Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Airbus leans toward launching “A220-500”, but faces challenges
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By Bjorn Fehrm and Scott Hamilton
Feb. 19, 2026, © Leeham News: Airbus appears likely to launch the long-discussed stretched version of the A220-300, nominally called the -500, as early as the Farnborough Air Show in July.
Figure 1. This illustration, created years ago by Leeham News, shows the concept of a “simple stretch” for the “A220-500.” This illustration does not include some aerodynamic improvements LNA believes are necessary. Airbus is already planning a high-density version of the A220-300. Credit: Leeham News.
Lars Wagner, the new CEO of Airbus Commercial Airplanes, told Reuters in January that he favors the new aircraft, which would seat 165 passengers in single class configuration. Wagner assumed the position on Jan. 1. His predecessor, Christian Scherer, had long favored the stretch.
Wagner didn’t provide Reuters with any details about the new airplane. But Scherer told LNA last year that the debate within Airbus was whether to pursue a “simple” stretch or one with a larger wing and more powerful engines. A simple stretch trades range for capacity. Scherer told LNA that customers told Airbus they were more interested in capacity than range.
Figure 2: The ranges of the A220-300 and the proposed A220-500, using airline rules and calculated by LNA’s Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM). Air France (CDG) and Delta Air Lines (ATL) have expressed interest in a stretched A220-300. Credit: Leeham News.
LNA confirms that a simple stretch is the preferred option. However, this does not mean that Airbus won’t tweak aerodynamics to improve operating and take-off performance and maintain as much range as possible. LNA has a good understanding of the likelihood of these tweaks and of the current proposed configuration of the A220-500. Using our proprietary Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM), the -500 should have a range about 13% lower than the -300.
LNA’s APCM analysis is based on today’s information. The data is subject to final details when Airbus completes the design freeze.
Here’s our analysis.
Recovery of the 737 program is unglamorous and arduous: Boeing exec
By Scott Hamilton
Katie Ringgold, VP and general manager of the 737 program. Credit: Boeing.
Feb. 10, 2026, © Leeham News: Boeing’s head of the 737 program yesterday outlined how the company is recovering from six years of crisis, quality control and safety issues and repeated production slowdowns and shutdowns.
Katie Ringgold, the Vice President and General Manager, was at the annual Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) conference in suburban Seattle, said the long road to recovery—which has a few years more to go—has been an “unglamorous” task.
“We took time to deeply reflect on our production system. And some of that you know of what we’ve been accomplishing over the last two years. And make meaningful and arduous changes,” she said. “And I use that word intentionally. It wasn’t just hard changes. It was arduous changes.”
Ringgold noted that Boeing is now producing the 737 at the rate of 42 aircraft per month. This rate was achieved in the final months of last year. Boeing publicly has repeatedly said its goal is to increase the production rate in increments of five approximately every six months.
Ringgold, during her stage appearance, confirmed reporting by LNA in January that the 737’s North Line at the Everett widebody plant will be activated about mid-year. In this report, LNA noted that Boeing’s current 737 production plant in Renton will be capped at a rate of 47/mo. The North Line will be needed for Boeing to achieve rate 52 and beyond, ultimately toward a target of 63/mo.
Despite some turbulence, SPEEA exec sees progress under Boeing’s Ortberg
By Scott Hamilton
Ray Goforth, executive director of SPEEA, Boeing’s engineer and technicians union. Credit: SPEEA.
Feb. 10, 2026, © Leeham News—Seattle: When Kelly Ortberg became CEO of The Boeing Co. in August 2024, he said that one of his first tasks was to reset the testy labor relations with the unions.
The results so far have been mixed. Ortberg’s immediate labor contract challenge was with the powerful IAM 751 union. The contract for its 32,000 workers expired 34 days after Ortberg assumed office, and negotiations were underway. Union members went on a 53-day strike before the financially ailing Boeing agreed to most of the demands.
Contract negotiations with a branch of the Teamsters union were concluded successfully without a strike. However, a different district of the IAM, 837 at the St. Louis defense plant, walked out for more than 100 days before a contract was accepted.
A new contract with the newly acquired Spirit AeroSystems plant in Wichita (KS), represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), was agreed without a strike. SPEEA praised the contract as achieving its goals.
Next up is the contract with Boeing’s engineers and technicians, also represented by SPEEA. This contract expires this fall. The union’s negotiating teams will be appointed this month. Procedural meetings with Boeing will begin afterward before proposals are exchanged and negotiations begin.
SPEEA has been at odds with Boeing before and after Ortberg’s appointment as CEO. Ray Goforth, executive director of the union, said in an interview with LNA last week that he’s seen improvements in its relationship with Boeing under Ortberg. But on the day of the interview, SPEEA accused Boeing of violating the current contract by reassigning up to 300 engineering jobs from the Seattle area to the 787 production facility in Charleston (SC).
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Few orders announced today at Singapore Air Show
Feb. 3, 2026, © Leeham News: There were few orders announced today at the Singapore Air Show.
Boeing and ATR were the only announced commercial orders. Embraer revealed a previously announced order for the C-390 tanker-transport. And that was it.
In other news from LNA’s news parter, AIN:
Net Zero by 2050 is beyond reach, but R&D, SAF work continues
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By Scott Hamilton and Bjorn Fehrm
Feb. 2, 2026, © Leeham News: When the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA) adopted its carbon Net Zero by 2050 policy at the October 2021 
Annual General Meeting, it included milestones for increasing the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The outline also included the adoption of alternative energy technologies like hydrogen, batteries, and hybrids.
Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline. A voice of reality when it comes to eco-aviation. Credit: Emirates Airline.
Some, including LNA, quickly concluded that the timeline and some of the technologies were unachievable. Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline, attended the IATA AGM. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, he told the assembly.
Since then, airlines across the globe have relaxed or even abandoned the IATA goals for their internal efforts.
SAF remains an elusive alternative. So does hydrogen. Battery-powered eVTOLs appear just around the corner for certification. However, developers of battery-powered commuter and regional airliners hit the reality that the weight of the batteries needed for even flights of a few hundred miles weighs more than is feasible. Some hybrid technologies appear to have promise, yet likely are technologies that appear to have promise for certain aircraft architectures, but need higher-performance batteries, which pushes these into the next decade.
Still, Europe continues to place a priority on sustainable aviation. Airbus, engine manufacturers and key suppliers continue their drive toward more sustainable aviation. However, Airbus backed off its 2035 target for a hydrogen-powered airplane. Rolls-Royce, key engine supplier MTU, and components supplier GKN, and others, strive for improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. Safran, a partner with GE Aerospace in the 50-50 joint venture CFM International, and an interiors manufacturer, likewise seeks environmental improvements to their products.
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In Asia, China is making a big bet on eVTOLs (and solar and automobile electric power). Its eVTOL industry is already flying in China. The country is the biggest producer in the world of solar panels and high-performance battery cells. China’s auto industry has a line-up of electric cars from small to luxury based on its battery technology.
Flash: SPEEA union at Boeing Wichita OKs new contract with 85.8% voting yes
Jan. 30, 2026, (c) Leeham News: Members of the engineers and technicians union at Boeing Wichita (the former Spirit AeroSystems plant) approved a 4.8 year contract 85.8% to 14.2%.
“The contract was approved by a 671 to 111 vote of dues-paying members of SPEEA’s Wichita Technical & Professional Unit (WTPU),” the union announced tonight.
“The average WTPU-represented worker will be making more than $117,000 a year when this contract is done in 2030. In addition, we’ll see significant improvements to our health care benefits with lower premiums, we’ll have more days off from work and we’ll have a higher incentive pay target,” the union said in a press release. Union negotiators unanimously endorsed the Boeing offer.
Boeing FY2025: Company posts small profit on Services division; BCA still losing money
By Karl Sinclair
Jan. 27, 2026, © Leeham News: The Boeing Company (BA) released its full-year 2025 results, and indications are that the company is headed in the right direction. However, some monumental tasks face the corporation in the short-to-medium term.
Boeing Commercial Aircraft (BCA) is still in a loss-making position. BCA lost $7bn, compared with $8bn in 2024. Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) was near break-even. Boeing Global Services (BGS) was the only profitable division, boosting the corporation to an annual profit on the back of the $10.6bn sale of part of its business.
BCA delivered 160 aircraft during 4Q2025, including 117 of the cash-cow 737 MAX series and 27 Dreamliners.
This boosted BCA revenues in the final quarter to $11.379bn, up from $4,762bn, year-over-year (YoY). Full-year revenues hit $41.494bn, almost doubling 2024 sales of $22.861bn.
Source: All tables and images via Boeing.
The company is adamant about demonstrating stability in production and the supply chain at rate 42/mo, before making the leap to 47/mo by mid-2026.
787 rates are expected to stabilize at 8/mo, as investments in the Charleston (SC) production facilities begin to take shape, boosting output into the double digits in 2026.
GE 2026 Outlook: From LEAP Momentum to 777X Certification and the Rise of RISE
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By Chris Sloan, Tom Batchelor and Charlotte Bailey
January 22, 2026, © Leeham News: After a strong 2025 marked by rising output, expanding services, and improving execution, GE Aerospace enters 2026 with momentum building across four major programs that define its near- and long-term outlook: the GE9X and the long-delayed Boeing 777X as certification advances toward a 2027 entry into service; the LEAP program as record production levels combine with durability improvements that are beginning to take hold; the widebody GEnx franchise steadily growing its installed base and aftermarket contribution; and the RISE Open Fan as a high-risk, high-reward investment in next-generation single-aisle propulsion.
Throughout the year, strengthening supply-chain performance, rising engine deliveries, and robust services growth translated into improved financial results, reinforcing confidence that GE Aerospace’s operational recovery is gaining traction. Further detail was revealed when the company reported full-year 2025 earnings on Jan. 22. The company will test whether this momentum can be sustained—converting higher volumes, maturing reliability initiatives, and disciplined investment in future technologies into durable earnings growth, even as certification timelines stretch and the industry remains cautious about launching the next clean-sheet aircraft.
GE Aerospace’s latest engine application. Credit: GE.
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Boeing planning to activate North Line with 737-8s/9s in advance of MAX 10 certification
By Scott Hamilton
Jan. 20, 2026, © Leeham News: Boeing is preparing to activate its North Line for 737 production by mid-year, with 737-8s and 737-9s first to be assembled as a prelude to its intended purpose: assembling the long-delayed 737-10.
Boeing has been informally asking the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a series of “what if” questions in advance of a formal request to activate the North Line. This is the first time the 737 will be assembled away from its Renton (WA) facility, which has served as its home since the original model program more than 50 years ago.
This is important because the North Line is brand new, it needs FAA certification, and the MAX 10 is new (only a couple have been built at Renton), pending certification. Employees who will be assigned to the North Line will be a mix of Renton transfers, new hires, and Everett incumbents. The latter has never built a 737.
Boeing 787 bay at the Everett factory in 2023. Boeing was engaged in reworking following discovery of a production flaw. Credit: Leeham News.
Gaining FAA approval to build the 737-8/9 on the North Line will smooth production certification and enable employees without 737 production experience to gain some before the MAX 10 is added to the line. While Boeing all along said the North Line is intended for the MAX 10, LNA confirmed that it is capable of assembling the MAX 8, 9, and 10.
Additionally, since the MAX 10 (and the smallest family member, the MAX 7) remain uncertified pending changes that must be made as a result of the overall 737 MAX crisis revelations, Boeing wants to avoid building up an inventory of MAX 10s that would require changes mandated by the FAA.
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The company wants to begin production as early as May or June. Earlier, Boeing previously said activating the line may not occur until the end of the year, awaiting certification of the 737-10. More recently, CEO Kelly Ortberg identified mid-year as the activation target date. A formal request to the FAA may come as early as March.
Ahead of its year-end 2025 earnings call and in its quiet period, Boeing declined to comment.
Dissecting Boeing’s 2025 orders and deliveries
By The Leeham News Team
Jan. 16, 2026, © Leeham News: Boeing won more orders than Airbus last year. Airbus delivered more airplanes, given its higher production rates and Boeing’s long, slow path to recovery.
But a dissection of the numbers also shows positive results for Boeing.
Boeing 737 MAXes awaiting delivery at Boeing Field. Credit: Leeham News.
On top of Delta Air Lines’ breakthrough order for the 787-10, its first for any 787, United Airlines converted 56 787-9s to the 787-10. The 787-10’s seat-mile costs are the lowest in its class. If an airline doesn’t need the longer range of the Airbus A330-900, the A350-900, or the 787-9, the extra passenger and cargo capacity of the -10 is a winning combination.
The total twin-aisle passenger aircraft deliveries were 179 (91 Airbus A330 and A350, 88 Boeing 787s). It is far below the peak of 2015 (362), at the level of 2011 (179), and below the peak of the late 1990s cycle (227 in 1999). Boeing needs the 777-9 certification to reclaim its historical lead in twin-aisle passenger aircraft deliveries. Boeing handily dominates the twin-aisle order book.