Company Watch - Boeing

AirGuide Business, Sept 1, 2008

Qantas Airways is understood to be moving toward an order for the 365-seat 777-300ER as Boeing pulls out all stops to thwart a commitment to the rival A350-1000. The order, if submitted to and ratified by Qantas' board, would be for 15 aircraft with deliveries as early as 2011. The airline sad they are in discussions with the manufacturers about options for the replacement of 747-400s not covered by our A380 order. This does include the 777-300ER, but no decision has been made and no proposal has been put to our board. If Qantas selects the 777-300ER, the 15 aircraft could come as early as 2011 and maybe earlier from some protected positions and from lessors such as ILFC. Boeing is under intense pressure to compensate Qantas for the 787 delay. A 777-300ER deal may be part of that compensation package. Aug 28, 2008

Ryanair yesterday dismissed reports that the oxygen masks onboard one of its Boeing 737-800s malfunctioned late Monday night when the aircraft suffered a sudden inflight depressurization on its way from Bristol to Girona and diverted to Limoges. "Ryanair's engineers have inspected the aircraft overnight and have confirmed that the oxygen masks which deployed were working properly," the LCC said, adding it would not comment further while the investigation into the incident is ongoing. All 168 passengers aboard FR9336 disembarked safely at Limoges, the airline said, and 16 passengers were transferred at their request to a local hospital complaining of ear pain. The -800 is five years old and was last serviced on July 24. Aug 27, 2008

Ryanair Plane Loses Pressure, 16 Taken To Hospital. Sixteen people were taken to hospital when a Ryanair flight from Britain to Spain made an unscheduled landing at Limoges Airport in France after a loss of cabin pressure, the airline said on Tuesday. Flight FR9336, which left Bristol for Barcelona late on Monday with 168 passengers on board, "experienced an in-flight depressurisation incident which caused the oxygen masks on board to deploy," the airline said. The 16 people taken to hospital had been complaining of earache, it said. British explorer Pen Hadow, who was aboard the plane, told Sky Television the incident "was traumatic for many involved." Hadow, who in 2003 became the first person to reach the North Pole unaided from Canada, said the oxygen masks did not seem to work. Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary dismissed Hadow's complaints. "Passengers sometimes misunderstand... they expect a surge of oxygen when in actual fact there is a steady stream of oxygen," he said. The oxygen masks were working and the correct procedures were followed. As soon as the captain got the plane down to 8,000 ft he did make the appropriate announcement that they were going to divert to Limoges for safety reasons. Aug 26, 2008

Ryanair has identified the Boeing 737-800 involved in a depressurization incident late yesterday as a five-year old example, adding that the twin-jet was serviced a month ago. The Irish Air Accidents Investigation Unit has given the registration of the aircraft as EI-DAS. Flight's ACAS database says the aircraft is owned by the Irish budget airline and had accumulated over 17,300 hours in more than 11,600 cycles. The 737 had been operating Bristol-Girona as flight FR9336 when it suffered the depressurization and diverted to Limoges in France, touching down at 11:30. Sixteen of the 168 passengers on board were transferred to a local hospital with ear problems. Ryanair says the aircraft was last serviced on July 24, and stresses that the oxygen system on board the jet was operating correctly. It adds that the captain of the aircraft has over 13,400 hour flight experience reported Flight. Aug 26, 2008