Bjorn’s Corner: China’s civil aviation, from nothing to world’s largest in 2030

Introduction

By Bjorn Fehrm

By Bjorn Fehrm

14 May 2015, C. Leeham Co: In my ISTAT Asia reports, I wrote about how China will overtake USA as largest civil aviation market in  2030. Airbus China Group chairman, Laurence Barron, and I had a chat after his ISTAT presentation where he described China’s evolution as a civil aviation market and how Airbus gradually worked itself from a late and hesitant start to today’s split of the market with Boeing.

Barron provided his slides, some of which  we will use  to review how China grew from virtually no civil aviation after the Chinese revolution in 1949 to the world’s largest market by 2030. We will also look at what aircraft have made up this growth and finally describe how Airbus progressed from a latecomer in 1985 to sharing the market with Boeing today.

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ISTAT Asia day two: home for the elderly

Introduction

May 12, 2015, c. Leeham Co: As you would have guessed we are talking Asian civil airliners, where planning in the region for the fast growing older generations is inadequate. This was the subject of several sessions during day two of the ISTAT Asia (International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading) conference in Singapore.

The problem is new, as up to now a newly established airline fleet in Asia has not had any numbers of older aircraft. But the expansion over the last 20 years is now producing the first transition waves of aircraft and the planning around the problems this generates is inadequate.

The result will be surprising write-downs of airline assets as aircraft being replaced cannot be transitioned out at booked residual values. The scale of the problem was highlighted by a survey of the 500 gathered ISTAT industry experts. The question posed to them was “There are 4700 aircraft coming up for replacement until 2033, has Asian airlines planned adequately for this?”:

  • 49% of the delegates responded a few airlines have.
  • 45% answered there are only some that do it.
  • 5% of the delegates answered most airlines does it.
  • 2% thought all Asian airlines have done it.

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ISTAT Asia: Asian airline market update

Introduction

May 11, 2015, c. Leeham Co: We are participating this week in the ISTAT Asia conference in Singapore where IATA and different panels gave an interesting update on the Asian airline market. This is the fifth year that an ISTAT (International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading) conference is held in Asia and participation has virtually doubled from last year to 500 delegates.

IATA’s Conrad Clifford opened the event with the following overview about the Asian market for airline passenger travel:

  • The IATA 20 year forecast growth for the region is 4.9 % annual growth, making it the largest world-wide passenger market by 2030.
  • The domestic markets of China and India grew with 11% and 20% respectively in 1Q2015. The US market in comparison grew 3%.
  • The growth in the region makes China the world-wide largest domestic passenger market by 2030, surpassing the US with India in third place.
  • The highest growth markets are China, India and Indonesia. Countries like Thailand and Malaysia are struggling with low demand at present.

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Jet Airways, Kenya Airways dumping Boeing 777s

Jet Airways is disposing of all 10 Boeing 777-300ERs (five of which are already leased out) and Kenya Airways is disposing of three 777-300ERs, according to published reports from the regions.

The Jet aircraft are 2007 and newer; the Kenya aircraft are 2013-2014 aircraft.

Jet Airways, partially owned by Etihad Airways, wants to rid itself of the five 777s already leased to other parties. Kenya Airways can’t fill the -300ERs, according to a person familiar with the situation.

A Boeing spokesman said these late model aircraft coming to market won’t affect the company’s effort to sell new 777s as it works to fill the production gap between the Classic and the 777X.

On a recent earnings call, CEO Jim McNerney said the slots are essentially sold out in 2016, half sold out in 2017 and some 2018 slots have been sold. Through May 5, Boeing sold 25 777s this year, including 10 to United Airlines in a swap freeing up 10 Boeing 787-9s.

 

Pontifications: Qatar Air adds US service, US airlines ramp up whining

Hamilton (5)

By Scott Hamilton

May 11, 2015: Qatar Airways is going to add service to three more US cities and the US airlines don’t like it. That’s too bad. We’ve heard this story before.

First, it was the proposed deregulation of the US airline industry. By the late 1970s, there hadn’t been a new scheduled airline certificated by the Civil Aeronautics Board since the end of World War II other than local service carriers. Non-scheduled airlines (non-skeds for short) and charter carriers received licenses for their lines of work, but every effort to obtain a scheduled certificate was defeated by those airlines already holding one. They didn’t want the competition.

When the move toward deregulation occurred in the 1970s, only United Airlines and the original Frontier Airlines supported it. United, then the nation’s largest carrier, had been rejected by the CAB for every major route expansion while UA’s competitors received new route awards. UA thought deregulation was the only way to expand. Frontier, a local service carrier that had become a “regional” airline by then (as designations evolved), also saw expansion opportunities. Read more

Boeing 777 production gap remains challenging

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Introduction

May 5, 2015: c. Leeham Co. The order for 10 Boeing 777-300ERs last month by United Airlines was a welcome addition to the backlog for the Classic line, but it remains a struggle for Boeing to obtain enough orders, or convert options and LOIs, to bridge the production gap to the entry-into-service for the 777-9, currently planned for 1H2020.

Boeing would like to advance the EIS to late 2019, but this may be challenging.

Boeing currently has a backlog of 271 Classic 777s (including the UA order). Through the end of 2019, Boeing needs to deliver 466 Classics if it is to maintain the current production rate of 100 per year. Boeing is sold out this year, largely sold out next year, half sold out in 2017 and some delivery slots are taken up in 2018, according to CEO Jim McNerney.

But the need for more Classic sales doesn’t end on 12/31/19 because of the normal production cut-over and ramp-up of a new airplane type.

Summary

  • Through 2019 Boeing needs to sell and/or convert options for 195 777 Classics, or an average of 43 per year from May 1.
  • “Feathering” in production from the Classic to the 777X increases the challenge.
  • Production rate cut remains inevitable, in our estimation.

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Malaysia Airlines fleet restructuring

April 30, 2015: Malaysia Airlines is offering for sale or lease all six of its Airbus A380s, its two Boeing 747-400Fs and four Airbus A330-200Fs and four Boeing 777-200ERs as it seeks to restructure following a disastrous 2014.

MAS lost two 777s last year: MH370, the flight that disappeared and still hasn’t been found; and MH17, the flight that was shot down over Ukraine.

Elimination of the freighters wipes out MASCargo.

MAS, the passenger operation, has six A380s, 15 A330-300s, 57 Boeing 737-800s with 14 on order and 10 options and 13 777-200ERs, according to Wikipedia. Read more

Tipping point for supply/demand? We don’t think so

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Introduction

April 28, 2015, c. Leeham Co. Goldman Sachs over the weekend issued a research note, Is the new aircraft supply/demand equation nearing a tipping point?

GS cited the recent United and American airlines actions involving the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 and other fleet activity or inactivity at Lufthansa Airlines and Virgin Atlantic as harbingers for its thesis.

Goldman has a Sell rating on Boeing stock, based on its belief the demand is leveling off and announced production rate increases by Airbus and Boeing will lead to oversupply.

Summary

  • Goldman sees recent fleet actions indicating a softness in demand, driven in part by lower fuel prices.
  • United, Lufthansa actions delaying retirement of older aircraft cited.
  • Virgin Atlantic decision on Boeing 747 replacements delayed, says Goldman.
  • We see other reasons for the above and no meaningful impact.
  • Key wide- and narrow-body campaigns pending.

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Pontifications: “Everyone” deferring Boeing 787s? Not hardly.

Hamilton (5)

By Scott Hamilton

April 27, 2015: c. Leeham Co. With the announcement on the 1Q2015 earnings call that American Airlines is deferring Boeing 787s, I received an inquiry from a media person: what is it with the 787 that “everyone” is deferring the airplane?

I found the question puzzling.

True, this comes on the heels of United Airlines swapping 787 orders for 777-300ER orders, but this hardly counts as “everyone.” And the reasons for the maneuvering was well-stated and for very different reasons. Read more

United Airlines revises fleet plan

April 23, 2015: United Airlines announced its 1Q2015 earnings today (which will eventually be posted with commentary on SkyWriterAviation.aero). What caught our eye in the press release was the following. United will:

  • Complete the removal of more than 130 50-seat aircraft from its schedule by the end of 2015. UAL will remove additional 50-seat aircraft in 2016 and beyond as aircraft come off lease.
  • Exchange 10 787 orders with Boeing for 10 777-300ERs for delivery beginning in 2016. The new 777-300ER aircraft will provide attractive upgauge and range opportunities to the company at competitive economics.
  • Extend the life of 11 additional 767-300ER aircraft. The company now plans to extend the life of all 21 767-300ER through investments in winglets, reliability improvements and interior modifications, which will improve financial performance and make the aircraft more customer pleasing.
  • Reconfigure and transition 10 777-200 aircraft currently used in international markets into the domestic network, and position a number of its trans-Atlantic 757-200 fleet into the domestic and Latin markets, with the extension of the 767-300ER aircraft.
  • Acquire additional used narrowbody aircraft. The company is in final negotiations regarding the lease of 10 to 20 used narrowbody aircraft for delivery over the next few years. In addition, the company plans to continue to seek other opportunities to acquire used aircraft to meet its needs as market conditions allow.

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