Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Bjorn’s Corner: Air Transport’s route to 2050. Part 28. June 27, 2025
- Parent agency, FAA often at odds as politics outweighs safety June 26, 2025
- Electric Flight and the Ugly Duckling June 25, 2025
- Engine makers tout “Plan A” but have “Plan B” backups in R&D June 23, 2025
- Bjorn’s Corner: Air Transport’s route to 2050. Part 27. June 20, 2025
Rolls-Royce, PW join forces for 120-230 seat engine–and to focus on GTF technology
It is a stunning announcement. Not so much the buyout of Rolls-Royce by Pratt & Whitney from the International Aero Engines partnership. This has been expected for more than a year.
What’s stunning in the new partnership RR and PW announced to develop engines in the 120-230 seat market and to focus on Geared Turbo Fan technology.
AirInsight has a commentary on the tie-up.
This is a major shift in the engine competition and a major endorsement of the GTF engine and techn0logy, creating a more formidable competitor to the dominate CFM International.
We’ll have more to say after we digest this a bit and talk with the market.
Airbus takes on MAX and says best Boeing can get is 8%
Note: Plane Talking has this detailed story about NEO v MAX.
Over at AirInsight, we have published a long, long piece (some 3,500 words) stemming from a briefing we had at ISTAT Europe in Barcelona about the A320neo vs the 737NG and 737 MAX. The post is here.
Airbus believes Boeing cannot achieve the 10%-12% lower fuel burn it advertises with the smaller fan-diameter CFM LEAP engine. The best Boeing can do, in Airbus’ estimation, is 8%.
Take a read. This is the most detailed product comparison in the public domain yet.
Final thoughts on 787 first delivery
There is a sense of relief that Boeing finally delivered the first 787 this week, after a 3 1/2 year delay and the most painful gestation period in Boeing Commercial Airplane history.
In addition to the actual rain storm on Monday that could not dampen the spirits of the moment, there were many others who nonetheless tried to rain on Boeing’s parade. They pointed out, correctly, that challenges remain for the ramp up in production and Boeing spent billions of dollars on the troubled program.
These and other points are legitimate issues. We chose to let Boeing have its moment in the sun (figuratively speaking, anyway, considering the lousy weather Monday).
Here are our thoughts:
FedEx gets ‘best and final offers’ from Airbus, Boeing
FedEx is considering ordering the Airbus A330-200F or Boeing 767-300F. We learned at ISTAT that some at the company think the A330-200F is too much airplane in terms of range for US domestic service and would prefer the short-range A330-300F capable of carrying more volume. Although some months ago Jon Ostrower broke the story that FDX was talking with Boeing about the 767-400, we learned at ISTAT Boeing said “no.” It is focused on the KC-46A, 767-derived tanker and doesn’t want to take on a program that would divert resources from this effort.
Separately, we learned that Airbus and Boeing submitted their best and final offers last week and a decision–which might include a decision to do nothing–could come as early as this week. Concerns over the economy are spooking FDX, we are told, and there is a faction that favors acquiring more Boeing 757s for conversion and doubling up on frequency if capacity is needed while maintaining the flexibility to cut capacity in a downturn at a lower capital acquisition cost.
If Airbus were to win this order for the A330F, then the prospect of Airbus proceeding with the Mobile (AL) plant is back on the table, we are told.
787 first delivery, Day 2
Here’s more on Boeing’s first delivery of the 787 to launch customer All Nippon Airways.
The first picture illustrates the fancy, new windows in the 787. The manual shade is eliminated in the 787 and the window is dimmed by the passenger or the flight attendant. This photo, taken aboard an ANA 787 Sunday on the sunny ramp at Paine Field, is a dramatic representation of this feature. Photo by yours truly.
Soundbites from 787 delivery
From Scott Fancher, head of the 787 program:
* We’ve developed a set of technologies that will be the backbone of development for the next 30 years.
* This is as big a leap forward as the 707 was.
* 787-9 design is very stable over last couple of years. The weight is down. We will start producing tools next year. We will start producing components next year. (Not structural components.)
* Charleston has been designed to be funbdamentally identical to Everett.
* When we have the data, we will put Charleston and Everett under one quality control system.
* Despite huge costs, we like the investment we made in the 787.
Boeing delivers first 787 to ANA
In a packed room of international media, Boeing announced Sunday that All Nippon Airways executed the contract to accept first delivery of the 787, three and one half years late.
Boeing has a day-long schedule for the media to get briefed on the program and the handover. Ceremonies continue tomorrow and the plane leaves Tuesday for Tokyo.
ANA will take four airplanes this year and 16 next year. By the end of ANA’s fiscal 2017 in March 2013an 2017 (oops-big thumbs on a small Blackberry keyboard) it will receive all 55 on order.
ANA’s airplanes are powered by the Rolls Royce Trent 1000, designed exclusively for the 787.
This is a milestone for Boeing but challenges remain.
The Seattle Times has this report, estimating that Boeing has spent $32bn so far on the 787 program vs a planned $5.8bn.
Challenges Remain
Production ramp up will be a challenge and so will delivery rework. We’ll have further reports over the next two days.
Boeing did Charleston to thwart union: news report, citing Boeing documents
In the first documentation to be revealed, Bloomberg News reports that Boeing did in fact establish the second 787 assembly line in Charleston (SC) to thwart the union–and, from Puget Sound’s perspective, locate the next new airplane in Charleston.
Assuming the Bloomberg reporting is correct in its interpretation–and there is no reason to assume otherwise–this completely belies the Boeing legal response to the NLRB that locating the assembly line in Charleston was all about economic incentives from local authorities.
The IAM 751 blog on the topic is here, bearing in mind that theirs is hardly an objective view.
Cargolux, Part 3: alternative lift to the ‘rejected’ 747s
On the final night at ISTAT in Barcelona, a new scenario has been suggested in the continuing saga of the Cargolux situation.
Cargolux previously said may seek freighter capacity elsewhere if an agreement with Boeing isn’t reached on compensation.
Where, you might ask, is there immediate lift available?
The answer, it was suggested, are 777-200Fs, owned and operated by….drum roll, please….Qatar Airways.
It’s all speculation but interesting to ponder.
Aviation Week has this story that contains more detail about the fuel burn issue and Qatar’s involvement.
More on Cargolux: weights and fuel burn
Note: Jon Ostrower at Flight Global has this update.
The underlying cause for the Cargolux rejection (the airline’s word) of the delivery of the first two Boeing 747-8Fs is performance.
Performance is based, generally, on two things: weight of the airplane and specific fuel consumption (SFC). If the airplane is too heavy, it may not meet the payload and/or range guarantees. If SFC is below specifications, range/payload may be affected. If you combine the two issues, a larger problem exists.
It’s been well known for more than a year that the 747-8 was “heavy” and the GEnx engines burned too much fuel. Despite the two year delay, GE hasn’t developed a performance improvement package (PIP) for the 747-8 that will be ready before the end of 2013, according to sources familiar with the situation. GE’s priority has been the 787 program.
We asked Boeing about the weight and SFC issues. Here is its response: