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
Airbus parent skeptical of composites for A320 class airplane
Paris Air Show: The chief technology officer for Airbus parent EADS is skeptical of composites for the A320 class of airplane while Boeing considers the material to be the “baseline preference” for what officials call the New Small Airplane (NSA).
The emerging new metal alloys seem to attract more favor at EADS while Boeing officials are intrigued but still leaning toward the bet they made with the composite 787, which structurally is 52% composite with the fuselage and wings made of the substance.
Boeing ‘supersite’ may be just super-dream
Visions that Boeing could create a production “supersite” appear to be little more than a “super-dream,” it turns out.
Mike Bair, vice president of Advanced 737 Product Development, first revealed his vision for a production supersite shortly after he was replaced as head of the 787 program by Pat Shanahan, who was imported from what was then known as Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems. Bair had been in charge of the 787’s vision and production and following serious delays originating with production and design issues, Bair was moved to head future airplane program development.
A supersite is where the assembly line is surrounded by the key producers and supply chain within a short drive and preferably on a massive, single site.
787 delivery plan targets 3Q
Scott Fancher, VP in charge of the Boeing 787 program, believes delivery of the first Boeing 787 will, at long last, be achieved in the third quarter.
In a briefing in advance of the Paris Air Show, Fancher told media that the tasks remaining to be completed before first delivery to launch customer ANA are declining every day. While Fancher could not assure the media that the Federal Aviation Administration will certify the airplane on the schedule Boeing envisions, neither did he reveal whether there are any potential show-stoppers.
Airbus confirms A350-1000 news, pushes back model and -800
Airbus and Rolls-Royce confirmed June 18 news we reported 10 days ago: that the A350-1000 will get a more powerful engine and more range. Airbus officials also confirmed that the changes will push the entry-into-service of the -1000 from 2015 to 2017, somewhat later than we reported; and that the smaller A350-800 EIS is also being pushed back from 2014 to 2016.
EIS for the baseline A350-900 remains the same, late 2013.
We’re off to the Paris Air Show
Today is Thursday and we are on our way to the Paris Air Show.
First up on the schedule is the EADS/Airbus media day on Saturday, with a briefing that is expected to unveil the changes we previously reported to the A350-1000. The briefing day is embargoed to 12:01 am Sunday, June 19 (Paris time), matching the Boeing air show briefing embargo.
We’ll be filing regular reports on this site.
Additionally, Addison Schonland, managing director of AirInsight and of Innovation Analysis Group, will be at the show. He’ll be posting on both sites.
Observations on labor, Boeing
As we prepare to head off to the Paris Air Show, there have been a couple of important developments on the labor front with Boeing.
First, what we consider to be good news.
SPEEA, the engineers union representing Boeing workers primarily in Puget Sound but at a few Boeing facilities elsewhere, proposes entering binding arbitration on wages when contract negotiations begin next year. The contract is amendable at the end of 2012.
Boeing’s reaction is measured but encouraging:
“We are encouraged by this proposal and SPEEA’s offer for a dramatically changed way to negotiate a labor contract. We’ll need some time to review this proposal and engage in some serious internal discussions about it.
“We are in the process of setting up meetings with key SPEEA leaders to further discuss this concept.”
Boeing ups 737 production to 42/mo from 1H2014
Boeing announced today that it will increase the production rate of the 737 to 42 a month from the first half of 2014. This is on top of consecutive rate increases from 31.5 to 35 to 38 a month, which haven’t even been implemented yet. The 38/mo is due to be effective in 2013 and 35/mo next year.
This compares to an announced rate of 42/mo for the Airbus A320, although 737 Program Vice President and General Manager Beverly Wyse said during the Boeing pre-Paris Air Show briefing that because Airbus shuts down production in August for the month, the 42/mo really equals 40/mo. (With the announced rate increase, Boeing lifted the news embargo on Wyse’s presentation; embargoes on other briefings remain until June 19 Paris time.)
Boeing’s thinking still up in the air on New Small Airplane
Boeing promises “clarity” at the Paris Air Show about its New Small Airplane (NSA) program, but aside from settling on the performance it believes is required, little clarity has truly been achieved inside Boeing.
We learned last week key insights to Boeing’s thinking–and the divisions still remaining–within Boeing about the direction to go with the NSA. Our information comes from within Boeing, but the sourcing remains unidentified because the sourcing was not authorized to speak to the press. This information was obtained entirely separate from the pre-air show press briefings held June 2-3, which are embargoed to June 19 (Paris time)/June 18 Seattle time.
Information has been cross-checked with others and with statements made by Boeing executives in the public domain.
Odds and ends: A350-1000, A380 orders coming; NLRB action starts today
A350-1000: We broke the international news that Airbus and Rolls-Royce were going to modify the design of the A350-1000 to increase the range of the airplane. Now, the ever-thorough Flight Global has this story with a fair amount of detail that leaves the two companies little left to announce at the Paris Air Show next week.
A380 orders: When we did the Paris Air Show outlook for affiliate AirInsight, we indicated that Hong Kong Airlines would likely place the order for five A380s that had been expected at the Zhuhai Air Show but failed to materialize. It’s now been confirmed by the airline. Aspire Aviation takes a look at the rationale.