Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
JetBlue orders 60 A220-300s in surprise timing
July 10, 2018, (c) Leeham News: JetBlue announced an order today for 60 Airbus A220-300s, nee Bombardier CS300s. The airline took options on 60 more.
The timing is a surprise–JetBlue previously said it would not be ready to order until toward the end of the year.
The order is a blow to Embraer, which has 60 E-190s in service with JBLU. The airline had orders for 20 more, but delivery had been deferred several times. Industry insiders told LNC the order could be canceled with little or no penalty.
The order is a blow to Embraer for the flip and for the loss of a potential E2 order. The E195-E2 seats slightly fewer passengers and has less range than the A220-300.
JetBlue has a large fleet of Airbus A320ceos, a few A321ceos and a large order book for neos.
CSeries becomes Airbus A220-100 and A220-300
By Bjorn Fehrm
July 10, 2018, © Leeham News.: Airbus launched its new A220 aircraft family today in Toulouse. The event took place at the Airbus Delivery Center at Blagnac airport with the World’s Media invited.
The Bombardier CS100 is now A220-100 and the CS300 is A220-300. The name of the newly branded family was revealed with a flyover of a CS300, sorry, A220-300 painted in Airbus colors and with the A220-300 name on the side.
Figure 1. A220-300 which flew into the A220 launch today. Source: Airbus.
MRJ’s GTF flameout traced to manufacturing issue
Editor’s note: The Farnborough Air Show begins next week. Mitsubishi is expected to have a flying display of the MRJ90 at an international air show for the first time. This is the last of three stories from Mitsubishi’s MRJ program update in Moses Lake (WA) last month.
By Dan Catchpole
July 10, 2018, © Leeham News: An engine flameout in August 2017 that left the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) test fleet grounded for several weeks was caused by a manufacturing quality issue on a component in the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan’s accessory gearbox, according to a Mitsubishi executive.
Source: Mitsubishi.
Related Stories
- MRJ delays over, execs insist (now open to all readers).
- Laser focus for MRJ program (now open to all readers).
MRJ program chief Alex Bellamy said the manufacturing quality problem caused a machined component to suffer a durability issue, leading to flameout.
Boeing, Embraer tie-up key to NMA development
Subscription Required
Introduction
July 9, 2018, © Leeham News: When Boeing and Embraer announced last week the Memorandum of Understanding to form a joint venture between Boeing and 
Embraer Commercial Airplanes, writers and analysts jumped on the bandwagon that LNC pointed out as far back as last year.
Summary
This is:
- A strategic play;
- About Embraer’s engineers and low-cost production in Brazil;
- About tapping Embraer’s resources for development of the potential Boeing New Midmarket Aircraft; and
- About EMB’s potential lead in developing a new single-aisle aircraft to replace the 737, among other things.
Additionally, a Boeing partisan sees new trade complaint against C Series.
Related stories:
Boeing, Embraer to create commercial company, intent for defense JV
July 5, 2018: Boeing and Embraer announced an agreement to create a new company with EMB’s commercial aircraft unit and intent to create a second JV for its defense unit.
The full press release is below the jump.
Related stories:
Boeing eyes international sales with KC-46A deliveries near
Part 2. LNC visited the Boeing KC-46A Everett Modification Center last month. Part 1 appears here.
July 5, 2018, © Leeham News: Boeing’s contract with the US Air Force for three dozen KC-46A tankers is but the tip of the iceberg.
Installing the refueling boom on a KC-46A tanker at the Everett Modification Center. Boeing photo.
The USAF’s initial plan is to acquire 179 KC-46As, which was part of the KC-X tanker competition Boeing won after a bitter contest with Airbus and the competing KC-30/KC-330 airplane, based on the commercial A330-200. (For simplicity, LNC will refer to the Airbus as the KC-30.)
There are more than 400 ancient Boeing KC-135s that have to be replaced. Boeing figures it will eventually see the initial 179 aircraft requirement expanded to cover the balance of the KC-135s, although due to budget constraints, last year there were reports the procurement will stop and 179 and the KC-135s will be upgraded.
Then there is the international market. Airbus so far is far and away the winner in this sector. It’s sold 57 to eight customers (including NATO); 29 are in operation. The first one entered service in 2011.
Pontifications: C Series to Airbus, 10 years since program launch, lower fuel burn
By Scott Hamilton
July 2, 2018, © Leeham News: Airbus officially became the majority partner yesterday of the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, or CSALP.
Airbus has a 50.01% stake in the LP, with Bombardier and the province of Quebec holding minority stakes.
Things will move quickly, now that Airbus has control.
Airbus is expected to announce a rebranding of the C Series at its July 10 pre-Farnborough Air Show media briefing. An aircraft is in the process of being repainted in Airbus colors for display at the event.
Bloomberg reported in April new names were to be assigned to the CS100 and CS300, probably the A210 and A230 respectively.
Construction of the new C Series Final Assembly Line in Mobile (AL) will begin sooner than expected. This was announced at the Inaugural Southeast Aerospace & Defence Conference in Mobile, organized by Leeham Co. and Airfinance Journal.
The changes to the A350-900ULR
By Bjorn Fehrm
Subscription Required
Introduction
June 28, 2017, © Leeham News: Airbus has published more information about the A350-900ULR Singapore Airlines will get after the summer.
The new A350-900 Airport Planning Guide from Airbus shows the A350-900ULR has a deactivated forward Cargo compartment. It’s good for the performance of the aircraft. We explain why.
Summary:
- For a ULR aircraft, the carry of cargo is an exception.
- The standard A350-900 has cargo bays with 36 LD3 positions. On the A350-900ULR only a few would be used.
- Airbus, therefore, decided to run with only one cargo hold, by it gaining performance on the ULR missions.
Vertical integration will be a ‘bumpy road’
By Laura Mueller
June 26, 2018, © Airfinance Journal: OEMs are targeting a larger piece of aftermarket revenues, but ultimately their airline customers will determine whether a push to vertical integration is the right one, Brian Prentice, a partner at Oliver Wyman told delegates at the Leeham Co/Airfinance Journal Inaugural Southeast Aerospace & Defence Conference in Mobile today.
Southern state coalition bid likely for Boeing NMA assembly site
June 27, 2018, © Leeham News: A coalition of four Southern US states that joined to win the US Air Force tanker contact site location for Mobile (AL) will likely link up again to bid for the assembly line of the prospective Boeing New Midmarket Aircraft, officials of three of the states said yesterday.
The Aerospace Alliance includes Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
An official of an economic development commission for Charleston (SC) said Charleston will also likely throw its hat into the ring.
The comments were made at the Leeham Co./Airfinance Journal Southeast Aerospace & Defence Conference yesterday in Mobile. The conference continues today.
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Posted on June 27, 2018 by Scott Hamilton
air force tanker, Airbus, Airfinance Journal, Boeing, Leeham Co., Leeham News and Comment, Middle of the Market, New Midmarket Aircraft
Airbus, Airfinance Journal, Boeing, Leeham Co., New Midmarket Aircraft, NMA, Southeast Aerospace and Defence Conference