Taking care of business at the airframe OEMs

The news yesterday the Boeing resumed delivery of the 787 is good news, not just for Boeing and the airlines, but for all the stakeholders. Although Boeing did not stop or slow production of the aircraft during the… Read More

EADS earnings and Airbus A350, A380 updates

EADS reported its first quarter earningsĀ and in the process reiterated plans to fly the Airbus A350 in June. Speculation remains rampant that Airbus will fly the airplane in time for the Paris Air Show. Meantime, sales for the… Read More

Odds and Ends: 777X features; progress on A350, 787-9 and CSeries

777X features: More details are emerging about the planned features of the Boeing 777X. Progress, Progress, Progress: The CSeries prototype gets its tail number, the Boeing 787-9 is taking shape, and the first A350 has been painted. Richard… Read More

Odds and Ends: 787 service return; LionAir’s A320 order; race to Paris; 777X v A350

787 to fly soon: Jim McNerney, CEO of Boeing, says the 787 will be back in service soon. Tests should be completed within days and he is confident in the fix. LionAir’s A320 order: In case you wondered… Read More

Odds and Ends: Independents like battery fix; 787 test flight today?; JAL and A350; PAL and 777X

Back to the 787 batteries: The Seattle Times had this story Saturday in which it talked with independent experts who like the battery fix proposed by Boeing. The Time also reported that the first of two test flights… Read More

Odds and Ends: A350 production boost; 787 ‘Super Box’ and political influence; Boeing’s JAL monopoly

A350 production boost: Airbus wants to boost production of the A350. 787 ‘Super Box‘: In the harshest assessment we’ve seen so far of the Boeing 787 situation, BB&T Capital Markets analyst Carter Leake characterizes the proposed containment box… Read More

SPEEA-Boeing contract vote count underway-and we are there

It’s Tuesday evening, Feb. 19, and we are at SPEEA headquarters to watch the ballot counting on the contract vote offered by Boeing. It’s 6:25pm and it’s too soon to spot a trend. However, as we watched the… Read More

Odds and Ends: 787 likely grounded to May; More Batteries; Boeing’s 10K

787 Battery short-term fix: The Seattle Times has this story which recounts Boeing’s effort to design a short-term fix to get the 787 fleet flying again. The scenario outlined in the article suggests the 787 will be grounded… Read More

Airbus drops lithium battery for A350

Airbus, A350 and Lithium battery: Airbus has dropped plans to use the lithium-ion battery in the A350. An Airbus official told us, “We confirm we are opting for nickel cadmium for the A350 main batteries to protect the… Read More

Airbus may drop lithium batteries from A350; BCA CEO appeals to SPEEA members

Airbus may drop Lithium batteries: Bloomberg reports that Airbus may drop lithium ion batteries from the A350 in the wake of the problems encountered by Boeing. Reuters has this report. A switch to standard batteries would delay the… Read More