Leeham News and Analysis

There's more to real news than a news release.

There's more to real news than a news release.

EADS-Airbus investors forum

EADS and Airbus wrapped a two-day investors forum today. The PDF slide presentations are up on the web; the actual webcasts apparently won’t be posted until next week.

There is a enormous amount of information to slog through, even without hearing the webcasts.

 19 Comments

 Posted on December 16, 2011 by

 Airbus, EADS

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Southwest launches 737-8, bypasses 737-7 for now

Here is an article we did yesterday for Flightglobal Pro’s subscription service.

The Southwest Airlines order on 13 December launching the 737 Max programme is a launch of the -8 version. The carrier, which has substitution rights between the -7 and the -8, has chosen to bypass the -7 for now.

Brian Hirshman, SVP Technical Operations, told Flightglobal Pro on 15 December that the carrier is up-gauging its fleet, which it began doing this year with acquisition of the 737-800 for the first time. Southwest, throughout its history since is 1971 birth, has relied on the 737-200/300/500/700, preferring smaller sized aircraft and high frequency as its business model.

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 16 Comments

 Posted on December 16, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, CFM, CSeries, Pratt & Whitney

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FedEx orders 27 767-300Fs, defers 11 777Fs

Flight Pro (aka Flight Global) has reported FedEx ordered 27 Boeing 767-300Fs for delivery from 2014 through 2018 but at the same time deferred 11 777Fs within the 2013-2018 period as cargo demand softens.

The 767s will replace MD-10s, which are more than 40 years old.

Airbus had pitched the A330-200F but it was considered “too much airplane” for FDX. FDX also evaluated the potential 767-400F, but a FDX official told us at ISTAT Barcelona Boeing did not want to proceed with this new variant and risk impacting the USAF KC-46A tanker development. The KC-46A is a derivative of the 767-200, called the 767-2C.

 22 Comments

 Posted on December 15, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing

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Southwest press conference on 737 MAX order

Southwest Airlines held a web press conference (with written question submissions the staff can screen in advance–bad idea) on its new 737 MAX order. Here are highlights:

Gary Kelly, CEO

  • Only four 737 MAX delivered in 2017. Just 15 the following year. (From press release.)
  • Christmas came early to Southwest. [Last time Kelly said that was when he proposed moving from Sea-Tac to Boeing Field in Seattle. Got his head handed to him in the local opposition. Editor.]
  • We have seen tremendous advances with technology.
  • COO Mike Van der Ven led effort.
  • This is coming at just the right time. One of the main challenges we face are high fuel costs. We are very much in need of new technology to reduce the fuel burn and reduce environmental impact.
  • This supports our financial strategy.
  • Commonality major point.

Jim Albaugh, CEO of BCA.

  • [Albaugh looks a lot happier at this press conference than he did at the American Airlines one.]
  • Southwest is a special customer and we have a special relationship.
  • This is the first definitive agreement we signed. Southwest will get airplane #1 when it rolls off the line in Renton.
  • [With Southwest getting only 4 airplanes in 2017, this suggests a late 2017 EIS.–Editor]
  • 948 commitments now, projects 1,400-1,500 by the end of next year.
  • I don’t have the real thing but I have a model for you and a video.
  • [Video shows MAX will winglets, not the oft-speculated raked wingtips.]
  • This is largest order in Boeing’s history.

Kevin McAllister, VP Sales and Marketing for GE, representing CFM.

  • Southwest formally launches the LEAP-1B.

Mike Van der Ven, COO.

  • This allows us to accelerate the retirement of older airplanes.
  • Have 150 options to expand as well.
  • Our choice guarantees WN a single fleet type well into the next decade.
  • 16-18% fuel burn improvement over 737 Classics.
  • We’ve been in conversations with Boeing for several years.
  • Efficiency improvements allow up to improve without complexity.
  • Compared with A320neo and both did the job but 737 MAX was our choice.
  • Cost is $1.2bn for all outstanding orders (including those existing before today). Per year.
  • Airplanes still being defined.
  • 717s in leases 2017-2020+ and will work to see what the alternatives are but will operate through lease terms if we have to.
  • Primary factors of fleet commonality and gauge of 737-8 (more seats), lighter airplane vs A320.
  • We like the GTF technology but this comes as a package and CFM has millions of flight hours behind it. GE and CFM have been very good in past in delivering products on time and meeting specifications.

Brian Hirshman, SVP Technology, WN

  • We did extensive analysis vs A320neo and felt 737 MAX better suited.
  • Plane works better at Chicago Midway Airport, among other issues.
  • MAX would have to fly the same mission as NG and are satisfied it would do that.
  • We wanted as much commonality as we can.

John Hamilton, Boeing 737 chief engineer.

  • The airplane is fairly well defined. Will reach final configuration in 2013. It’s well enough known that WN and Boeing had confidence to go forward at this time.
  • MAX will have capability to have increased payload-range vs NG.
  • Airport performance was important, especially at key airports.
  • We will make sure we get Southwest what it wants.
  • We both would have liked a new airplane, but when you look at lessons learned [from 787] it was more challenging to bring to market in the timeframe customers wanted.

Chaker Chahrour, EVP CFM

  • Core is optimized for MAX for best overall fuel burn.
  • We believe we have much more credible technology than GTF. We have tremendous amount of confidence in our technology and at the end of the day it will be the most economical.

 41 Comments

 Posted on December 13, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing, CFM

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Leahy dismisses Boeing economic claims on 737 MAX vs A320neo

We did the following story Nov. 30 for Flight Global’s new Flight Pro subscription service.

Airbus’ new A320neo family will have up to 11% better fuel burn than the Boeing 737 Max family, John Leahy, COO Customers for Airbus, asserted November 30 at the Credit Suisse Aerospace conference.

Leahy challenged Boeing’s claims that the 737-800 Max will have a 7% advantage on a seat-cost basis. Boeing computes its figures on a total cash operating cost basis, which Leahy rejects as being subject to manipulation.

“There are some very aggressive people in marketing and Seattle who are veracity challenged,” Leahy told the Credit Suisse audience.

“I think that best way to look at it when everything else is equal is fuel burn. If you look at something where you can really change the variables too much, [it’s flawed]. If they say ‘I think the Airbus airframe is more expensive to maintain than our airframe,’ I advertise that it is less expensive. I think most airlines would agree with me. The worst I’ve ever seen is that we are equal. Boeing says the Airbus engine is substantially more expensive to maintain. They say Airbus is heavier so they put in a little bit extra charges. By the time you’re done, you probably see all sorts of different things to throw money in. If you can convince the airlines that you are right, I wouldn’t have the dominant market share I have. They would.”

On this basis, Leahy said the neo will defeat the Max in each model. The A319neo will have 6% lower fuel burn vs the 737-7; the A320neo will have 6% lower fuel burn; and the A321neo will have 11% lower burn.

He also said Airbus’ analysis concludes the Max will only achieve a net fuel burn reduction of 8% vs the 10%-12%Boeing claims.

 53 Comments

 Posted on December 12, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing

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US disputes EU claim of WTO-Airbus compliance, threatens sanctions

As Yogi Berra once said, “it ain’t over till it’s over.”

The US Trade Representative rejected EU claims that it had complied with WTO rulings that Airbus received illegal subsidies and that these had been repaid.

Here is the USTR statement. USTR claims sanctions of $7bn-$10bn annually are in order.

The USTR also objected to new subsidies granted (though without specifying, this presumably relates to the A350, which was not part of the 2004 case). Airbus has claimed the WTO didn’t rule out subsidies per se, just the terms on which they had been granted and that new subsidies for the A350 would be drawn on commercial terms.

The financial statements of EADS, Airbus’ parent company, shows reimbursable launch aid (as EADS/Airbus calls it) increased by more than 1bn Euros in 2010 over 2009, but did not specify how much of this was associated with the A350. The A320neo program wasn’t launched until December 2010, so while this could have benefited from launch aid, the probability that the increase was mostly related to the A350 seems high.

Boeing issued a statement that names the A350.

Airbus rejected the USTR and Boeing claims.

We say: we’re tired of the whole thing. As we have noted many times, we don’t like subsidies, period. Of any kind. To Airbus or Boeing or anyone else.

 38 Comments

 Posted on December 9, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing

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Odds and Ends: TSA, 787 endurance and Frontier, again

This just in:

Busted. We’re a big fan of the Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters. In the warped sense of humor department, we found this to be pretty amusing, since nobody got hurt.

Original Post:

TSA: Anyone who has flown in the US knows that the airport experience is probably the worst part of traveling. It’s worse than the abominable on-board service now provided by most US airlines. It’s worse than the crowded airplanes and the cramped legroom. TSA’s use of body x-ray machines is invasive. The 3-1-1 rule about liquids is absurd and the requirement to remove shoes before going through magnometers is silly.

In Europe, the body x-ray machines we’ve been through (and we had no choice for an alternative method) are less objectionable. The particular machine at Delta’s Amsterdam connecting gate was a stick figure, not an x-ray of the body itself. The stick figure shows dots where “something” appears and the security person did a quick pat-down of these locations. Much less invasive than the TSA. And the shoes stayed on. This actually was the first body scanner we went through since they were introduced and because it was a stick figure, we had no objection.

Business Week has this article talking about the TSA and its silly policies.

Boeing spent billions designing the 787 (we’re thinking only of the standard expense here, not the overruns) to dramatically improve the passenger experience, and it did a very good job. And Boeing is spending lots of money to aid airlines in training, to reduce in-flight fuel expenses and to improve the air traffic management systems.

Too bad it can’t control what the airlines do with the interior, but even that isn’t the real challenge: it’s the airport experience.

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 4 Comments

 Posted on December 7, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Frontier Airlines

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Odds and Ends: Frontier Airlines, first 737 at rate 35, Embraer

Frontier Airlines: At the Paris Air Show, Republic Airways Holdings ordered 80 A319/320neos with CFM LEAP engines, and the order was touted as the death knell by some for the Bombardier CSeries–also ordered by Republic for Frontier (40+40). As we wrote at the time, the Airbus/CFM deal was clearly a financial bail out for Frontier, which leased Airbuses from GECAS and had maintenance agreements with CFM. The leases and maintenance agreements were restructured for the ailing airline, and Airbus agreed to contribute a modest amount of cash to the airline.

We were of the opinion then–and are more convinced now–that Frontier won’t survive t0 take delivery of either the Airbus or Bombardier orders. It’s squeezed between United and Southwest airlines at Denver and between Southwest and Delta at Milwaukee. This article in the Denver Post neatly summarizes the current situation.

Will Frontier’s likely demise kill off the CSeries? Not hardly. We would be willing to bet BBD is double-booking these order positions. Doing so against weak airline orders is common practice among the OEMs.

Read more

 4 Comments

 Posted on December 6, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, CSeries, Embraer

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Airbus repays launch aid on WTO complaint but has drawn aid for A350

Airbus has repaid nearly 2bn Euros in launch aid associated with the findings of the WTO complaint filed in 2004 by the US Trade Representative, an amount far less than the American agency alleged as US$25bn in illegal aid, but this isn’t likely to be the last word by any stretch.

Airbus parent EADS in 2010 has already drawn down “reimburseable launch aid,” according to the 2010 EADS annual report. The A350 funding was not part of the original US complaint, and is the only commercial model Airbus has produced not covered by the final report of the 2004 complaint. The USTR has threatened to launch a new complaint over the A350 launch aid. Airbus previously said launch aid for the A350 would comply with the findings of the 2004 complaint.

Airbus said after the WTO case was over that the WTO did not find reimburseable launch aid was illegal, only that the terms and conditions provided in the A-Series programs had been. This opened the door, Airbus said, for allowing launch aid for the A350 provided the terms and conditions complied with WTO findings. Commercially-based terms and conditions were at the heart of the illegalities.

The EADS financial statesments do not disclose the terms and conditions.

A spokesman for Airbus told us that the aid for the A350 complies with the terms and conditions findings of the WTO ruling, though most likely Boeing and the USTR will argue differently. The Airbus spokesman did not know the amount of the launch aid and the EADS 2010 annual financial statements (Page 63) does not disclose it: “European Governments refundable advances (incl. A350 XWB) net of reimbursements have increased in 2010.” The financial statements (select “Financial Statements 2010”) show the 2010 liability to be 5.968bn Euros vs 4.882bn Euros at Dec. 31, 2009. It is not disclosed how much of this is associated with the A350 or how much is associated with other programs, such as the A400M. However, military programs are not subject to WTO rules. The A320neo program was subject to research and development costs in 2010, which have been ruled illegal under WTO findings, but the program wasn’t launched until December 2010 and while it is theoretically possible some launch aid could have been drawn for neo, we think it more likely the spike in liabilities is largely associated with the A350.

The nine month interim financial reports do not discuss launch aid.

 33 Comments

 Posted on December 3, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing, EADS

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Odds and Ends: A350 business case, Ryanair, Boeing and more

Airbus A350: Aspire Aviation in Hong Kong has a lengthy look at the Airbus A350 program.

Airbus launch aid: Airbus says it has complied with the findings of the World Trade Organization and cured those elements found to be illegal. It calls on Boeing to do the same. (The case against Boeing is under appeal.) Update: and the war of words continues. Here is Boeing’s response.

Boeing and IAM 751: Reaction to the agreement reached between Boeing and IAM to extend a new contract to 2016, settle the NLRB complaint and put the 737 MAX assembly in Seattle is winning accolades from everybody except some Republicans who was pissed they won’t have an election campaign issue to talk about next year. Never mind what’s good for Boeing.

Plane Talking, the entertaining if somewhat cranky blog from Down Under, has this piece about Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary opining on this and that.

Speaking of Ryanair: Heard in the hallway at the Credit Suisse conference: O’Leary is already circling over the American Airlines bankruptcy, looking to pick up 737-800s cheap if American doesn’t keep payments up and any are repossesed.

 12 Comments

 Posted on December 1, 2011 by

 Airbus, Boeing

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