Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Does an A220-500 need a new wing and engines? Part 4. July 3, 2025
- GE testing of giant GE9X engine aims for maturity at entry into service June 30, 2025
- 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
Countdown to 737RE or NSA: Odds now favor Re-engine
It’s been a slow but steady shift in Boeing’s thinking that became evident during the pre-Paris Air Show briefings: Boeing is warming to the idea of re-engining the 737. According to sources with direct knowledge of the situation, it is likely officials will choose to do so and push out development of the New Small Airplane (NSA), with an EIS for the latter in the early half of the 2020 decade instead of 2019 or 2020 that Boeing has been talking about.
McCain puts Boeing, USAF in his sights for $1bn overrun on four tankers
Well, it’s started. See McCain’s letter to the Department of Defense here.
Market sees 737 sales lagging, but matches 2010–so far
Here is a story we did for Commercial Aviation Online.
| Date: | 12/07/2011 11:40 |
| Source: | Commercial Aviation Online |
| Location: | Seattle |
| By: | Scott Hamilton |
Boeing took a drubbing in the headlines from the Paris Air Show as Airbus racked up more than 600 orders for its A320neo family while there were few announcements for the rival 737.
Many of the neo orders and some of the 737 orders have yet to be converted to firm contracts, largely a formality, but through June, Airbus is ahead of Boeing in this market segment. Boeing reported 141 gross orders and 104 net orders for the 737. Airbus reports 706 gross orders and 618 net orders for its A320 family.
Podcast on Classic piston-liners
Innovation Analysis Group has a fascinating podcast with Carlos Gomez, owner of Florida Air Transport, and a discussion of classic piston-liners, including the DC-6, DC-7 and Lockheed Constellation.
A321neo best to replace 757: AirInsight
AirInsight today published a short report comparing the Boeing 737-900ER with the Airbus A321neo and concluded the neo is the best choice to replace the Boeing 757.
See the AirInsight synopsis here.
The report is particularly timely with the pending American Airlines decision we’ve all read so much about.
How will Boeing profit from tanker contract?
Just whenever you think there’s nothing more to write about the air force aerial tanker, more news pops up.
The news that Boeing would first lose $300m on the initial KC-46A tanker contract, and now perhaps another $400m (will there be still more to come?), isn’t particularly surprising.This is on top of the $600m the USAF (read that “taxpayers” agreed to absorb of the first $1bn in excess program costs.
In fact, when the first loss projection was announced, Wall Street aerospace analysts noted the news but shrugged it off as falling under the “what did you expect?” category. We didn’t even both to write about it, except in passing.
Grand jury focuses on convicted felon in airport deal
Scot Spencer is a name some of us will remember as one of the sordid players in commercial aviation.
Spencer and co-investors purchased Braniff II from the Hyatt family in the late 1980s and proceeded to run it into bankruptcy. Out of those ashes rose Braniff III, which promptly also went into bankruptcy. Spencer and some of the same co-investors wound up convicted of bankruptcy fraud. The US Department of Transportation banned Spencer from commercial aviation. It’s been assumed by many that this meant airlines but others believed the ban was much broader.
After serving his time, Spencer wound up in San Bernadino (CA), running another airline (which DOT shut down) and incredibly, this smooth-talker wound up managing the former Norton AFB for a transition to a civilian airport with a goal of commercial airline service.