40 pilots will be furloughed. [Edited.]
A whopping 3 767 freighters operated by Amerijet to be retired.
With the addition of new 777Fs coming online..Smart move.
They cancelled the contract 1 month early….
Nothing earthshaking
Reality check:
The market is too weak for the three 767F to continue;
trans-pacific volume collapsed due to the current admin’s policies.
FedEx and UPS are also reacting to the new reality, moving aircraft across regions, more job losses.
Pedeo. The market is so weak that they are upgauging to 777fs
Geekk
Please double check your sources. I believe your info is wrong and your sources/you badly informed. Do you know what markets the 777Fs are serving??
PEDO
As requested. Note the reference to 777f
Maersk Air Cargo to cancel Asia-US flying with Boeing 767s, Amerijet
Logistics giant selling three freighters to Amazon as it transitions to larger 777 jets
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/maersk-air-cargo-ends-asia-us-flying-with-boeing-767s-amerijet
“The market is so weak that they are upgauging to 777fs”
What do you mean??
> Maersk ordered two 777F, only two.
> The two freighters have been delivered since 2024
> These aircraft are operated by Maersk Air Cargo and are deployed on routes between Europe* (Billund) and China.
PEDRO
HOW IS IT that when you quote a freightways article its Gospel Truth and when I quote the exact same article you respond with this……
Please double check your sources. I believe your info is wrong and your sources/you badly informed.
EITHER YOU CANT STAND ME DEFLATING YOUR SUPPOSED TRUTHS WITH ACTUAL FACTS or you really believe that your mission to intentionally misinform otbers will not be recognized and called out as such.
GEEKK
I posted a reply to you. It’s not shown here.
You are quoting the photo caption! Did you read the article?
Or, you can find out where the two Maersk 777f have been flying to in the past weeks/months: Europe not the US!!
Furthermore, notice where these two are registered: unlike the three 767-300f discontinued, not the US.
Let’s see if this reply is approved.
I don’t think that accusing other commenters of being on a “mission to intentionally misinform others” is in line with Mr. Hamilton’s new commenting set-up.
It might be better if commenters commented purely on substantive issues, rather than commenting on other commenters. One or two commenters don’t seem to want to follow that path…
PEDO
From the article, not the picture
Maersk Air Cargo, a unit of integrated container shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk, is terminating its air transport contract with operator Amerijet after deciding to discontinue trans-Pacific flights with Boeing 767-300 freighter aircraft and rely on more efficient Boeing 777 jets.
This is clearly indicating a switch to 777s as you pointed out.
BUT YOU STILL HAVENT ANSWERED THE QUESTION
Why can I quote the identical source that you rely on as gold plated and yet as you say “Please double check your sources. I believe your info is wrong and your sources/you badly informed.”
Answer it, continuing to duck a direct question seems to be a habit of yours
Abalone wrote
It might be better if commenters commented purely on substantive issues, rather than commenting on other commenters. One or two commenters don’t seem to want to follow that path…
OUTSTANDING ADVICE, go follow it.
PEDRO
Nope.. traffic up in Jan. No collapse seen
https://www.aircargonews.net/data/2026/02/air-cargo-volumes-jump-in-january-but-weakening-e-commerce-is-a-threat/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20week%202026-07
Good thing we can always, always have great confidence in our news providers..
Dead cat bounce? 😳
Cargo volume and imports were down in 2025!
UPS:
> Revenue for the international package segment grew 2.5% to $5.1 billion as higher pricing offset a **sharp drop in average daily volume resulting from U.S. tariff hikes and the end of no-cost de minimis treatment for imported e-commerce packages**. U.S. imports in total were down 24.4% year over year…
> UPS looks to cut up to 30,000 jobs this year
Airbus received 35 orders for the A350F last year. There’re at least sufficient production slots to draw in the customers.
First blood:
> Airbus has so far accumulated 81 firm orders for the A350F from 13 customers since its launch in 2021, giving it a 54% market share against the competing Boeing 777-8F, which has 68 orders from seven customers.
BCA is losing its leverage in the market place.
“Sorry, Boeing: Indonesia Won’t Fly the F-15EX Fighter Jet After All”
““In terms of our (F-15) partnership with Indonesia, it is no longer an active campaign for us,” Bernd Peters, vice president of business development and strategy at Boeing Defense, told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2026 on Tuesday. He directed further questions to the US and Indonesian governments. No substantive reason was given for the cancellation.”
“The scrapping of the Indonesian acquisition process came as a surprise to many, as it had been cleared by the US Department of State under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) framework in February 2022, in a deal estimated at $13.9 billion. In addition to the F-15EX aircraft in question, the deal included radar, electronic warfare systems, and digital processors.”
“Even as the F-15ID Eagles won’t be procured in the Southeast Asian nation, Jakarta appears to be moving forward with multiple other deals. Jakarta signed an $8.1 billion contract in 2022 with the French-based Dassault Aviation to purchase up to 42 Rafale omnirole fighters. The first of those fighters arrived at the military airbase in Pekanbaru last week.”
“Indonesia also concluded a deal with Turkey last July for 48 TAI TF Kaan fighter jets. However, as those aircraft won’t arrive for several years, last fall it also sought to close a deal with Beijing to acquire more than 42 Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C “Vigorous Dragon” jet fighters, valued at $9 billion. The purchase, if completed, would mark the Southeast Asian maritime nation’s first acquisition of a non-Western aircraft. Once the buying spree is finished, Indonesia could find itself in the unusual position of operating American, French, Turkish, and Chinese jets side by side—making it perhaps the only country in the world to do so.”
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/sorry-boeing-indonesia-wont-fly-f-15ex-fighter-jet-after-all-ps-020626
@Scott:
When did Leeham get into assessing fighter production for Boeing and the like?
Its not that I am reluctant to engage in an exchange on the merit of military equipment, its one of my prime areas of interest.
But I am failing to understand the rules that say its a Leeham topic, related to at least civilian Aviation?
Please show me the error of my ways!
Notwithstanding Mr. Hamilton’s remark below, the post above relates indirectly to lost revenue for Boeing.
When LNA reports BA’s quarterly results, it does explicitly report the results at BDS.
I do recall some very lengthy posts from you recently relating to tankers.
Pot and kettle.
The tankers are based on the commercial 767 which is built at Everett.
And therin lies the difference.
Leeham has posted on tankers and if it was not your forum, you could decide if they fit in or not.
I can see it both ways, but that is not my choice either. Leeham has elected to include them.
That goes for E-7 and P-8. Just because Airbus or COMAC does not do it does not make it invalid. Goes with the tanker logic.
Engineers, mechanic and technicians work on logic. Leeham has set out a set of rules and are consistent in their application. I can follow and work with that no problem. I can see why someone that does not follow logic has a problem.
Or bends and twists logic to the point its a pretzel and tries to backpedal into how it fits in.
As I said, I love discussion military equipment, along with Aviation its a huge area of interest (and history which I also love).
But as the mantra in Surveying says, You Cannot Force a Closure. Well you can try but the first honest surveyor that comes by will bust you because the math does not lie. It closes within tolerance allowed or it does not (and those tolerances are a lot like aircraft, very very tight).
Fighters are off topic. Return to base course, please.
Hamilton
> German chamber of commerce in China says Trump is pushing big biz to Beijing
“It’s difficult to compare the relatively stable & predictable trade relations with China with these erratic ups and downs that are currently characterising relations with US”
Stung by Trump’s policies, German multinationals cautiously pivot towards China
https://t.co/aUcm6vHGhn
No wonder there’s a lineup of foreign leaders from Carney, Sanchez to Starmer in Beijing.
article title “COMAC revs up C929 design and testing phase”
“A source close to the matter said that, for instance, preliminary wind tunnel tests have started in recent months, signaling a significant development in the collaboration between CAAC and COMAC.”
“Furthermore, COMAC recently signed a letter of intent for cooperation with Aviage Systems for the widebody’s core avionics processing system. Aviage is a 50/50 joint venture between General Electric and AVIC – Aviation Industry Corporation of China.”
“Delegates of the company prioritized potential clients from Southeast Asia, Reuters reported, with Indonesian attendees being among those inquiring about aircraft. ”
https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/163658-comac-revs-up-c929-design-and-testing-phase
Interesting.
Which means that there is apparent confidence in the CJ-2000 engine.
https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/comac-c929-cj-2000-engine-thrust-test/
Which, in turn, implies increasing confidence in the CJ-1000A engine for the C919. Once that engine is in production, the competition landscape will change dramatically.
AW: Boeing: Southeast Asia A Leading Growth Market For New Airliners
Airlines in Southeast Asia will need more than 4,800 new aircraft from 2025 to the end of 2044, according to a new Boeing forecast
so…lets give Comac a good ramp up number for C909, C919 and C929…average over 20 years 60 aircraft a year (yes fewer in the early years but more at the end when C929 is being delivered 60 x 20 years 1,200 aircraft…lets say 90% is for Southeast Asia (including China) 1200 x 90%, let’s call 1,100 aircraft 1,100 over 4,800 …23% market share for Southeast Asia!
As mentioned before with indigenous engines, say C919 will be flying CJ1000A flying by 2030!
Interesting calculation — though I suspect that there may be upside surprise potential.
I also suspect that the CJ-1000A may be in service (well) before 2030.
SCMP from August last year:
““All I can say is that our engine is progressing as planned, and the current progress is very positive. As for when it will be installed on Chinese aircraft – just wait for the good news,” he told CCTV.”
https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320682/nose-tail-how-china-reshaping-aviation-supply-chain
from article “Why China is racing to develop its own commercial jet engine”
“While public updates have been scant, the CJ-1000A aircraft engine, developed by state-owned aerospace company Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), is said to be on the cusp of completing airworthiness certification – the regulatory approval required before an engine can be used on commercial passenger flights – after more than two years of test flights.”
not everyone agrees
“The start of flight testing means exactly nothing,” said Mr Aboulafia. “These (questions) will determine whether this is a real, commercially viable engine, or just a kind of emergency backup device in the event China is cut off from Western engine exports.”
aka Not Invented Here (NIH) syndrome
https://asianews.network/why-china-is-racing-to-develop-its-own-commercial-jet-engine/
There are two different ways to view the emergent Chinese commercial aviation industry:
(A) China is attempting to join the legacy aviation club dominated by “western” players.
The implicit assumption here is that China will have to follow a similar developmental path to those other players, with a learning lag.
OR
(B) China is adding commercial aviation to the growing list of sectors in which it has already performed industrial miracles.
The implicit assumption here is that China will break this new mold just as innovatively as it has broken the preceding molds.
I know which viewpoint I lean toward 🧐
Great start off for Boeing in January.
Delivered 46 aircraft, 3rd most in company history for the month.
Great news for orders as well;
Netting 103, including 34 more 787’s from Delta and Eva respectively..
Yea, some entities talk about produon and aircraft not designed yet and Boeing builds em.
> NASA, Boeing still working on Starliner return to flight
Moon landing can wait. Yeah that will be a few steps further down the road.
Anyone willing to hazard a guess on what is going on with the El Paso airspace shutdown?
The shutdown was promptly lifted shortly after it was announced:
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/11/faa-el-paso-airport.html
I’m guessing an error by a rookie or an algorithm.
Well that didn’t age well. At one time I would have asked how something like this would have happened. It would be a terms of conduct violation to say what I really think about now about the people pulling the strings.
Left hand, right hand
> Pentagon-FAA dispute over lasers to thwart cartel drones led to airspace closure, AP sources say
https://apnews.com/article/faa-el-paso-texas-air-space-closed-1f774bdfd46f5986ff0e7003df709caa
Haha
> U.S. military shot down what was believed to be a foreign drone near El Paso this week, but it turned out to be party balloon – Fox News
https://x.com/BNONews/status/2021641376807739617
https://bsky.app/profile/willguisbond.com/post/3mem3vhivo22o
on the new order front
“Air Canada has ordered eight Airbus A350-1000s, updating its wide-body fleet as it expands its international network.
The Montreal-based airline said the order, which includes the rights to buy an additional eight planes, will start to be delivered in the second half of 2030.
The planes are 25-per-cent more fuel efficient than older aircraft, reducing costs while improving reliability and payload capabilities, Air Canada said.”