Company Watch - Airbus.

Aug 6, 2007

Air Canada said it won a contract for an Airbus A330/A340 FFS from US FAA for delivery in the summer of 2008. Virgin Blue ordered a 737NG FFS. Air France ordered an A320 FFS and Japan Airlines ordered a suite of Boeing 787 maintenance training devices. CAE valued the contracts at C$51 million at list prices. Aug 2, 2007

Air India May Need 60 More Aircraft By 2011. State-run Air India may need another 60 new aircraft by 2011 to expand operations and meet growing demand, the firm's chairman said on Saturday. "Looking at the demand and the passenger growth, the number would be in the range of 60 planes. But this is a very rough estimate," Air India Chairman V. Thulasidas said at a ceremony to mark the induction of a new aircraft to its fleet. Air India has already received the first of its long-range Boeing planes, which will be used for a daily non-stop flight between Mumbai and New York. Jul 30, 2007

The Indian government merged state-run carriers Air India and Indian earlier this year to help them face tough competition from private airlines. The merged entity, to be called Air India, will begin operations by August and will have more than 100 planes in its fleet, which analysts say will be big enough to compete with larger rivals such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates. The state-run carrier has already ordered a total of 43 new planes from Airbus and 68 from Boeing to be delivered over the next few years, with 25 of these to be added this year. India's Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said his ministry would revisit the aircraft acquisition plan in two weeks' time and the process for identifying new aircraft would be started. India's state-run carriers have not bought new aircraft since the 1990s and have lost market share in recent years. Jul 30, 2007

Airbus A380 received EASA and US FAA approval to operate on runways with a width of 45 m. or more, which is the standard at most airports around the world, Airbus said. The aircraft already has visited 45 airports and the manufacturer claimed that more than 70 will be ready for the A380 by 2011. Aug 2, 2007

Sue Payton, head of U.S. Air Force acquisitions, delivered bad news for Airbus this weekend, when she said the Air Force will not split its initial $40 billion order of 80 refueling tankers in a contract to be issued later this year. Aug 5, 2007

Philippine Airlines announced financing agreements with Calyon Credit Agricole and KfW-IBEX Bank to fund the acquisition of two new Airbus A320s. It is revamping its narrowbody fleet with nine ordered and two leased A320s and four leased A319s and has options for five more A320s. It has taken delivery of seven aircraft so far and plans three more arrivals before year end. Aug 3, 2007

OEMServices was selected by Singapore Airlines to provide Airbus A380-800 component support services under a 14-year agreement. OEMServices, a joint venture company formed by A380 suppliers Diehl Aerospace, Liebherr-Aerospace, Thales and Zodiac (acting through IN-Services), will provide "complete support services for more than 600 part numbers." The agreement covers door-to-door repair and overhaul service including advance exchange for more than 300 components as well as coverage of SIA's overseas stations. Jul 31, 2007

Throttle Error Likely Key In Brazilian Crash. An engine throttle in the wrong position was probably a major cause of Brazil's worst air accident last month, a congressional committee reported on Wednesday, citing flight recorder data. Marco Maia, a senior member of the panel investigating the July 17 crash that killed 199 people as well as Brazil's long-running air traffic crisis said the throttle "was not in the correct position." But he added this did not necessarily mean human error, as some local media have suggested. The Airbus A320 operated by Brazilian carrier TAM Linhas Aereas barreled off the wet runway while landing at Congonhas Airport in Sao Paulo on July 17, crashed into a cargo terminal and burst into flames. All 187 people aboard and at least 12 more on the ground were killed. Aug 2, 2007

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