European airline industry: the restructuring patient

By Bjorn Fehrm Introduction April 7, 2015: There is not a month going by without a strike at some of the European airlines, big or small. The strikes are the tip of an iceberg, which is called “restructuring”; “restructuring… Read More

EU files subsidy complaint over 777X WA State tax breaks; we raised issue at the time

The European Union has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over $8.7bn in tax breaks offered by Washington State to Boeing in exchange for locating the 777X assembly site and wing production plant in the state…. Read More

EU may challenge 777X tax breaks from Washington State

Reuters is reporting that the European Union may challenge the $8.7bn in tax breaks Washington legislators voted to grant Boeing in return for locating assembly of the 777X and its wing in the state. Readers know we worried… Read More

Audacity and hypocrisy: the Boeing 777X RFP

We received an email from a Reader, who works for Boeing, about the details that emerged last week of Boeing’s Request for Proposals for the site location for the 777X: I went to your site today to see… Read More

Qatar wants to be first 787-10 customer; praises EU for ‘face-saving’ freeze of ETS

Akbar Al-Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways, said he wants to be the first customer for the Boeing 787-10. He has some competition for this status. Boeing is talking with customers now for the new sub-type, which is… Read More

EU caves on ETS, for now–but says it didn’t really cave

The European Union caved in on implementing the carbon trading scheme known as ETS that would have taxed international airlines flying into Europe. The EU claimed it didn’t really cave to international pressure (Financial Times, free registration required)… Read More

Odds and Ends: 787 fuel savings at ANA; Airbus will benefit from Boeing

ANA 787s: Market Watch quotes an ANA official saying the Boeing 787-8 is saving 21% in fuel over eh previous airplanes. The article didn’t ID the previous planes, but they were the Boeing 767-300ER. Note, too, that the… Read More

WTO appeals panel upholds Boeing subsidy findings

Word is leaking out in advance of Monday’s public release of the appeal of a WTO finding that Boeing benefited from illegal subsidies that the appeals panel upheld the findings. Additional reports: Here and here. Boeing has previously… Read More