Rolls-Royce displaces Engine Alliance for Emirates A380 order

Rolls-Royce, in a major upset, won the Emirates Airlines order to power 50 Airbus A380s ordered in November 2013. The win displaces Engine Alliance, which to now has been the sole-source provider for EK’s A380s. Two sources confirmed… Read More

This is a pivotal year for the A380 as Airbus considers neo, PIPs

Introduction March 15, 2015: This is a pivotal year for the future of the Airbus A380. Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline, increased the pressure for development of an A380neo when he said he’d buy up to… Read More

Notes #1 from ISTAT 2015

Snippets heard in the hallways of the 2015 ISTAT annual meeting in Phoenix: The Rolls-Royce Advance engine intended for the Airbus A380neo appears to be heavy, causing Airbus to return to Engine Alliance to discuss how the GP7200… Read More

Pontifications: A350 launch aid, Emirates and the A380, Bombardier and U-Turn Al

March 5, 2015: A350 Launch Aid: Boeing and the US Trade Representative got in a big twist around 2006 when Airbus said it would accept more than $1bn in launch aid from Germany for the A350. At that… 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

Rolls-Royce plans for new single-aisle, twin-aisle airplane engines

Rolls-Royce may not be at a cross road but it’s certainly at a fork in the road. RR sought to be a dual-source supplier for the Boeing 777X, competing with GE Aviation for the privilege; it was generally… Read More

Odds and Ends: Airbus optimistic on A380 sales; second A350 joins test fleet; CSeries factory progress

A380 Sales: Orders for the Airbus A380 have been dismal, but Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus parent EADS, sees a turn-around in sales. With the forthcoming Boeing 777-9X, which at 400 seats is considerably smaller than the 525-seat… Read More

Dubai Air Show review

The Dubai Air Show is over, with record orders being announced. 2 x B777F for Qatar 20 x A320neo for ACG 45 x A320neo/30 x A320  for Spirit (MoU) 50 x A320neo for Qatar with PW1100G-JM (+30 options) 5… Read More