Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
New airplanes nearing fruition? A330neo, 757RS buzz increasing
Development of two airplanes–the Airbus A330neo and a replacement for the Boeing 757–may be pushing to the forefront, according to two news articles yesterday. Reuters reports that a decision whether to proceed with the Airbus A330neo could come… Read More
Odds and Ends: MH370 Update: Australians think hypoxia most likely, others still point to pilot misdeeds; and more
MH370: Australian investigators, having reevaluated evidence of missing Malaysian Airlines MH370, conclude that crew hypoxia may be the most likely reason the flight disappeared. But even within the Australian government, this is not a unanimous conclusion, and it’s… Read More
Challenge 777X tax breaks, “correct” US ExIm Bank Boeing funding, says Airbus CEO
Challenge Boeing 777X tax breaks and adjust the US ExIm Bank rules. This is the view of Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier. We had the opportunity for what amounted to a one-on-one, on-the-record discussion with Bregier during the Airbus… Read More
American easing away from continuous hubbing, returning to peak banking
American Airlines will ease away from the continuous hubbing that smooths operations at key airports, increases aircraft utilization and cuts costs as it returns to the peak-and-valley hub-and-spoke system adopted decades ago under former CEO Robert Crandall. Although… Read More
Next new, clean sheet airplane around 2030, says Airbus
Airbus currently is planning for the next new, clean sheet airplane around 2030 and now are focusing on incremental improvements to the existing product lines, officials said at the Innovations Days annual media briefing last week in Toulouse…. Read More
Airbus Innovation Days, Part 5: wide body twin development
Kiran Rao, executive vice president, strategy and marketing. Rao discussed the wide-body strategy for Airbus at Innovation Days on Wednesday. The following paraphrasing synopsizes his remarks. More than 3,500 wide bodies have been sold by Airbus, starting with… Read More
Airbus Innovation Days, Part 4: A330neo announcement at Farnborough not a sure bet; CEO questions market forecast
Bregier sees hundreds, not 1,100-1,200, market potential for A330neo–perhaps not enough to justify program. A330neo needs to match operating cost of 787-8, officials say. New engines will up maintenance costs. Airbus officials say they are still evaluating whether… Read More
Airbus Innovation Days, Part 3: the A320neo
Klaus Roewe, SVP of the A320neo Family: There are 2,700 A320neos in the backlog. Roewe provided a program update during the Airbus Innovation Days. Here is a paraphrased synopsis. The first flight remains on target for 3Q2014. Final… Read More
Airbus Innovation Days: A350 Media Test Flight Review
The 150 members of the media received an hour-long ride on A350-900 MSN002 (the “carbon fiber” liveried test plane in the Airbus fleet), a rare event. Entry into the airplane gave a clean, spacious impression, though the Boeing… Read More