Boeing’s plan to bridge 777 production gap includes a 777-200 P2F strategy; we’re skeptical of the idea

Boeing plans to begin an effort to stimulate demand of the 777 Classic to bridge a three year production gap to the 777X entry-into-service in 2020. One of its strategies is to persuade current 777-200 operators to sell… Read More

Boeing’s Partnering for Success strains supplier relationship

Boeing officials reaffirmed the company’s drive for Partnership for Success, or PFS, during two appearances at conferences this month, adding that its supply chain was mostly on board, though some companies are now on a “no-fly list.” .CEO… Read More

Odds and Ends: 777X wing to Everett; Boeing discounts; A330, A380neos; A350 debugging; 787 bonuses; CSeries costs up $1bn

777X wing to Everett: Dominic Gates of The Seattle Times reports that Everett (WA) at Paine Field has been selected for the production site of the 777X wing. The plant will be adjacent the huge  Boeing factory at… Read More

Odds and Ends: A350 state loan; Bridging 777 Classic sales; Embraer nabs E2 order; IAM chief speaks out

A350 Loan: The Wall Street Journal reports that Airbus and Germany ended talks about a state loan for the A350 program. Good. Airbus doesn’t need the loan and “divorcing” from state aid frees Airbus to make decisions for… Read More

Development of the GE9X for the Boeing 777X

Jason Brewer, general manager of GE Commercial Engines Marketing, appeared at last week’s Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance 2014 conference on the Big Engines panel. Brewer discussed the development of the GE9X for the Boeing 777X, outlining the new… Read More

Updating the A380: the prospect of a neo version and what’s involved

Recent headlines and this column report that Airbus is considering re-engining the popular A330 with GE Aviation GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-TEN power plants. A New Engine Option and other changes would improve the A330’s economy by an… Read More

Filling the production gap at three OEMs

HawksWinHawksWinHawksWin!!! Airbus, Boeing and Embraer face production gaps of several years in three key product lines. Two of these, Boeing and Embraer, relate to transitions from current generation airplanes to new derivatives. Airbus faces a large gap for… Read More

Odds and Ends: CSeries EIS rescheduled, new deal announced; Airbus seeks unprecedented ETOPS rule

New CSeries EIS: Bombardier today announced a new delay in the entry-into-service of its CSeries, confirming what we reported Monday. BBD now says EIs will be in the “second half” of 2015, compared with the September 2014 planned… Read More

IAM 751’s president Tom Wroblewski steps down

Tom Wroblewski, president of IAM 751–the Boeing touch labor union in Puget Sound (WA)–announced last night he is retiring on January 31. The Seattle Times has the full story. In a nutshell, Wroblewski’s health blew up alongside the… Read More

Looking ahead to 2014

Here’s what to look for in 2014 in commercial aviation. Airbus A350 XWB: The high-profile A350 XWB program continues flight testing this year. Entry-into-service has been a sliding target. The program is running about 18 months behind original… Read More