Company Watch - Boeing.

Jan 8, 2007

Indonesia Steps Up Search For Missing Plane. Indonesia stepped up efforts on Sunday to locate a missing airliner six days after it vanished from radar screens with 102 aboard as anger grew among the passengers' relatives. Snow, High Winds Snarl Transport In Japan. Strong winds grounded scores of flights in and out of central Japan on Sunday, as the weather agency issued severe weather warnings. Jan 7, 2007

Indonesia DG-Air Transport Ichsan Tatang yesterday backed away from previous reports that the pilots of the missing Adam Air 737-400 sent out two distress calls before the aircraft disappeared Jan. 1. As search efforts intensified, Tatang told reporters that signals from the plane's emergency beacon, which is supposed trigger automatically in the event of a crash, had been picked up on Jan. 1 but that there were no indications of trouble until the 737 disappeared from ATC radar shortly after 2 p.m. Jakarta time. "The [pilots] did not report any complaints about the navigation, the condition of the plane or other technical problems," Tatang said. Flight 574 departed from Java island's Surabaya-Juanda Airport and was headed to Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado but disappeared in a heavy rainstorm about 1 hr. after takeoff. More than 100 aboard are feared dead. Jan 5, 2007

Search intensifies for missing Adam Air 737. Indonesia continued to search for the missing Adam Air 737-400 that was carrying 96 passengers and six crew when it disappeared Jan. 1 in a heavy rainstorm but has been unable to find any wreckage. A sonar-equipped naval mine detector reportedly will be deployed today to search for metal underwater, while the Singapore Air Force will dispatch an F50 to aid in the search. Indonesia military head Djoko Suyanto said yesterday that the plane was flying at 35,000 ft. when it disappeared from radar just after 2 p.m. Jakarta time. The pilots made two distress calls before ATC lost track of the aircraft. Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono convened a "crisis" meeting in Jakarta last night with key players leading the search effort, which included an embarrassing erroneous report from government officials that the aircraft was found with 12 survivors. The government retracted the report, blaming remote villagers for supplying false information. Jan 4, 2007

The missing Adam Air 737, registered PK-KKW and powered by two CFM56-3C1s, had its first flight on Jan. 11, 1989, according to Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network. Indonesia DG-Air Transport Ichsan Tatang said it had flown 45,371 hr. and cleared a maintenance inspection as recently as Dec. 25, the Associated Press reported. According to the Ascend CASE database, Adam Air operated six 737-200s, four -300s, eight -400s and one -500. Two of the aircraft were in storage. Jan 3, 2007

Official Says Indonesian Airliner Still Missing. An Indonesian air force official said on Tuesday reports that an Adam Air plane with 102 people on board had been found on Sulawesi island were wrong, and that the plane was still missing. Officials had earlier said that wreckage of the Adam Air plane had been found after it had crashed into the mountains in heavy rain. There were reports 12 people had survived the crash. The Adam Air plane lost contact with the ground on Monday about an hour before it was due to land in Manado in North Sulawesi, the transport ministry said. There were 96 passengers and six crew on board the plane. A copy of the plane's manifest showed three passengers as non-Indonesians. The United States embassy in Jakarta confirmed they were Americans. Suyanto earlier told Radio Elshinta an air force plane had spotted the wreckage of the Boeing 737-400. Jan 2, 2007

Asiana Airlines reportedly will add both Airbus and Boeing aircraft to its fleet, but press reports yesterday differed on whether the acquisitions involve purchased and/or leased planes. The Associated Press said the Korean carrier agreed to purchase two 777-300ERs, two A321-200s, one A320-200 and one A330-300 and that it is "considering ordering two additional planes from the [A320] family this year," according to an Asiana spokesperson. Reuters said the acquisition will comprise three purchases (two 777-300ERs and one A330-300) and five leased A320s/A321s, including the two "additional" planes. Both reports said the aircraft will be delivered this year. Jan 5, 2007

Boeing Commercial Aviation Services and Goodrich Aerostructures Service Center Europe reached an agreement to perform thrust reverser component MRO on 737NGs and 777s. The Goodrich site is in Prestwick. Jan 5, 2007

Boeing delivered 398 commercial planes for the year, a 37% boost over 2005 and its highest total since 2001, led by 302 737 deliveries. "2006 was another outstanding year for our customers and for Boeing," Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson said in a statement. Jan 5, 2007

Boeing enjoys record 2006. Boeing booked 1,044 net commercial aircraft orders in 2006, paced by a record 729 net orders for 737s, surpassing its 2005 record of 1,002 total orders. Boeing appears assured of topping rival Airbus in aircraft orders for the first time since 2000. The European manufacturer is set to announce its order totals on Jan. 17 but officials already have conceded a second-place finish. Jan 5, 2007

Boeing said it took 157 orders last year for 787s, 76 for 777s, 10 for 767s and 72 for 747s, the highest total for the 747 program since 1990. Its backlog was up 35.7% from a year earlier to 2,455 aircraft. Jan 5, 2007

China Airlines is expected to order 10 747-8 Intercontinentals later this month, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily. CI denied the report but analysts suggest the airline will place the order, which will finalize a commitment made in mid-2006 but put on hold for political reasons. The aircraft will replace both 747-400s and A340-300s, insiders say. Jan 3, 2007

Aviation Partners Boeing said Hainan Airlines has committed to install winglets on up to 55 737-800s (25 firm and 30 option) from this summer. Jan 3, 2007

Jet Airways purchases eight Boeing 777s and expects to take delivery between July 2011 and December 2012. No engine choice was indicated. Boeing confirmed the order and said the aircraft are valued at more than $1.5 billion at list prices. Jet Airways said it has the option to substitute "other models" under the purchase agreement. It already has 10 777-300ERs and 12 Airbus A330-200s on order and will begin taking delivery of those in April. It currently operates 46 737s. Jan 3, 2007

Jet Airways Orders 10 Boeing 787s. India's biggest domestic airline, Jet Airways, said on Tuesday it had purchased 10 Boeing 787-8 aircraft to support its international operations. The wide-bodied 787s are scheduled for delivery between July 2011 and December 2012, Jet said. Jet had executed the order for the aircraft "in late 2006," a senior company official said, in a deal valued at between USD$1.48 billion - USD$1.58 billion at current list price. Boeing has said it expects India would need 856 new jet aircraft worth more than USD$72 billion over the next 20 years because of a booming economy and greater travel. Jan 2, 2007

Korean Air last week finalized its $5.6 billion order for 10 777-300ERs, five 747-8Fs, five 777Fs and five 737NGs, along with options for eight additional aircraft (four -300ERs, two -8Fs and two 737-900ERs). The purchase agreement was signed in November. Deliveries will begin in 2009. Jan 3, 2007 Editor: Aram Gesar, eMail: [e-mail]

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Jan 1, 2007