Aircraft News.

Business jet makers say user fees would hurt market. A user fee system for air traffic control services would hurt the growing market for business jets, said Jack Pelton, chief executive of Textron's Cessna unit. The Air Transport Association supports user fees. An operator's use of air traffic control resources should determine the fee paid, ATA President and CEO James May said. Feb 24, 2006

Jetliners sit in storage in Arizona desert. More than 300 jetliners are parked in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Ariz., New York Times columnist Joe Sharkey writes. Some of the planes will be refurbished, some may be reclaimed by the airlines that own them, and others will be used for spare parts. Feb 21, 2006

IATA DG cautions on aircraft orders as Asian Aerospace gets underway. On the eve of Asian Aerospace 2006 here, IATA DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani sounded a cautionary note regarding the blizzard of new aircraft orders over the past year. "Air shows are all about ordering aircraft," Bisignani told delegates at the IATA/Asian Aerospace Aviation Summit in Singapore Monday. "But the industry cannot afford the negative impact of overcapacity," he said, adding, "We must learn from our past mistakes." Noting that that more than 2,000 aircraft were ordered in 2005 in spite of industry losses estimated by IATA at $6 billion, Bisignani asked: "Why so many orders in an industry that is losing billions?" and observed that "Excess capacity and reduced profits followed the previous peak delivery years in 1991 and 1999." Currently the backlog is more than 4,000 aircraft, or 29% Feb 21, 2006

The 13th edition of Asian Aerospace at the Changi Trade and Exhibition Center, which begins today, will be the biggest, with 900 exhibitors from 43 countries and 21 national pavilions, up from 759 exhibitors from 37 countries in 2004. But a falling-out between Reed Exhibitions and the Singapore government means that Reed, which owns the rights to the name Asian Aerospace, is taking its show to Hong Kong in September 2007 while Singapore intends to maintain the tradition of a biennial event with the launch of the Singapore Air Show in February 2008. Feb 21, 2006

Airbus

Airbus is looking to stretch the soon-to-be-launched A380 to offer 1,000 seats to airlines. Airbus' marketing chief John Leahy made the admission at the Asian Aerospace air show as he predicted orders for aircraft will be down this year when compared to the record 2005 for his company and Boeing. He predicts 800 orders coming in during 2006. http://www.airbus.com Feb 26, 2006

Airbus received an order for 30 jetliners from Indonesia's Adam Air. The order is worth $2.1 billion, based on list prices. Feb 24, 2006

Airbus lands orders worth up to $3.5B. Airbus announced orders for commercial jetliners worth up to $3.5 billion from India and Indonesia on Thursday at the Asian Aerospace show. Airbus also said it has formed a $1 billion agreement with South Korea for plane parts. Airbus has landed aircraft orders worth up to $6 billion since Monday; Boeing has finalized one order worth up to $1.4 billion. Feb 23, 2006

Airbus sees smaller market for jetliners this year. Airbus expects the market to demand 800 jetliners in 2006, down from a record of 2,057 in 2005. Airbus marketing chief John Leahy said he expects strong demand for planes in Asia. Airbus and Boeing are promoting their planes this week at the Asian Aerospace show. Boeing has said few airlines will want the Airbus superjumbo jet, but Airbus dismissed the prediction. Feb 22, 2006

Airbus in talks with Russia for new aircraft: Airbus is considering forming a partnership with Russia to build a new passenger aircraft. The venture could create $1 billion of revenue a year for Russian companies, Airbus officials said. Experts say aircraft manufacturers are trying to form agreements with Russia, China and other countries. Feb 22, 2006

Airbus says A380 wing will pass stress test: Airbus is confident its A380 superjumbo jet will pass stress tests necessary for certification. A380 wing stress test results not a problem, Airbus says. Development testing of the four A380s now flying has produced "perfect" results, said Charles Champion, Airbus COO and head of the A380 program, at a press conference here. However, stress testing of the wing, after progressing well through 6,723 cycles, hit a snag when in the final ultimate-failure test the wing cracked at just over 145% of limit load, slightly short of the 150% required for certification. Feb 21, 2006

This year's Asian Aerospace features the A380 making its third major international air show appearance including its world premiere at the Paris Air Show last June and Middle East debut at Dubai in November. The aircraft, which arrived here Saturday, recently completed cold soak tests in northern Canada and hot/high field tests in Medellin. It is painted in the livery of Singapore Airlines, which will take first delivery in the fourth quarter. Feb 21, 2006

Airbus confirmed that an A380 suffered wing damage during a stress test last week, according to press reports. The rupture between two engines occurred when the aircraft was going from 1.45 to 1.5 times its limit load. The company said it still expects to deliver the first A380 on schedule at the end of 2006. Feb 20, 2006

Airbus, Boeing

Jetmakers warn that orders will slow. European jetmaker Airbus and its rival Boeing have warned that orders for jetliners in 2006 will drop by more than half from 2005's record results. "We can't expect to have another record year like last year in terms of orders," Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said. "The long-term trend line is about 860 to 870 planes per year. ... You're probably looking somewhere in that range." Feb 24, 2006

Engine technology drives A320/737 replacement timetable. Airbus and Boeing are unlikely to kill either the 737NG or the A320 as long as the airplanes are selling as briskly as they are, but that isn't stopping engine manufacturers from mounting aggressive technology development programs. At the 2005 Paris Air Show, CFM International announced its LEAP56 program that excluded few technology possibilities. In Singapore, Pratt & Whitney is pushing ahead aggressively on geared turbofans, the same direction in which it has been heading for two decades. Feb 23, 2006

Airbus, GoAir

GoAir orders 10 A320s. At an air show largely lacking in new aircraft orders, GoAir, the Mumbai-based "People's Airline," said yesterday in Singapore that it placed a firm order for 10 A320 family aircraft with options for 10 more. Feb 23, 2006

Airbus, Indian Airlines

Indian Airlines finalizes purchase of 43 A320 family aircraft. A little more than a month after announcing a record annual profit of nearly $15 million. Indian Airlines put pen to paper on a deal for 43 A320 family aircraft that was approved by the Indian government last September. The agreement is worth $2.5 billion, based on list prices. Feb 20, 2006

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines may retire 26 older jets. Alaska Airlines' board will consider retiring 26 older MD-80 jetliners to lower costs. The airline is taking delivery of new planes. Retiring the MD-80s will cut fuel, crew and maintenance expenses. Feb 20, 2006

Boeing

Boeing taps contractor to deliver 787 parts. A nonunion contractor will manage the delivery of parts to the 787 assembly line, Boeing said. Members of the Machinists union have traditionally delivered the parts. Feb 24, 2006

Carriers add more seats to Boeing 787. Airlines are adding more seats to the 787 Dreamliner than Boeing expected. Typical seating in the jetliner could rise from 259 to 280, executives said. The plane is expected to enter service in 2008. It is competing for orders against the Airbus A350. Feb 22, 2006

Boeing said Etihad will implement its Airplane Health Management maintenance condition monitoring system on five new 777-300ERs being delivered in the first half of this year. Feb 22, 2006

Boeing mulling possible 787-10 range, payload options. Boeing is close to refining tradeoff studies on the proposed dash 10 version of the 787 to finalize range and payload options. Speaking at Asian Aerospace yesterday, Marty Bentrott, VP-787 sales, marketing and in-service support, said that the company is considering a variety of options to meet customer demands: Emirates is driving the demand for the version, which would be a 6-m. stretch from the 787-9 with a range of 14,300 km., 500 km. less than the dash 8. It is understood, however, that Emirates wants greater range and Rolls-Royce, which electrically started the first Trent 1000 late last week, is said to have agreed to certify the engine to above 80,000 lb. thrust to meet that demand. Feb 21, 2006

Excel Airways

Excel Airways, part of Avion Group's Charter & Leisure Division, agreed to lease two 737-900ERs and two 737-800s from GE Commercial Aviation Services, plus two 737-800s from ILFC and a pair from Royal Bank of Scotland. The dash 900ERs will be delivered in May 2008 and replace 757-200s. Excel already operates 10 dash 800s. The two dash 800s from GECAS will be delivered in the second quarter of 2007 and the aircraft from ILFC and RBS during the first half of 2007. All are leased for eight years. Excel said the aircraft will be operated on routes from its UK bases to southern Europe and the Middle East. Feb 24, 2006

Gulf Air

Gulf Air announced that approximately $900 million in funding for the "first phase of its fleet upgrade" is scheduled to be in place by May. The carrier's shareholders, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, agreed to a recapitalization at a board meeting in Oman earlier this month. "The renewed confidence the financial markets have in Gulf Air's commercial performance over the past few years has resulted in us moving forward at a good pace," President and CEO James Hogan said, adding that a formal announcement will occur in the next three months in conjunction with an MOU with "one of the airframe manufacturers." The airline intends to replace its nine 767s. Feb 20, 2006

Oman Air

Oman Air is looking to order Boeing 787s or Airbus A350/A330s as it prepares to modernize its fleet in the face of stiff competition in the region. The carrier, which is part-owned by Oman and Bahrain governments, is moving more flights to Muscat and is striving to compete more efficiently with Emirates and Gulf Air. http://www.oman-air.com Feb 26, 2006

Singapore Airlines Industry and financial market sources suggest that an announcement by Singapore Airlines probably will be made toward the end of March. SIA's order also is expected to include the 777-200LR to replace its five A340-500s, along with some 777-200Fs. Airbus is displaying its A380 in full SIA colors at the show, but Boeing has mounted a major campaign with its 747-8 to woo the airline for both passenger and freighter roles, claiming that the 747-8 passenger model has only 40 fewer seats than the A380 in some airline configurations. SIA played a major role in defining the A380, however, and takes first delivery in the fourth quarter. Feb 21, 2006

USA Jet

USA Jet acquired a DC-9-30 configured with 74 first-class seats. Feb 20, 2006