Leeham News and Analysis
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Leeham News and Analysis
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A321neo plus a stretch too far for NMA: Avitas
Published 05 Mar 2018 by Airfinance Journal
Special to Leeham News.
March 8, 2018, (c) Airfinance Journal: A leading appraisal firm questions whether Airbus should respond to Boeing’s proposed new midsize aircraft (NMA) simply by enhancing its existing product line.
John Vitale. Source: Airfinance Journal
“There is a gap, a natural gap that needs to be filled, so I am not sure whether the A330 coming down…and the A321 coming up, fills the gap,” said John Vitale, president and chief executive officer of Avitas, speaking on a panel of appraisers at Airfinance Journal’s Korean Airfinance event, adding: “Airbus claims the A321 has all this range and that they can put in as many seats as they are talking about. Well, no you can’t in an equal comfort level.”
However, Vitale acknowledges a possible further stretch by Airbus of its A321neo, the A322, or enhanced versions, such as the ‘A321neo-plus’, or even an ‘A321neo-plus-plus’“pushes out the timing of the NMA aircraft.”
Norwegian flies in thin air
By Bjorn Fehrm
February 14, 2018, ©. Leeham Co: Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian) is in an aggressive expansion phase. The airline is setting up as many low-cost routes as possible across the Atlantic, to gain critical market share before the competition gets organized.
Such expansion costs money, a rare commodity at Norwegian. The company presents its 2017 results Thursday. We analyze what to expect.
Read more
Lessors and investors disagree on transparency
Special to Leeham News
By Jack Dutton
Jan. 25, 2018, © Airfinance Journal, Dublin: The opacity of the industry in regard to asset prices is one of the main challenges for aircraft lenders and investors, according to a panel of investors speaking at the 
20th Annual Global Airfinance Conference in Dublin.
“The lack of transparency on pricing is your biggest challenge as an aircraft lender or holder. The leasing companies were in the best position to hold good pricing information,” said David Andrews, managing partner of transport, Hudson Structured Capital Management.
20-year old ISTAT definitions “archaic”
Special to Leeham News
By Michael Allen
- ISTAT definition “quite archaic.”
- Appraisers says aircraft disparity in ABS transaction can be due to lack of information provided by the arrangers.
Jan. 25, 2018, © Airfinance Journal, Dublin: “We get asked to value a portfolio of 35-aircraft,” says Rikard de Jounge vice president – asset valuations at Avitas.
“No one tells you that the valuation is for an ABS transaction. They just ask for market and base values,” he adds.
Stuart Hatcher, head of intelligence at IBA Group, says it is still a “secretive market”.
“Providing that we are dealing with sellers, the information is generally good. The issue we tend to find is with the arrangers. And the communication can be quite sporadic,” he says.
The other issue is how much you are including into a valuation for a lease-attached aircraft.
Pontifications: 2018 is a year of Transformations
By Scott Hamilton
Jan. 8, 2018, © Leeham Co.: This is going to be a year of transformations.
This might be viewed with puzzlement by some. After all, only minor-modification models will be entering service this year: the Airbus A350-1000, the Boeing 737-9, the Airbus A319neo and the Boeing 787-10. The first flight of the 737-7 should occur.
Flight testing continues for the Mitsubishi MRJ90, the COMAC C919 and Irkut MC-21.
The proposed deal between Airbus and Bombardier should receive government approvals this year. Talks between Boeing and Embraer may or may not result in a combination of some kind.
The Big Deal, however, resides in Everett (WA).
Suppliers conference in Mobile focuses on US aerospace sector in Southeast
Click on image for an enlarged, crisp view.
Oct. 31, 2017: A new event, the Southeast Aerospace and Defence Conference (SADC) scheduled for June 25-27 in Mobile (AL), will examine the commercial, defense, space and corporate aerospace sectors in the US Southeast.
The conference is organized by Airfinance Journal and Leeham Co., the first joint venture between the two companies.
The US Southeast is a growing aerospace center. Defense and space clusters have decades-long histories in the Southeast. Corporate and commercial clusters are more recent developments, albeit in some cases now well within a second decade.
Airbus’ A320 family Final Assembly Line in Mobile opened in September 2015. The FAL is producing 3.5 A320s per month and will reach its initial target of 4/mo by year end, slightly ahead of schedule. There is land capacity to expand to 8/mo.
Earlier this month, Airbus and Bombardier announced that their new venture will establish an FAL in Mobile.