Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
GE increasing use of automation and AI to support MRO
Subscription Required
By Scott Hamilton
A tool used by GE Aerospace for its Artificial Intelligence MRO process. Credit: AIN.
Aug. 25, 2025, © Leeham News: GE Aerospace is using robotics, automation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as rare access to supercomputers throughout its global footprint, services, and in research and development as it strives for engine maturity, reliability, and creating new engines.
Shop visits, on-wing engine inspections, and repair technologies must be made more efficient, rapid, and cost-effective to serve the thousands of legacy CFM56s, GE90s, CF6s, and the growing number of CFM LEAP engines.
The CFM56 and LEAP engines power the Boeing 737. The CFM 56 and LEAP also power the Airbus A320neo family in competition with the previous generation International Aero Engine V2500 and the current generation Pratt & Whitney GTF, respectively. The CF6 still powers older widebody airplanes, like the Boeing 767. The GE90 powers legacy Boeing 777s.
The forthcoming GE9X, the giant engine on Boeing’s 777X series, is also benefiting from efforts to mature the engine as much as possible before entry into service next year. This is a special case because of the six-year certification and delivery delays of the 777X brought by some initial technical issues of the GE9X discovered during flight testing and the negative halo effect of the certification crisis surrounding the 737 MAX, beginning in 2019.
The 777X was to be delivered in the first quarter of 2019; now, entry into service (EIS) is expected next year.
Related Article
Bjorn’s Corner: Faster aircraft development. Part 4. Feasibility studies.
By Bjorn Fehrm and Henry Tam
August 22, 2025, ©. Leeham News: We do a series about ideas on how the long development times for large airliners can be shortened. New projects talk about cutting development time and reaching certification and production faster than previous projects.
The series will discuss the typical development cycles for an FAA Part 25 aircraft, called a transport category aircraft, and what different ideas there are to reduce the development times.
We will use the Gantt plan in Figure 1 as a base for our discussions.
Figure 1. A generic new Part 25 airliner development plan. Source: Leeham Co. Click to see better.
China, Boeing appear near massive order: report
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 21, 2025, © Leeham News: Boeing is nearing a massive order for up to 500 aircraft with China, Bloomberg reports. Completing the deal depends on political considerations, as so many of these do between China and the US for Boeing or Europe for Airbus airplanes.
Air China is the primary state airline of China. Boeing 737 MAX. Credit: CNBC.
But it’s significant that negotiations are active and appear nearing a deal if the politics can be worked out between the Chinese government and the Trump Administration. Boeing was frozen out by Beijing in 2017 when President Donald Trump, in his first term, began imposing tariffs on China in 2017.
President Biden, who took office in 2021, not only kept the Trump tariffs in place, economic and industrial sanctions were imposed when China covertly aligned itself with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. When Trump was reelected in 2024, one of his first actions the following year was to impose more tariffs on China.
Even if the Boeing deal doesn’t successfully conclude soon, the very fact that serious negotiations and a near-deal validate LNA’s thesis since
Related Articles
- Here’s why China needs Boeing as much as Boeing needs China July 7, 2021
- China still needs Boeing as much as Boeing needs China July 11, 2022
- China still needs Boeing as much as Boeing needs China despite interminable limbo Oct. 31, 2022
- China banks on C919, but numbers say it still needs Boeing Sept. 2, 2024
LNA’s analysis over the years concluded that China’s home-grown COMAC C919 could not fill the gap for the domestic demand for new airliners in the coming years created with the 2019 21-month grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. China was the first to ground the aircraft after two fatal crashes of the MAX five months apart in 2018 and 2019. It was the last to un-ground the MAX after the Federal Aviation Administration recertified the airplane in November 2021.
Airbus’ A330neo gets better and better. Part 3
Subscription required
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 21, 2025, © Leeham News: We analyzed Airbus’s A330-300 and -900 over the last weeks, the mid-range Airbus that gradually developed into a credible long-range aircraft.
After examining the A330-300’s development into the A330-900, we now analyze the A330-200 and its neo version, the A330-800. Why was a shorter A330-200 developed and put into service four years after the A330-300, when in almost all other cases the next version is a stretch?
And why did this smaller A330 sell really well against the larger A330-300 when its neo version doesn’t? We utilize our Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) to analyze the A330-200 and -800. Then we compare the A330-800’s capabilities and efficiency with Boeing’s 787-8.
Figure 1. The A330-200, a model that sold almost half of all A330s until the A330neo was announced. Source: Airbus.
Summary:
- The Airbus A330-200 was one of the airline world’s few successful shrinks from a base version. Normally, base versions get complemented with higher capacity versions, and shrinks are duds.
- The A330-200 and now the A330-800 compete with Boeing’s 787-8. How do these compare?
Boeing starts the 787 production expansion in Charleston
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 18, 2025, © Leeham News: In our July 16 Article “ Boeing ponders 16/mo production rate for 787,” we concluded that Boeing needed to expand its present 787 plant in Charleston, South Carolina, to reach a rate of 16 Dreamliners per month before the end of the decade.
The Charleston Post and Courier reported on August 9th that Boeing has started the $1 billion expansion of the Charleston site. The article presents a Boeing rendering of the expanded site with the planned new buildings.
Figure 1 shows the rendering where we have marked the added buildings and site expansion.
Figure 1. The Boeing 787 production site south of the Charleston International Airport. Source: Boeing.
The new FAL building is essentially a copy of the present FAL, doubling the final assembly line capacity for the 787. Boeing has reached rate seven and plans to be at rate 10 per month next year.
The expansion is planned to be finished in 2028, after which Boeing will have the facilities to reach a rate of 16 787 per month.
P&W pursues “Industrial 4.0” with GTF engine improvements
Subscription Required
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 18, 2025, © Leeham News: Pratt & Whitney’s long slog in fixing one technical problem after another with its marque PurePower Geared Turbo Fan engine isn’t over yet. It won’t be for another couple of years.
But during the Paris Air Show in June, those LNA talked to were optimistic that the end of the problems is in sight. And they are surprising optimistic about how well PW managed through the crisis and prospects for the future.
Top people at two firms that advise airlines and lessors on engine selection and maintenance contracts told LNA that for all the grief the GTF caused over the years, including hundreds of Airbus and Embraer aircraft grounded while awaiting new engines, PW gained a lot of traction by working with customers to mitigate revenue and cost losses.
That’s not to say that all are satisfied with PW’s response to the years-long series of disruptions. However, one advisory firm leader told LNA that PW’s Advantage GTF (the latest, advanced version, not yet entering service) will have airlines “flocking” back to PW if the engine performs as advertised.
The Advantage GTF will have 3%-4% more thrust and better fuel economy than the preceding GTF engines. Advanced materials, powders, and parts are expected to be more durable than those used in previous engines.
A revealing side note: these same advisors criticized the response from GE Aerospace for being less than cooperative and for not providing enough mitigation responses to shorter on-wing times for the CFM LEAP engine.
Pratt & Whitney’s Asheville (NC) “Industrial 4.0” plant aims to capitalize on digital, advanced manufacturing. Credit: Pratt & Whitney.
PW also has spent more than $1bn on what it calls an industry 4.0 production plant in Asheville (NC).
Bjorn’s Corner: Faster aircraft development. Part 3.
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 15, 2025, ©. Leeham News: We do a series about recent ideas on how the long development times for large airliners can be shortened. New project talks about cutting development time and reaching certification and production faster than previous projects.
The series will discuss the typical development cycles for an FAA Part 25 aircraft, called a transport category aircraft, and what different ideas there are to reduce the development times.
We will use the Gantt plan in Figure 1 as a base for our discussions. Before we start the discussions, we outline the process to certify a transport category aircraft under the US FAA 14 CFR Part 25 regulations and how it relates to the Figure 1 plan.
Figure 1. A generic new Part 25 airliner development plan. Source: Leeham Co. Click to see better.
Eve Raising $230 Million To Support eVTOL Aircraft Development
From LNA’s partner at AIN:
By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor
EVE Advanced Air Mobility urban taxi created by an affiliate of Embraer. Credit: EVE.
Eve Air Mobility plans to raise $230 million in equity capital through a share offering that is set to close on Friday. The government-backed Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), along with Embraer and several institutional investors, subscribed to the offering of 47,422,680 shares in common stock, priced at $4.85 per share.
The offering includes new Brazilian Depository Receipts backed by BNDES that will be listed on the São Paulo stock exchange. Eve will use the proceeds from these to cover the cost of services performed in Brazil, where it is manufacturing the four-passenger eVTOL Eve 100 it is developing for service entry in 2027.
The full story may be read on AIN here.
Airbus’ A330neo gets better and better. Part 2
Subscription required
By Bjorn Fehrm
August 14, 2025, © Leeham News: We analyze Airbus’s A330-900, the larger of the A330neos. Last week, we examined the product improvements that Airbus will roll out in the coming years, including the latest increase in Maximum TakeOff Weight (MTOW) and the resulting increase in range.
The A330 entered the market as a mid-range aircraft. With the launch of the A330neo and subsequent improvements, it is today a long-range aircraft that covers several trans-Pacific trunk routes.
How does the improved A330-900 stack up against the efficiency of the Boeing 787-9? We use our Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) to find out.
Figure 1. The A330-900 in the colors of Delta Airlines, a major operator of the model. Source: Airbus.
Summary:
- The Airbus A330 is tested on a challenging route, LAX to Shanghai, versus Boeing’s perhaps best long-ranger, the 787-9.
- Where Airbus can’t match the efficiency and cargo capacity of a 20-year younger 787-9, it can compensate with lower capital costs.
Collins Aerospace continues R&D on electrical options despite industry pullback
Subscription Required
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 11, 2025, © Leeham News: At the Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in October 2021, a detailed green aviation plan was adopted to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The ambitious program included milestones in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and other alternative fuels. The policy was part of a greater industry effort to develop battery, hydrogen, and hybrid-powered aircraft and eVTOLs.
Some 300 companies were founded to pursue these various objectives, and many global airlines adopted environmental goals. Some placed conditional orders for eVTOLS or hybrid aircraft.
Boeing focused on SAF development while Airbus pursued hydrogen-powered concepts. GE, Safran, Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), and Rolls-Royce each have or continue to research hybrid or new engine opportunities.
Todd Spierling of Collins Aerospace. Credit: Collins Aerospace.
Plenty of skepticism about reaching the Net Zero goal emerged even at the 2021 IATA AGM. Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, famously cautioned, Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Since then, Airbus abandoned its hydrogen goal. Several airlines abandoned their net-zero goals. Most of the 300 start-up companies failed, notably Lilium, which went through an astonishing $1bn before collapsing into insolvency.
One company that acknowledged the idea that aircraft can be powered by batteries alone is Collins Aerospace, a unit of RTX Corp. In an interview with LNA before the Paris Air Show, Todd Spierling, a principal technical fellow, was clear.
“We’ve been working a lot with Pratt and Whitney on electrification and what it means,” Spierling said. “One of the things we found was if you just trade out fuel for batteries, it doesn’t work out.”