Aircraft News - Europe

AirGuide Business, Jan 14, 2008

Jan 14, 2008

Aerospace shares decline on warning of slowdown in orders. Warnings that orders will slow in 2008 sent shares of aerospace companies tumbling on Monday. Boeing lost 3.5%, while shares of Airbus parent EADS fell 7.5%. Analysts noted the weak dollar is hurting EADS. Jan 8, 2008

Airbus

Airbus A380 Airbus A380In Singapore Ground Mishap. Passengers on the world's biggest plane, The Airbus A380, had to switch aircraft in Singapore after the superjumbo accidentally touched the grass on the side of the tarmac as it left the departure terminal. Singapore Airlines said no one was hurt in the incident involving the A380 bound for Sydney. "The aircraft -- an Airbus A380 -- came into contact with the grass verge off the airport tarmac," Singapore Airlines said in a statement. It said the plane was not using its own power at the time, but was being led by a tow truck. A fault with the truck's hydraulics had led to the incident, it said. Passengers were being put on a Boeing 747 to Sydney, the airline said. The A380 will be inspected for damage before returning to service, the company said. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus Challenging Boeing For 2007 Order Trophy. Airbus came neck-and-neck with rival Boeing in the biggest ever year for commercial plane orders in 2007, giving shares in parent EADS a lift on Thursday Jan. 10. EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois trumpeted an "exceptional 2007" for Airbus, but raised doubts over the anticipated arrival of big American airlines on the market in 2008 as concerns grow about the US economy and USD$100-a-barrel oil prices. He said 2007 would probably be seen as the peak of an extended industry cycle that has led to a three-year boom in demand, as airlines modernized their fleets to cope with rising numbers of passengers and calls for greater fuel efficiency. EADS shares were up 3 percent at 19.41 euros in a weak overall market, having fallen almost 14 percent this year. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus is heavily exposed to weakness in the US dollar and has said it may need to expand a restructuring plan drawn up on the basis of a euro at USD$1.35. The currency is now near USD$1.47. Chief Executive Gallois said the planemaker's Power8 restructuring plan, to produce annual savings of EUR2.1 billion euros by 2010, was producing results ahead of schedule but said it was early days. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus is in talks to sell six factories to national players in France, Germany and Britain, and is discussing whether to buy back parts from those factories in dollars instead of euros. Gallois reiterated that suppliers would have to move part of their sourcing to the dollar zone to remain competitive. But after an outcry in France over Airbus off-shoring proposals, he stressed this would not mean more European job cuts since production as a whole was still increasing. The weak dollar however presented an opportunity for EADS to make selected acquisitions in defence, services or security. "It's the right time to buy in the States," Gallois said. His strategy chief, Marwan Lahoud, told reporters EADS was looking for a mid-sized aerospace services firm worth around USD$1 billion outside Europe and particularly in the United States. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus parent EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois was coy about giving figures before a presentation by Tom Enders, the head of Airbus, next week. The two used to share power at EADS and take care not to upstage each other. But he said it did not really matter which of the two plane manufacturers ended up with the 2007 order trophy. Gallois said the 2007 tally did not take into account 150 planes sold to China in a preliminary deal in October, nor a major order signed in the first week of January. Airbus had 1,204 gross orders at the end of November 2007, not adjusted for cancellations or conversions. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus parent EADS shares fell 7 percent on Monday on concerns aviation demand had reached its peak, leaving Airbus even more exposed to a weak dollar. The planemaker is cutting 10,000 jobs and selling plants to restore its competitiveness. There was also a report of more production delays on the A400M military aircraft, which Gallois again denied on Thursday. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airline shares, already soaring on renewed merger speculation ahead of the report, continued to rally. In late afternoon trading, Delta shares rose 20 percent to USD$16.18, Northwest surged 37 percent to USD$16.49, and UAL climbed 23 percent to USD$32.00. A deal between Delta and either airline would likely create the world's largest carrier, overtaking American Airlines. An acquisition of either airline by Delta would be worth at least USD$3.5 billion, based on current market values. Jan 10, 2008

Airbus

Airbus and parent EADS said in December they had chosen France's Latecoere, German OHB Technology's MT Aerospace and the UK's GKN as preferred bidders for six other Airbus sites being sold to save costs, backing national bids in each country. German armament and aviation firm Diehl had said in July it was interested primarily in the Airbus parent EADS plant at Laupheim. French aerospace supplier Zodiac had confirmed interest in Laupheim in November. Kaefer Group has also said it was in talks with Airbus about taking over one plant. Jan 7, 2008