Company Watch - 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

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

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

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