Company Watch - Airbus.

Sep 24, 2007

AirAsia X, a Malaysian budget long haul carrier that counts British billionaire Richard Branson as a shareholder, is considering buying up to 25 Airbus A350 planes, the airline said on Sept. 18. AirAsia X, which will make its debut soon, has already ordered 25 A330-300 planes for flights from Malaysia to Australia and China. The need to plan ahead for new plane purchases is important given the long waiting time. Boeing's 787 planes could take as long as five years to deliver and the A350s could take up to seven years. Airasia X, which aims to fly 10 million passengers a year within five years, expects to list its shares on the Malaysian stock exchange by 2010. Sep 18, 2007

Airbus COO Sees Strong Euro Hurting Recovery. Airbus's chief operating officer said the rise in the euro to above USD$1.4 meant the European plane maker might have to find another billion euros in savings under a restructuring plan drawn up with the euro at USD$1.35. Sep 21, 2007

Airbus has decided on a raft of revisions to the configuration of its A350 XWB family, including the adoption of a new nose shape and changes to the structural make-up of the fuselage. The design now incorporates a configuration derived from the A380 with a forward-mounted nosegear bay and new cockpit-window glazing. The unusual four-window arrangement that was a feature of the original XWB design has gone, with a more conventional six-panel flightdeck windscreen Sep 21, 2007

Airbus's Bregier chief operating officer joins a chorus of French industrialists, such as the chief executive of PSA Peugeot Citroen, who are concerned the euro's rise to record highs is hurting exports and could lead to job cuts in European manufacturing. Critics say France is late in making structural adjustments to become more competitive. Bregier added that Airbus, which currently buys 50 percent of its supplies in the dollar zone, would have to increase that proportion for new programs such as the A350 aircraft. And if the euro remained high this would "not allow us to invest in new projects," Bregier said. When the euro was at USD$1.35, this was already a 35 percent rise since levels of USD$0.88 in the year 2000. Sep 21, 2007

Airbus's chief operating officer said the growing strength of the euro against the dollar could force the company to seek another billion euros in savings under a restructuring plan drawn up when the euro was trading at $1.35. It is now worth $1.45. "If the euro remained durably at $1.45, that would mean we had to find 1 billion euros in additional savings under Power 8," Fabrice Bregier told BFM radio on Sept. 21. Power 8 is a restructuring plan put in place to streamline the manufacturer's operations in order to make it more competitive with rival Boeing. Sep 21, 2007

Malaysian low-fare carrier AirAsia[sup.1]s planned long-haul associate airline has taken delivery of its first aircraft ahead of its launch in the coming weeks. The new airline, which will be 20%-owned by AirAsia and which will operate using the same name under a brand licensing arrangement, says in a statement that its first aircraft arrived today at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It says the used Airbus A330-300 is being leased for six years from AWAS. The new carrier, which also goes by the name AirAsia X, had hoped to start with more than one aircraft but it has had difficulty souring A330s from the lease market. Sep 18, 2007

Airbus has announced that its A350 will have a frame built from composite materials, rather than of metal as previously planned, just like the Boeing 787. The change will lighten the plane and reduce fuel consumption, increase the plane's range and reduce wear on landing gear. An Airbus spokesman said the change is "just part of the normal refinement" that occurs when an aircraft is being developed. "We thought the design we had was very good, but this one is even better," said John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers. Sep 17, 2007

ARINC announced that Finnair is deploying its seatback SMS/e-mail messaging service on its newest Airbus A340s used on Asian routes. The service is operational on two A340s, which were delivered in May and June, and ARINC will deploy it on additional A340s after delivery in 2008. The seatback messaging solution "is a joint initiative of ARINC and Panasonic which runs on Panasonic's 2000e, 3000, 3000i and eX2" IFE platforms, according to ARINC. Sep 18, 2007

Honeywell, Airbus partner on A350. Honeywell International Inc. said Sept. 19 it will provide the major mechanical systems for Airbus' new long-range, wide-body A350 aircraft. The contract is expected to generate more than $16 billion in revenue over 20 to 25 years. Honeywell said the contract is the largest systems and equipment package Airbus has awarded to date on this program. As part of the deal, Honeywell will design and build an auxiliary power unit and other equipment that supply pneumatic and electric power for the aircraft while on the ground or in-flight. The company will also build systems to manage all of the air used on the aircraft. Sep 20, 2007

Kuwait Talks To Boeing, Airbus On USD$4 Bln Order. Kuwait is in talks with Boeing and Airbus on buying about 36 aircraft for around USD$4 billion, a source close to the negotiations said on Tuesday. Sep 18, 2007

Kuwait is in talks with Boeing 787 and Airbus A320 on buying about 36 aircraft for around USD$4 billion, a source close to the negotiations said on Tuesday. Last month state-owned Kuwait Airways cancelled an order for 19 passenger planes worth about USD$3 billion from a local leasing company after parliament refused to approve funding. Kuwait's transport minister now heads a committee comprising Kuwait Airways officials mandated to negotiate with Airbus and Boeing. The committee "is due to present a report to parliament on what to buy, after two months", said the source, who declined to be identified. "There have been talks with the two companies." Kuwait Airways lost most of its fleet, 15 planes, during Iraq's 1990-1991 occupation of the Gulf Arab oil producer. Sep 18, 2007

German flag-carrier Lufthansa is to order another 41 aircraft including 30 Airbus A320-family jets for its own operations. Lufthansa is taking 20 A321s, four A320s and six A319s, some of which amount to a firming of options from an order for up to 65 Airbuses placed towards the end of last year. Sep 20, 2007

Lufthansa said it is ordering 41 new aircraft for itself and its Swiss International Air Lines unit from European plane maker Airbus. Lufthansa said 30 A320s will be used for inner-European traffic of its Lufthansa core brand, while nine A330-300 and two A320 planes will go to Swiss International and Swiss European. Lufthansa didn't give financial terms of the agreement. Sep 20, 2007

Airbus A380 launch customer Singapore Airlines has become the first airline to reveal detailed cabin configuration data for the ultra-large airliner. The seating. Sep 17, 2007

Swiss International will integrate two additional Airbus A320 aircraft into its fleet in the year ahead. A further two new aircraft of the same type will join the fleet in 2011 and 2012. Sep 20, 2007

A TAP Portugal Airbus A310 caused a stir at Portugal's Evora (LPEV) air show when it appeared turn at a dangerously low altitude during a fly past. In several video clips recorded by spectators, the A310 is seen to barely clear the ground with its wing tips as it banks following a low fly past. Sep 17, 2007

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