Company Watch - 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

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