Company Watch - Airbus

AirGuide Business, Feb 25, 2008

Feb 25, 2008

The Adria Airways Aircraft Maintenance Division performed service inspections on 94 third-party aircraft comprising 66 Bombardier CRJs and 28 Airbus models in 2007. Earnings rose 28% from 2006 and were 17% higher than forecast, the carrier said. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus chief salesman John Leahy said the company was hoping to sell at least 10 A380 superjumbo to Air India and an additional 15 of the world's largest passenger jet to Singapore Airlines. Chinese buyers were also noticeably quiet in Singapore amid uncertainty about how consolidation between heavyweights including China Eastern and Air China will shake out. Asian airlines already have a swag of new planes arriving and the spike in capacity is likely to reduce profitability this year. Feb 22, 2008

Airbus chief Tom Enders said the company expects new orders to halve to 700 this year, including 30 A380s and over 100 A350s, after a record order intake in 2007. Leahy said 15 of the 30 A380s that Airbus is targeting to sell this year will be to Asian airlines, and that Airbus is targeting to sell at least 10 A380s to Air India. Airbus and Boeing are competing for a slice of the Asian aviation market, projected to become the world's largest in two years. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus expects to sell 30 A380s this year, a figure that includes the three ordered earlier in the week by Korean Air, Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy said in Singapore Wednesday Feb. 20. The company also expects 150 A350 XWB orders in 2008. In total, Leahy said Airbus should sell about 700 aircraft this year, down nearly 50% from 1,341 sold in 2007. CEO Tom Enders joked that Leahy had predicted lower sales in the past only to be proven wrong. "I slightly tend to underestimate the size of the market," Leahy conceded. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus is negotiating an order for 10 A380 jetliners with Air India, Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said. Speaking at the Singapore Airshow, Leahy said the company expects to book 30 firm orders for the plane this year. Airbus executives said they expect Asia to become the biggest market for large planes over the next few years. Both Airbus and Boeing have booked significant orders at the air show this week. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus plans to outsource more than 50% of A350 production and is taking note of the global supply chain difficulties that have caused delays in rival Boeing's 787 program. The manufacturer has blamed the declining value of the dollar compared to the euro for much of its recent financial woe and it views global outsourcing of A350 production as critical to keeping costs down. Key to Airbus's future manufacturing efficiency is implementing its Power8 restructuring program, Airbus is still negotiating with labor unions on the workforce reduction target of 10,000 jobs mandated by Power8. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders said the manufacturer continues to reformulate its aircraft manufacturing strategy based on economic realities and lessons learned from delays on recent major aircraft programs. Lack of integration among units within the company contributed to the A380 delays and insisted that A350 production teams will be better coordinated. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus said U.S. FAA and EASA have approved reduced training for pilots transitioning from the A320 family, A330 or A340 to the A380. The manufacturer said an A320 family pilot now can be qualified to fly the A380 in 13 working days and an A330/A340 pilot in 12 working days. A pilot with no Airbus fly-by-wire experience requires 24 working days to complete the A380 standard type rating course. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus will ramp up production from 41 aircraft per month currently to 54 in 2010, comprising 40 A320s, 10 A330s/A340s and 3-4 A380s. It expects to have 14 A380s flying by the end of 2008, with Emirates and Qantas getting their first aircraft by summer at which point Singapore Airlines will have six. Feb 21, 2008

Airbus expects orders to drop but says backlog is strong. European jetmaker Airbus expects roughly 700 orders for new jetliners this year, down from 1,341 in 2007. The company made the remarks at the Singapore Airshow. Airbus officials expect to book 30 orders for the A380 superjumbo jet in 2008, and they also note that the company has a backlog of 3,600 jetliners. Feb 20, 2008

Airbus officials attending the Singapore Air Show said the company's A400M military transport plane will probably make its first flight in July. Earlier this year, the company announced a six-month delay. Nine countries have ordered a total of 192 planes. Feb 20, 2008

Airbus Sees Order Slowdown After Peak. Airbus said on Wednesday it expects the market for aircraft to cool and new orders to halve to 700 this year after years of strong demand from airlines took its order book to a record 3,600 planes. Toulouse-based Airbus, owned by European aerospace group EADS, received orders for 1,341 aircraft in 2007, but fell behind US rival Boeing, which had 1,413. Feb 20, 2008

European jetmaker Airbus expects roughly 700 orders for new jetliners this year, down from 1,341 in 2007. The company made the remarks at the Singapore Airshow. Airbus officials expect to book 30 orders for the A380 superjumbo jet in 2008, and they also note that the company has a backlog of 3,600 jetliners. Feb 20, 2008