Company Watch - Boeing.

Mar 5, 2007

Indonesia's aviation safety agency to publish preliminary report into New Year's Day Adam Air crash despite failure to locate black boxes. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from an Adam Air Boeing 737-400 that crashed on January 1 2007 into the sea in Indonesia have yet to be recovered but despite this the country's aviation safety agency is pushing the airline to arrange for their retrieval and still plans to issue a report and put forward a probable cause for the crash. Mar 2, 2007

Indonesia is considering reducing the age limit on leased commercial passenger planes to 10 years to modernize its fleet and improve safety, the transport minister was quoted as saying. The Southeast Asian country has suffered a string of recent air and maritime accidents, which have been partly blamed on its often shoddy and out of date infrastructure. However, Hatta emphasized that the issue was still being discussed and would need to be ratified by ministerial decree. Hatta said that currently the age limit was 35 years or 70,000 landings, Antara reported. The administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has come under pressure to improve the country's poor transport safety record after a plane accident and two ferry disasters in the space of about two months. A 17-year-old Boeing 737-300 operated by budget carrier Adam Air carrying 102 people disappeared on New Year's Day and is believed to have crashed into the sea off Sulawesi island. Mar 1, 2007

The government also grounded Adam Air's six remaining Boeing 737-300s last week for safety checks after one of its aircraft cracked during a hard landing. But the proposed age limit on planes could be difficult in to enforce in practice since many of the aircraft operating in Indonesia are well over 10 years old. Air travel in Indonesia, home to 220 million people, has grown substantially since the liberalization of the airline industry after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. Mar 1, 2007

Indonesian government announced a ban on commercial aircraft older than 10 years this week following several mishaps and accidents, the worst of which was the January crash of a 17-year-old Adam Air 737-400 that killed 102 . According to the Associated Press, Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa insisted the regulation would not require parliamentary approval but did not indicate when it would go into effect. The current age limit is 20 years. Adam Air announced earlier this month that it intended to lease six A320s and build up a fleet of 30 of the type "over the next five years," replacing the 737s it now operates. New aircraft will be both leased and purchased. Mar 1, 2007

AiRUnion[sup.1]s is aiming for a mix of RRJ95s, Boeing 737 Classics/NGs, 757s, 767s and Tu-204s. It currently operates 85 aircraft including 17 leased Boeing jets. Feb 26, 2007

Boeing is listing 10 unidentified orders - six 767s and four 787s - in its latest sales update, which adds 15 total orders for the week ending 27 February. The manufacturer will not discuss the derivatives of either the 767 or 787s, although a spokesman notes that official announcements are expected soon. Of the latest additions, five are from the previous announced order by Azerbaijan Airlines for three 787-8 aircraft and two 737-900ERs. The new sales bring the manufacturer's year-to-date order book to 64 units. A single order by UPS for 27 767 freighters dominate. Boeing's latest order book update also includes four 777s for Brazilian carrier TAM that were previously listed as unidentified. The manufacturer as of February 27 had sold three 737s, 36 767s, nine 777s and 16 787s in 2007. Mar 2, 2007

Boeing is remaining tight-lipped about possible plans for new freighter models of the 767-200/-300 based on its entry in the USAF KC-X tanker competition in order to counter the A330-200F, which has bolted out of the starting gate with 32 orders. While Boeing still is garnering orders for its 767-300F, it is looking for a foil to truly match the A330-200F's 69 ton payload over 3,200 nm. The current 767-300F can carry 55 tons on a similar distance. It appears that the manufacturer may make two offerings, a 767-200LRF and a -300LRF, with the former carrying less payload over much greater distances while building on the nonstop appeal of the 777-200F. It said its entry in the USAF competition will be "an advanced derivative of the future 767-200 Long Range Freighter and will be produced at Boeing's facilities in Everett, Wash." It is keeping mum on the developments for competitive reasons, but insiders have revealed some details to AirGuideOnline. According to sources, the flightdeck will be based on the 777 rather than the 767-400ER and the aircraft will feature heavier undercarriage and flaps and possibly the increased (by 14.3 ft.) wingspan and raked wingtips of the 767-400ER. Mar 2, 2007

Boeing also sold four 777s and 12 of its 787s, the new carbon and titanium mid-sized jet scheduled to enter service next year. It sold only two 737s, the single-aisle workhorse of many domestic and regional airlines. Mar 1, 2007

Boeing has orders for 64 aircraft so far this year, according to its web site, while Airbus -- owned by European aerospace company EADS -- took in orders for 90 planes in January alone. It has not reported figures for February. Most of Boeing's 51 new orders in February were widebodies. It sold 33 of the 767 models, most of them freighters for UPS, which is still undecided about whether to go ahead with its order for the freighter version of Airbus's A380 superjumbo. The value of its February orders was about USD$8 billion, up strongly from January's figure of about USD$2.2 billion. In February last year, Boeing took orders for 25 planes, worth about USD$2 billion. Boeing's order value for January was roughly the same as a year earlier, but it was dwarfed by orders in December, when the company sold USD$22 billion worth of commercial aircraft. Mar 1, 2007

Boeing Orders Rise In February. Boeing won orders for 51 commercial jets in February, worth about USD$8 billion at list prices, doubling its tally from the same month last year and making up for a relatively small number in January. Boeing, which won back the title of biggest-selling planemaker from Airbus last year, got a huge boost in the month from a large freighter order from United Parcel Service and more sales of its popular 787 Dreamliner. The Chicago-based company continues to dominate the lucrative market for widebody aircraft, but is trailing its European rival in terms of overall orders so far this year. Mar 1, 2007

Boeing CEO gets jetmaker back on track. In his first 20 months on the job, Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney has stressed the importance of ethics at the company and has overseen soaring sales. Boeing's share price has risen 43%. McNerney also has helped the company land important DOD and DHS contracts in recent months. Feb 26, 2007

Boeing confirmed an order from Azerbaijan Airlines for three 787-8s and two 737-900ERs valued at $609 million at list prices. AZAL is the first airline from the former Soviet Union to order either type, Boeing said. The carrier will fly the 787 to destinations in East and Southeast Asia and North America, entering the long-haul market "for the first time," according to AZAL DG Jahangir Askerov. The aircraft will be powered by the GEnx. No engine choice was announced for the 737s. Feb 26, 2007

Aviation Partners Boeing said Caribbean Airlines, formerly BWIA, ordered six blended winglet retrofits for 737-800s. AVP said that when installation is complete by October, the airline can expect to save 660,000 gal. of fuel annually. Feb 27, 2007

Boeing announced the conclusion of its deal with TAM for four 777-300ERs plus four purchase rights. The carrier already has taken delivery this month of two of three leased Boeing/McDonnell Douglas MD-11s that it will use on transatlantic operations until the General Electric GE90-115B-powered -300ERs arrive next year. Feb 27, 2007

First of two new Boeing 737-800s for Turkmenistan Airlines begins flight tests in Seattle. The first of two new Boeing 737-800s for Turkmenistan Airlines is undergoing flight-testing in Seattle. The aircraft is due for delivery shortly, and will join the airlines all-Boeing fleet which according to Flights ACAS database comprises six 717s, two 737-300s and four 757-200s. The airline also has one 717 and one 767-300ER currently parked. Feb 26, 2007

General Electric conducted the first test of the GEnx-1B on its 747 flying testbed last week in California. The aircraft flew for 3 hr. and climbed to more than 43,000 ft. in order to establish a performance baseline for future testing. "The engine performed extremely well. . .Today's flight puts us another step closer to certification later this year. . .for the Boeing 787," GEnx GM Tom Brisken said. The 747 testbed was modified last month to manage the electrical load from the engine's two starter-generators and to provide power required for both electrical ground and air starts. Approximately three flights per week are scheduled over the next three months. Certification is slated for September. Feb 27, 2007

Goodrich reached a deal to provide landing gear MRO on Korean Air's fleet of 747s and 737NGs. Feb 27, 2007

North American Airlines took delivery of a 767-300ER, bringing its fleet to 10 aircraft. It operates scheduled and charter service for the US military and commercial customers. Feb 26, 2007

Qantas Group selected the General Electric GEnx to power its fleet of up to 115 787s. CFO Peter Gregg called the choice "a difficult one following an exhaustive eight-month evaluation process." The initial order is for engines for 45 firm aircraft and was valued by Qantas at A$2 billion in "capital and maintenance costs over the life of the engines." It gives the GEnx a significant edge on 787 customers, with orders for 216 aircraft compared to 125 for the Trent 1000. Feb 28, 2007

WestJet finalized a term sheet with Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise for one 737-700 and one 737-800, both to be delivered in 2009. The Calgary-based LCC plans to operate a fleet of 85 737NGs by the end of 2009 and has said it will operate 92-95 of the type by 2011. Mar 1, 2007 03/05/2007

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Feb 26, 2007