Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- AIN Media Group Agrees to Acquire Leeham News & Analysis June 17, 2025
- Five for Five: Air India crash points to systemic problems at Boeing that CEO Ortberg must fix June 15, 2025
- Airbus sees Boeing as medium-term competitor, with Comac next June 14, 2025
- Boeing bullish on 20-year forecast, despite short-term headwinds June 14, 2025
- Embraer’s 20-year market forecast under 150 seats: fewer turboprops, jets about the same June 14, 2025
AirAsia India looks to break-even, international flights
April 24, 2018, © Leeham News: AirAsia India is a newcomer to the Indian commercial aviation scene.
It began service in 2014 and, at Dec. 31, served just 17 cities with 14 Airbus A320s.
It had a 4.5% market share by the end of last year.
AirAsia Berhad holds a 49% stake in the airline. India’s Tata Sons holds 49% and the balance is held by Indian nationals which ties to Tata.
The AirAsia entities are tied to the AirAsia Group of Malaysia, the largest low-cost carrier in Southeast Asia.
Bangalore is AirAsia India’s headquarters.
Engine makers may face stiffer future ETOPS certification requirements
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Introduction
April 23, 2018, © Leeham News: Even before last week’s Southwest Airlines accident raised the focus on aircraft engines, industry officials were becoming worried that problems with engines powering the Boeing 747-8, 787, 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo may lead to stricter certification standards by regulatory authorities.
There is also emerging evidence that the issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 on the 787s may negatively impact Airbus’ sales efforts with the A350. The A350 is
powered by an entirely different RR engine, the Trent XWB, which by all accounts has had a virtually trouble-free entry into service.
But it’s a Rolls-Royce engine and airlines affected by or watching RR’s response to the Trent 1000 problems are skeptical about the Trent XWB, LNC is told.
Summary
- How long will it take for the FAA and EASE to restore full ETOPS for the 787?
- Concerns emerge that regulators may be more restrictive of ETOPS for new engines powering new planes, with the Boeing 777X next up.
- Impact seen on reception of Rolls-Royce engines on Airbus A330neo and A350.
- What do the engine problems mean for the Boeing NMA?
Pontifications: Uncontained engine failures are rare but not unknown
By Scott Hamilton
April 23, 2018, © Leeham News: Last week’s engine malfunction on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 was another in a rare, but not unknown, uncontained engine anomaly in recent years.
All recent similar failures didn’t cause a loss of life or serious injuries if the passengers were evacuated. Unfortunately, this accident caused one fatality and seven injuries.
Let’s put the context to this issue.
Indigo, India’s market-leading airline
By Bjorn Fehrm
April 18, 2018, ©. Leeham News: Indigo started its operation 2006, offering low-cost air travel to the masses in India. The year after, Air India and Indian Airlines, the state-owned flag International and Domestic carrier, merged to form India’s largest airline at the time, Air India.
By the end of 2010, Indigo passed Air India and by 2013 Jet Airways for domestic passenger market share, a position it has kept since.
Airbus investment resets the clock on CSeries
Special to Leeham News
By Olivier Bonnassies
Airfinance Journal
April 17, 2018, (c) Airfinance Journal, Montreal: Aviation Week & Space Technology managing director technology Graham Warwick believe the acquisition of a 50.1% stake into Bombardier’s CSeries will give the program opportunities in many areas.
Talking at the Innovation Aerospace Forum in Montreal, Warwick says Airbus expertise in marketing, sales and support will be “immediate benefits” to the CSeries program.
Warwick recalls that Airbus is into its second iteration of the Airbus A320 program, whilst Bombardier’s CSeries is a new product.
“The CSeries is right at the beginning of its life. It clearly resets the clock for the CSeries and can even have a meaningful impact in the future,” he says.
Bombardier’s CSeries vice president program Rob Dewar says 29 CS100/300s are now in service with three customers: Air Baltic, Swiss and Korean Air.
The Canadian manufacturer continues to be pleased with the introduction into service.
Airlines need OEM choices: Air Canada
Special to Leeham News
By Olivier Bonnassies
Airfinance Journal
April 16, 2018, (c) Airfinance Journal, Montreal: The commercial aircraft manufacturing industry could head into a scenario with two major alliances: Airbus/Bombardier rivaling Boeing/Embraer, but for Air Canada, airlines need to have choices.
Calin Rovinescu, president of Air Canada. Photo via Google images.
“This is a terrific double-edge sword. Airlines definitively need to have choice,” said Calin Ravinescu, Air Canada president and chief executive officer at the Innovation Aerospace Forum in Montreal.
Ravinescu says the idea of a single source supply is not acceptable for maintenance prospective and from a customer service prospective.
“I am totally against any notion of single sourcing, or any component in any aircraft in any circumstances. Just like our customers, airlines expect competition is the aerospace and the aircraft space.
Déjà vu all over again
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Introduction
April 16, 2018, © Leeham News: There’s high turnover in the executive ranks. Major delivery delays cause disruption and unhappy customers. Airlines are cancelling and switching orders. Product strategy is challenged. Your competitor is taking advantage and making significant inroads.
If this sounds familiar, it is.
It’s déjà vu all over again.
Pontifications: Shooting yourself in your feet
By Scott Hamilton
April 16, 2018, © Leeham News: Airbus’ new top sales chief, Eric Schulz, was candid about losing American and Hawaiian airlines wide-body orders, according to a report from Flightglobal from the Airbus annual meeting.
In reference to Hawaiian’s switch of an A330-800 order to the 787-9, he admits: “Maybe we did not see the danger coming…we may have made the conclusion a bit too early that the best solution was to stick with us – which I think it was,” Flightglobal wrote.
American’s loss, Schulz told Flightglobal, was for a different reason: American was “already very heavily engaged” with the 787, adding: “I knew exactly where our competitors had to go in terms of pricing. I’m certain American did a good deal.”
I thought American and Hawaiian were predictable outcomes. But Airbus’ problem went beyond not seeing the “danger.”
Leveraged Go Air plans major expansion
April 13, 2018, © Leeham News: Go Air of India is the fourth-ranked low-cost carrier by market share, with big ambitions.
The airline had only 32 airplanes at the end of last year but had more than 140 on order as of last month, presaging expansion domestically and internationally.
Image via Google.
This compares with rival Indigo Airlines, the leading LCC, with a current fleet of 153 aircraft and orders for 380; Jet Airways (115 and 75) and SpiceJet (57 and 155). Subsequent to the end of last year, Jet place an order for 75 more 737 MAXes.
Narrowbody and Widebody engine developments
By Bjorn Fehrm
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Introduction
April 12, 2018, © Leeham News: In an article yesterday about Long-Haul LCC costs we observed how the new Narrowbody engines are catching up to the fuel efficiencies of the Widebody engines.
Traditionally the Widebody engines were the efficiency leaders. The Narrowbody companions were designed to be durable rather than efficient.
Figure 1. Cut through of the Narrowbody LEAP engine. Source: CFM
We use the engine modelling software GasTurb to understand why this catching up of the Narrowbody engines has happened.
Summary:
- The new Narrowbody engines for Airbus’ A320 series and Boeing’s 737 MAX are close in specific fuel consumption to the new Widebody engines.
- We use the GasTurb engine modelling software to find the root cause of this change.