Countdown to first flights for A350, CSeries

Lots of news stories as we countdown to first flight of the Airbus A350 and Bombardier CSeries. Airbus Eyes on A350: Wired A350 nears first flight: Wall Street Journal Taking on Boeing: AFP via Industry Week A350 flight… Read More

Leahy skeptical of Boeing plan to add 737 seats, vows to maintain 60% share of neo-MAX sector

 Airbus’ chief operating officer-customers, John Leahy, dismisses the idea that Boeing can add more seats to its 737 family to gain competitiveness over the A320 family.  In a press briefing in advance of the air show discussing the… Read More

Odds and Ends: Boeing jobs move; JetBlue’s trans-con plan; Airbus Innovation Days; BBD confidence

Boeing jobs move: We’re not a fan of Loren Thompson, but his commentary in Forbes yesterday is spot on. Boeing is moving jobs out of Washington State to bolster its Charleston (SC) cluster and simply to move to… Read More

Wide-body airplanes get plenty of attention at IATA; Leahy comments on 777X, A350 and A380

The 69th AGM of IATA just concluded at Cape Town, South Africa, and wide-body aircraft drew a lot of focus in these articles from Bloomberg News and Reuters. We spoke with John Leahy at the end of the… Read More

Odds and Ends: Airbus, Boeing trade barbs–again; Airbus raises order goals; first 787-10 commitment

More tit-for-tat: Airbus and Boeing are engaged again in their pointless trading of barbs. But it makes for entertaining reading. Here’s what Boeing had to say. The relevant excerpt is from the Bloomberg report: Airbus doesn’t “have an… Read More

Odds and Ends: 787 impact on Boeing; Pan Am Worldport follows the airline; KC-46A production

787 Impact on Boeing: Over at AirInsight, we write that the 787 grounding in the end has a small impact on Boeing. Find out why here. Following Pan Am into oblivion: The famed Worldport will be demolished next… Read More

Odds and Ends: IAM moves on Boeing SC; A330 sales; 787 delays and the cost to Boeing

IAM and Boeing: We knew it was only a matter of time: the IAM is gearing up for a new representation drive at Boeing’s Charleston (SC) plant. Needless to say, Boeing takes a dim view. A330 Sales: Centre… Read More

Odds and Ends: Who’s John Wayne? Air Show musings; Restoring the Dornier 17

As we go into this Memorial Day Weekend, we’re feeling a bit irreverent. So we’re going to meander a bit. Who’s John Wayne? We were in a hardware store checking out. We often say, Thank you, Ma’am to… Read More

Odds and Ends: Dominating Wide-Bodies; Trying to save the 747-8; Delta waits; China OKs 787

Dominating Wide-Bodies: Boeing claimed at its investors’ day yesterday it will dominate the wide-body sector. This, predictably, caused some mirth among our Reader Comments. We agree with Boeing–for the next several years. The 777-9X will have a monopoly… Read More

Boeing’s McNerney: Interest in 787-10, 777X high; “our airplanes are better than theirs”

Boeing held an investors’ conference today that began at zero dark thirty PDT, so we weren’t up to listen to the webcast. The PDF presentations are here. According to news reports, McNerney said interest in the forthcoming 787-10… Read More