Aircraft News - North America.

For more aircraft news, data, fleets and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/professional.htm Jul 3, 2006

Airbus, EADS 

EADS board of directors today has accepted the resignation of Noel Forgeard as joint chief executive officer and that of Gustav Humbert as Airbus CEO. Appointed to replace Forgeard is Louis Gallois. He joins the remaining CEO German Tom Enders in leading EADS and the EADS executive committee with immediate effect. Gallois (63), currently president of the French railway company SNCF, has broad experience in industrial and especially aerospace businesses. He has been a board member of EADS since 2000. From 1989 to 1992, Gallois was chairman and CEO of the French engine manufacturer SNECMA, now Safran. Subsequently, from 1992 to 1996, Gallois served in the same position as at Aerospatiale. Christian Streiff (51) has been nominated as Airbus CEO and appointed as member of the EADS executive committee with immediate effect. Streiff brings 26 years of all-round top management experience with Saint-Gobain, a diversified multinational company. The news was not unexpected. At the same time EADS announced that the investment bank Rothschild has determined a price of E2.75bn for the 20% BAE Systems stake in Airbus. This is thought to be around half the value put on the company by the British company and may cause a major rethink. http://www.eads.com Jun 30, 2006

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines yesterday introduced the first of five 737-400 converted freighters to its cargo fleet. The conversion was performed by Pemco World Air Services and is the first for the type, Alaska said. The aircraft replaces a 737-200F. Remaining aircraft, which will be converted into combis, will enter service by the end of 2007 as part of a $100 million expansion and modernization of its cargo operation. It will retire seven dash 200Fs. The dash 400 fleet will increase freight capacity by 20%. Jun 29, 2006

Boeing

Boeing announced it will record $915 million-$1.1 billion in charges in the second quarter related to delays in its Airborne Early Warning & Control surveillance program for Australia and Turkey and a previously announced settlement with the US Justice Dept. from criminal cases involving its hiring of a former Air Force weapons purchaser and its acquisition of proprietary information belonging to Lockheed Martin. Reuters reported that the charges likely will wipe out the company's second-quarter profit, which analysts forecast at $967 million before interest and taxes. Jun 30, 2006

Boeing

Boeing has sold 132 747-400s and 747-8s since the beginning of 2000--the timeframe in which the A380 has been offered in the marketplace--including last week's Cathay Pacific order for six 747-400ERFs. While the A380 had its industrial launch in 2001, Airbus was gathering MOUs and LOIs through 2000 from Emirates, ILFC and Air France before Singapore Airlines and Qantas committed to the aircraft in late 2000. The order rate for the 747 has picked up in the past 17 months, with 63 orders booked for 10 customers against 20 for the A380. Airbus customers include UPS (10), Kingfisher Airlines (5) and China Southern Airlines (5). While most of the 747 orders have been for the freighter models, a surprising 30 have been passenger versions, including three VIP transports. Boeing has logged 1,439 orders for the 747 family not including the 747-400BCF program. Jun 26, 2006

Boeing

Boeing sold another 25 737s to an unidentified customer. So far this year, 18 customers have ordered 338 737s with the buyers of 89 unidentified. Jun 26, 2006

Caribbean Star, Caribbean Sun Airlines

Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun Airlines signed an agreement with ExelTech Aerospace to provide heavy maintenance service for both carriers' fleets of Dash 8s at ExelTech's facility in Quebec City. Jun 27, 2006

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines signed a $15 million, five-year agreement for Delta TechOps to provide maintenance work on Icelandair's 767-300 components and provide inventory exchange services. Jun 26, 2006

Embraer, ExpressJet

ExpressJet took delivery of its 275th ERJ under a contract signed 10 years ago with Embraer. The Regional operates a fleet of ERJ-135s/-145s under a codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines. In January, CO notified its partner that it would take 69 aircraft out of service after the two sides failed to reach a financial deal on their continued deployment. ExpressJet CEO Jim Ream plans to retain the aircraft, which are leased from CO, in hopes of finding another suitable partner. Jun 30, 2006

Embraer, JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways said that after some initial hiccups, the carrier's Embraer 190s are performing well and delivering better-than-expected fuel burn, adding that Airbus needs to step up its winglet development program to deliver similar efficiencies to the A320 fleet. Jun 29, 2006

Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines said it will accelerate the retirement of its 12 remaining DC-10s, all GE CF6-50-powered dash 30s, over the next seven months. It is the last Major US passenger airline to operate the type. The DC-10s will be replaced with newly arriving A330s on transatlantic services and three parked 747-400s that are being returned to service on transpacific routes, NWA said. Currently, DC-10s operate on seven routes. After Oct. 31, the only remaining DC-10 service will be the carrier's daily Minneapolis/St. Paul-Honolulu trip. The final flight will take place Jan. 7-8 from Honolulu to MSP. Jun 29, 2006

Northwest Airlines

Northwest placed its first DC-10 into service in 1972 out of an order for 22 signed four years earlier. NWA and Japan Airlines were the only customers to opt for the P&W JT9D-powered version of the jet, the DC-10-40. Beginning in 1989, NWA started adding DC-10-30s it acquired in the aftermarket. The fleet peaked at 21 DC-10-40s and 24 DC-10-30s in 2001 but shrank quickly following 9/11, and the airline retired its last dash 40 in late 2002. The remaining DC-10s include five of the last six off the production line before McDonnell Douglas switched to the MD-11. Ironically, the DC-10 proved to be a more durable type in North America. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, the two US customers for the MD-11, both have disposed of their fleets. Jun 29, 2006