Company Watch - Boeing

AirGuide Business, March 17, 2008

Mar 17, 2008

Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in March 2007, found that none of the country's 20 major airlines met all safety standards (Category 1). Adam was placed in Category 3 owing to the January 2007 Boeing 737-400 crash that killed 102 and a hard landing the following month that broke the back of a 737-300 at Surabaya. The carrier later was lifted to Category 2. An Adam spokesperson told Antara that the airline was doing its best to improve its safety standards. "We are completing all manuals and revamping the standard operating procedure," he said. Mar 12, 2008

Indonesia's dismal safety record is in the headlines again, and Adam Air faces a potential grounding after one of its 737-400s skidded off the runway at Batam Island's Hang Nadim Airport Monday, injuring five of the 176 passengers and crew onboard. The right wing, hydraulic system and main landing gear were damaged. The incident, Adam's third in 18 months, prompted Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal to warn that he may ground the airline. It currently is Category 2, meaning it meets minimum requirements but has deficiencies. A downgrade would mean it has three months to rectify problems or be grounded. Mar 12, 2008

In March 2007 the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation found that none of the country's 20 major airlines met all safety standards (Category 1). Adam Air was placed in Category 3 owing to the January 2007 Boeing 737-400 crash that killed 102 and a hard landing the following month that broke the back of a 737-300 at Surabaya. The carrier later was lifted to Category 2. An Adam spokesperson told Antara that the airline was doing its best to improve its safety standards. "We are completing all manuals and revamping the standard operating procedure," he said. Mar 11, 2008

Indonesia's dismal safety record is in the headlines again, and Adam Air faces a potential grounding after one of its 737-400s skidded off the runway at Batam Island's Hang Nadim Airport Monday, injuring five of the 176 passengers and crew onboard. The right wing, hydraulic system and main landing gear were damaged. The incident, Adam's third in 18 months, prompted Indonesian Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal to warn that he may ground the airline. "We are giving them a chance to improve. If there's no change, we will place them in the third category," he told the state Antara news agency. It currently is Category 2, meaning it meets minimum requirements but has deficiencies. A downgrade would mean it has three months to rectify problems or be grounded. Mar 11, 2008

AirBaltic will undergo the largest fleet expansion in its history owing to parent SAS Group's contract with Bombardier announced Monday. The carrier will take delivery of at least eight DHC-8-Q400 NextGen aircraft starting next year and will hold options for four more. New aircraft will replace Fokker F50s. AirBaltic also plans to add two Boeing 757-200s and three 737-300s this year. Mar 12, 2008

All Nippon Airways, the first customer for Boeing's 787 jet, has demanded that the plane maker provide a delivery schedule for the twice-delayed aircraft by the end of this month, on which it will base compensation claims. All Nippon, with 50 of Boeing's 787 planes on order, is expanding its fleet by 15% and needs the aircraft to fly new international routes in 2010, Osamu Shinobe, the head of the airline's 787 program, said. ANA is expanding flights to India and China as it loses domestic passengers to a discount rival. The Tokyo-based airline will be forced to use older, less fuel-efficient aircraft that it had planned to retire because Boeing has fallen about eight months behind schedule. Mar 13, 2008

American Airlines wants to buy aircraft to replace today's current narrow-body jetliners. In the meantime, it continues to fly its aging McDonnell Douglas MD-80s, which burn up to 30% more fuel than the Boeing 737. If the airline replaces its older planes now, it may miss the next generation of fuel-efficient aircraft, observers say. Mar 10, 2008

Astronics Selected as In-Seat Power Supplier for Thales In-Flight Entertainment System for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Astronics Corporation announced Mar. 11 that it has signed an agreement with Thales, a leading international electronics and systems group, to develop and supply the in-seat power system (ISPS) to be used in conjunction with Thales' TopSerie In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system which will be offered on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner Aircraft. The TopSeries IFE platform is a web-based system designed to support on-demand in-seat audio and video entertainment options, broadband communications with internet-ready capability and in-seat power for passengers' personal electronic devices, such as laptop computers. Thales IFE system has proved to be popular among worldwide commercial airlines ordering Boeing's 787, and the agreement with Thales establishes Astronics as the exclusive provider of the ISPS with the installation of IFE systems. Mar 13, 2008