Company Watch - Airbus.

For more company news, data and analysis, please go to: http://www.airguideonline.com/professional.htm Jul 24, 2006

Airbus this week introduced a Maintenance Mobile Classroom, a fully equipped training facility that can be "taken anytime, anywhere in the world to deliver training at the customer's site." Jul 21, 2006

Airbus also announced orders for five A330-200s plus four A320 family aircraft from CIT Group. Delivery dates and engine selection were not given. Including the aircraft announced today, the New York-based operating lessor has ordered 117 Airbus products comprising 97 A320 family aircraft, 15 A330s and five A350s. Of these, 65 have been delivered to date. Jul 20, 2006

Airbus and Japan's R&D Institute of Metal and Composites for Future Industries agreed to conduct a cooperative study for development of Structural Health Monitoring technology. The SHM system checks damage to carbon fiber-reinforced composite structure and evaluates its robustness. Jul 20, 2006

Airbus Says A400M On Time. Airbus Military said on Wednesday its A400M airlifter was on schedule and that management at parent EADS was focussed on the project despite a crisis at commercial planemaker Airbus. Jul 19, 2006

Airbus A350 Plan 'Ambitious'. Boeing Chief Executive James McNerney shrugged off Airbus's plans to revamp its mid-sized A350 plane on Tuesday, calling it an "ambitious" attempt to counter the US planemaker's strong-selling 787 and 777 models. Jul 18, 2006

Airbus launches A350 'extra wide body'. As expected, Airbus yesterday revealed a completely revamped A350 design featuring a cabin that is 12 in. wider than the A330 cabin cross-section and an all-new carbon fiber wing capable of Mach 0.85 cruise. "Virtually everything has changed," COO-Customers John Leahy said here. The aircraft, named the A350 XWB (extra wide body), initially is being offered in three versions, one more than was presented last year. All will share a common range of 8,500 nm. (15,800 km.). The newest and largest is the dash 1000 capable of seating 350 in a typical three-class configuration with a nine-abreast economy cabin, placing it in the same class as the 777-300ER. MTOW is 290 tonnes and it will require engines in the 95,000-lb.-thrust range. Jul 17, 2006

Airbus President and CEO Christian Streiff also presented at the Farnborough Airshow the wholly reconfigured A350, now dubbed the A350 XWB (extra wide body), but said he intends "to wait three months before pushing the button on industrial launch" in order to insure Airbus is "fully implementing all lessons learned from previous programs including the A380, and to investigate the possibility of a faster industrial ramp-up." As a result, he expects the program to launch in October with a mid-2012 entry-into-service date. That is the same timeframe the company outlined last October when a much-revamped A350 received industrial launch. The A380 production holdups are not due to a single item but rather an escalating series of small changes that resulted in a "wave effect," according to COO and Head of A380 Program Charles Champion. In order to get the program back on track, Airbus is slowing down the production ramp-up, carrying out a "resource ramp-up where necessary" and maintaining strict management of further changes to the aircraft. It also is "carrying out an in-depth reassessment of industrial setup for electrics." Jul 17, 2006

New CEO acknowledges crisis, vows to restore confidence in Airbus. Appearing before the international aerospace community for the first time at the Farnborough Airshow, new Airbus President and CEO Christian Streiff declared yesterday that the company is in the middle of a serious crisis but pledged "to do everything to turn this crisis into opportunity," including "change our bad habits" and "learn humility." Speaking to an overflow crowd of journalists, analysts and even some Boeing officials at the Farnborough Airshow, he said, "The number one priority for me is very clear: We need to regain the confidence of both our customers and shareholders." Streiff, who took the helm two weeks ago following the resignation of Gustav Humbert, said Airbus has "identified 100%" the "very specific bottlenecks" related entirely to the wiring harnesses in the A380 production line that led to Humbert's resignation as well as the downfall of EADS co-Chairman Noel Forgeard, and will establish "as soon as possible" a precise recovery schedule for the next three years. Jul 17, 2006

Air Caraibes of Guadeloupe signed a contract for the purchase of an A330-300 for use on services to Paris. Delivery is scheduled for November 2008. The carrier operates two A330-200s and one dash 300. The new aircraft will seat 372 and replace a leased dash 200. Jul 20, 2006

Airbus also announced that Air Caraibes purchased an additional A330-300 for delivery in November 2008. It will replace one of two A330-200s operated by the Caribbean airline. Jul 18, 2006

AirAsia signs up for 40 more A320s. AirAsia will have the lift to match its ambition after signing a contract with Airbus for 40 A320 family aircraft and 30 options, the manufacturer announced yesterday.The deal is worth approximately $2.7 billion, according to press reports. AirAsia Group, comprising the Malaysian mainline, Thai AirAsia and AirAsia Indonesia, is replacing its 737 fleet. It currently operates 21 737-300s and seven A320s, with another 53 already on order. Thai AirAsia has nine dash 300s. Jul 20, 2006

Blue Wings, based in Dusseldorf, essentially a charter operator and not particularly well known outside Germany, is to dramatically expand. Currently operating a pair of Airbus A320 it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for the acquisition of 20 A320 family aircraft. The carrier, in which Swiss investment holding Alpstream AG, based in Zurich, has a substantial shareholding, will increase its operations by starting new routes from Germany to destinations in Turkey and the CIS, primarily on behalf of tour operators. Alpstream AG is an affiliate of the Russian National Reserve Corporation. http://www.bluewings.com Jul 22, 2006

Airbus, Boeing display different styles at Farnborough. The Farnborough International Airshow reveals how the world's two major airliner manufacturers view themselves and their futures. Airbus was founded just three decades ago and has billed itself as a feisty upstart. Boeing lost the lead in orders to Airbus from 2000 to 2005, but recaptured it this year.

Jul 21, 2006

CIT orders A320s, A330s from Airbus at the Farnborough Air Show. Jul 20, 2006

EADS may have unfair edge in tanker competition, Boeing says. Airbus parent EADS may have an unfair advantage when it competes with Boeing for a contract to supply Air Force refueling tankers, Boeing Chief Executive James McNerney says. McNerney notes EADS has the advantage of not being subject to the same U.S. export controls or business transparency rules because it is based in Europe. Jul 19, 2006

Finnair reaches deal with Airbus to maintain long-haul fleet plans. Finnair said it has negotiated a compensation package with Airbus to cover the delays in the introduction of the A350, a revamped version of which was unveiled yesterday at the Farnborough Airshow (see today's show report above).Terms of the compensation deal were not disclosed. Finnair originally planned to take the first of nine firm A350s in the spring of 2012. That has been pushed back to 2013. Jul 18, 2006

Finnair will increase the number of A340s in the fleet (it has three firm orders plus four options) until the A350 is available and extend its leases on seven MD-11s. "The basis of our arrangement with Airbus is that the foundations and profitability of our business is not threatened by the change," he said. Jul 18, 2006

GoAir goes for A320. Mumbai-based GoAir signed a purchase agreement for 10 A320 family aircraft with an option for a further 10 here yesterday. The aircraft will be powered by CFM International engines. GoAir launched services with two leased A320s in November 2005, with a further five leased A320s scheduled to enter the fleet during 2006. Jul 17, 2006

Grupo Marsans commits to up to 22 A330s. Spain's Grupo Marsans signed an MOU with Airbus here to purchase 12 A330-200s plus 10 options for delivery in 2008 and 2009. They will replace 747-200s operated by Grupo Marsans subsidiaries and also provide growth. Engine selection has not yet been made. Jul 19, 2006

Jet Airways began operating its first A330-200 between Delhi and London Heathrow. The aircraft seats 226 and is powered by Trent 772Bs. Jet also operates A340-300Es on the daily service. It shifted a dash 300E to its LHR-Mumbai route on which it began offering a second daily frequency effective July 10. Jul 17, 2006

Kingfisher orders three Thales full flight simulators. Kingfisher Airlines awarded Thales UK a $24 million contract for two A320 and one ATR full flight simulators. The contract also includes an A320 maintenance/flight training device and a turnkey maintenance support package. The equipment will be provided from Thales' Formation family of products that covers civil aviation crew training from desktop to FFS. Jul 20, 2006

Kingfisher Airlines chose Pratt & Whitney PW4000s to power its A330 fleet. The deal includes 10 installed engines, one spare and an option for an additional 10. Pratt also was awarded a long-term exclusive fleet management program to overhaul and repair Kingfisher's PW4000s. Pratt valued the total transaction at $300 million, plus an additional $200 million if all options are exercised. Jul 19, 2006

Kingfisher CEO Backs A350 Revamp, No New Orders. India's Kingfisher Airlines said on Tuesday it would stand by orders for Airbus's redesigned A350 mid-sized jet, provided the price does not rise, but said it had no plans to buy any more of the planes or any other aircraft. Jul 18, 2006

LAN Airlines placed a $48 million order for CFM56-5C/P kits to upgrade 18 installed and spare engines powering its fleet of A340-300s. It is scheduled to begin taking delivery this month. Jul 18, 2006

Messier Services will provide landing gear exchange, overhaul and support services to Emirates covering the airline's fleet of 37 A330-200s and A340-300s. Messier said the seven-year contract "will be one of the largest of its kind in the landing gear MRO industry." Jul 20, 2006

Pratt won't offer engine for A350 XWB. Pratt & Whitney President Steve Finger said at the Farnborough Airshow that the P&W-General Electric Engine Alliance is the most suitable vehicle to supply an engine for the redesigned and renamed A350 XWB, nixing the possibility that Pratt, which is not on the 787, will develop a new engine for the Dreamliner's rival. "We believe the [Engine Alliance] GP7000 has a lot of attributes that would work on the A350," Finger said during a media briefing at Farnborough. Jul 18, 2006

Singapore Air Orders New Airbus A350s, More A380s. Airbus announced a deal with Singapore Airlines potentially worth USD$7.5 billion as the Asian carrier became the first to commit to the new A350 XWB model and underscored its faith in the A380 superjumbo by pledging to buy more. Airbus unveiled plans for the A350 XWB (extra wide body) on Monday, capping two years of design changes to a plane now due in 2012. Singapore said it had signed a letter of intent (LOI) to buy 20 Airbus A350 XWB-900s and nine additional Airbus A380-800 superjumbos. The airline said in a statement that it would also take options for another 20 A350s, which seat 314 passengers. It also holds options to take six more A380s, which seat 555 on twin decks. The A350s are due to be delivered between 2012 and 2014. Jul 21, 2006

Singapore Airlines said it planned to make arrangements with Airbus to lease 19 A330-300 aircraft from early 2009 until late 2010 to meet its capacity needs while it awaits new planes from Airbus and Boeing. Jul 21, 2006

The Singapore Airlines orders mark a key win for Airbus after Singapore announced plans last month to buy 20 of the rival 787-9 model from Boeing and to take purchase rights on a further 20. Singapore also flies the world's biggest fleet of 777s, another Boeing model which the A350 is designed to compete against. "This is a re-endorsement of our A380 program from one of our first and most prestigious customers. Singapore was no doubt disappointed on delivery delays but they are clearly committed to the A380 program," Airbus sales chief John Leahy said at the Farnborough International Airshow. Jul 21, 2006

Thales will supply two A320 full flight simulators and one ATR full flight simulator to Kingfisher Airlines in a deal valued at more than $24 million. Contract also includes an A320 maintenance/flight training device and a turnkey maintenance support package. Jul 20, 2006

Thales delivers TopFlight SDU lab unit in record time. Thales delivered to Airbus the first lab unit of its TopFlight Satcom Satellite Data Unit just 11 months after being awarded the contract. TopFlight is part of the technology behind the Airbus/SITA OnAir joint venture that will enable passengers to use their mobile phones or other PEDs to make voice calls to terrestrial telephone and mobile networks and connect to the Internet without interfering with aircraft operating systems. Pricing levels will be similar to international roaming with billing direct to the user's account. The system later will be expanded to include a cockpit air traffic management capability. Jul 19, 2006

UPS selected Engine Alliance GP7200s to power its fleet of 10 firm A380 freighters. It has options on 10 additional A380Fs. Value of the engine order was not disclosed. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2009. Jul 18, 2006

Virgin Atlantic Airways said it had some concerns about Airbus's A340-600 model and may join Emirates in seeking changes to a proposed new fuel-efficient model of the long-range aircraft. Jul 17, 2006

Virgin Atlantic May Change Fleet Orders. Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways said on Sunday it was in talks with planemaker Airbus about changing the mix and number of its plane orders to fill a possible gap caused by delays in deliveries of the A380 superjumbo. Virgin and other airlines are in talks with Airbus about possible compensation after the planemaker announced last month that complications in wiring the mammoth A380 would slow deliveries over the next three years. Jul 17, 2006

Wizz Air of Poland has signed a firm contract with Airbus for 20 additional A320s. This follows an order for 12 A320s a year ago from the rapidly expanding central and eastern Europe budget airline. With its main UK base at Luton it serves 11 airports in Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia. Limited services are operated from Doncaster, Liverpool and Prestwick, as well as Cork in Ireland. In all 40 destinations on 70 routes are being served this summer. Wizz Air has carried 4m passengers since its start of operations in 2004. http://www.wizzair.com Jul 20, 2006

Goodrich signed a 10-year agreement with EgyptAir to provide total aftermarket support covering nacelles and thrust reversers for A320 family aircraft. Goodrich said the 17-aircraft contract is expected to generate up to $40 million in revenue over the next 10 years. It will provide a fixed-cost, flight-hour-based support program offering 7/24/365 original equipment parts and repair support. The agreement includes extended product warranties and on-site service. Jul 17, 2006

Indian IT and product engineering company HCL is making its debut at Farnborough this year with the aim of exploiting the significant opportunities it believes exist in the aerospace sector. HCL was born out of India's need to develop its own computer platforms and operating systems dating back to when it was a closed economy and unable to import this type of technology. It undertakes contract work with both Boeing and Airbus, primarily through Tier 1 suppliers, and is the preferred software partner on the 787 flight program. Jul 20, 2006

Honeywell said it received certification for its flight management system LCD Multi-Purpose Control Display Unit for the A320 and A340 families. The unit "provides superior reliability, reduced weight and power consumption and provides faster response and improved readability for crew interface" compared to CRT MCDUs, Jul 20, 2006

Honeywell signed a 10-year component flight-hour service agreement with JetBlue Airways under which it will supply maintenance services on the suite of Honeywell avionics and mechanical components for the carrier's entire A320 fleet. Jul 20, 2006

ILFC keeping A380 orders, seeks compensation. ILFC is "holding firm" on its A380 commitment for 10 aircraft "for the moment" and is "looking at compensation [from Airbus]," Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy told media here yesterday, backing away from earlier statements that the lessor might cancel its orders over delays to the program. Jul 19, 2006

ILFC ordered six additional A320 family aircraft, taking its orders for the narrowbody family to more than 430 and its total orders for all Airbus types to more than 600. Jul 19, 2006

ILFC 's Udvar-Hazy called on Airbus to become "more European" to fast-track the correction of its problems. "When things are going right they are European but when they are going wrong they are French, German or British. They need to become more European," he said. Jul 19, 2006

ILFC 's Udvar-Hazy commenting on the redesigned A350, he said Airbus has "pretty much done what we had asked but we haven't seen guarantees or pricing." He said some potential A350 customers are moving to 787s because their needs are more time-sensitive. He also questioned whether Airbus will succeed in taking on two Boeing models, the 787 and 777, with a single platform: "There are challenges for [just] one engine and one wing and there are still [engine] issues for the A350-1000 as airlines want two engine choices." Jul 19, 2006

IndiGo, the Indian startup carrier, is the launch customer for the program, having chosen it in conjunction with its October 2005 selection of the V2500 to power its 100 A320s on order. IndiGo is expected to receive its first aircraft this month while the first V2500 engine to feature the upgrades will deliver in the second half of 2008, at which point retrofit kits for in-service engines also will be offered, King confirmed. Jul 17, 2006

Innovative Solutions & Support is looking to do a similar LCD retrofit for the A300/A310 family. One of the impediments to a cost-effective upgrade of these aircraft is structural hindrances in the cockpit area, but the company has overcome these with thin LCD units that eliminate the need to carry out significant structural modifications to get the units to fit. Jul 19, 2006

International Aero Engines said Vietnam Airlines selected IAE V2500s to power 10 A321s in a deal valued at more than $170 million. Jul 19, 2006

Snecma is a half-partner with GE in the CFM56 engine family, but Snecma Services and GE Engine Services compete for MRO business with each other and dozens of independent and airline-owned shops. The A320 and 737NG families represent a better opportunity because as Fournereaux said at Farnborough, competition to provide MRO for the CFM56-3 is "horrible," with 40 CFM56 MROs around the world, the majority of them dedicated to the 737 Classic engine. Jul 20, 2006

Snecma Services said Italy's Air One awarded it an exclusive long-term contract covering all MRO services, as well as spare engines, for the CFM56-5Bs powering the carrier's recently ordered fleet of 30 A320s. The contract, worth more than $500 million, will cover the engines for a minimum of 16 years, including a minimum of two restoration shop visits per engine. Jul 19, 2006