Playing number games with the A380

Feb. 15, 2015: Orders for the Airbus A380 have been slow, almost glacial, since the program was launched in 2000. Despite a 20-year forecast then and every year since by Airbus that suggests there is a need for… Read More

PNAA Conference: Airbus says A320 cancellations not as bad as numbers suggest

Feb. 12, 2015: Simon Pickup, Strategic Marketing Director, Airbus, took issue (no surprise there) with Boeing’s Randy Tinseth, VP Marketing, at the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference today in Lynnwood (WA), and Tinseth’s barb that Airbus had a… Read More

Boeing 757 MAX: why its operating economics does not work

By Bjorn Fehrm Introduction Feb 12, 2015: In a series of articles during the autumn we covered the replacement scenarios for Boeing’s 757-200 when used for long haul passenger operations. The series also included an interview with Boeing’s… Read More

Here’s why Boeing won’t do a “757 MAX”

Feb. 12, 2015, c. 2015 Leeham News and Comment: Boeing appeared to put to bed once and for all any prospect of reviving the 757 to fill a product gap between the 737-9 and the 787-8. Randy Tinseth,… Read More

PNAA Conference: Aboulafia–“A lot of positivity” (except for A380, 787)

The Wall Street Journal reports that Boeing is considering restarting and re-engining the 757 in response to the Airbus A321LR. Feb. 11, 2015: We’re at the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference in Lynnwood (WA) north of Seattle. This… Read More

Tomorrow’s Bombardier earnings call: trying to be upbeat in the midst of a tornado

Subscription Required. Introduction As the market prepares for Bombardier’s 2014 year end earnings call tomorrow, CEO Pierre Beaudoin has his work cut out for him to restore confidence among the airlines and lessors who have ordered the CSeries… Read More

Single-aisle values, lease rates stable; smaller mainline jets struggle

Special to Leeham News and Comment By Gueric Dechavanne Collateral Verifications Feb. 8, 2015: Apart from a few unfortunate events, the industry has been moving along quite nicely so far in 2015. Used single-aisle aircraft values and lease… Read More

Odds and Ends: Real-time flight tracking; LEAP-1A testing

Real-time flight tracking: At last, the airline industry is adopting rules to require real-time flight tracking. ICAO, the international organization governing rules and regulations, approved one to require real time tracking next year. The action is long overdue…. Read More

Exclusive: Emirates Airlines gets pitch for 100 Boeing 747-8s

Update, 3:30pm PST: For those who may not be adept at reading literally what was written, we did not say Boeing made the pitch. Feb. 4, 2015: In a pitch designed to save the Boeing 747-8 and simultaneously… Read More

Odds and Ends: KC-390 first flight; A400M; AirAsia 8501; Bombardier credibility

KC-390 first flight: Embraer’s largest airplane ever built, the KC-390 tanker/transport, made its first flight today. We profiled the airplane last October following our visit to Brazil. The airplane fulfills needs for Brazil’s vast geography to supply its… Read More