Aircraft News - Europe

Airguide Online, June 25, 2007

Jun 25, 2007

Supersonic Bizjets Vie For Attention In Paris Plans for two supersonic business jets are circulating at the Paris Air Show this week, a measure of how far the market has recovered from a slump after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Jun 21, 2007

Shifting alignment of magnetic north has obliged Manchester Airport to change both runway headings. Jun 18, 2007

Air France KLM, Boeing

Neither Air France nor KLM have placed orders for the Boeing 787, but insiders told this website that the Dutch carrier is interested as it looks toward replacing its MD-11s. The group also is analyzing the possibility of adding MRO capability for the 747-8. "Again, many of KLM E&M customers committed to the 747-8, so it's almost unavoidable not to extend our range with this aircraft type," he said. Regarding acquisitions, Somers said, "Yes, it is part of our growth strategy. We want to be a major player in the MRO scene, worldwide. Also, there is a customer demand for proximity and for low-cost solutions." An announcement regarding an acquisition is expected in the "near future," he revealed, and "indeed, you can assume it will not be in Europe." AFI and KLM E&M reported turnover of [euro]2.86 billion ($3.84 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, up 6.6% from the prior year. Work for third-party customers contributed 34% of the total. Jun 21, 2007

Air France, Lufthansa Technik

At Le Bourget in 2005, executives from Air France and leading maintenance, repair and overhaul specialist Lufthansa Technik signed an agreement that brought into being a company called Spairliners. With just two employees, it's probably the smallest enterprise of its kind in the industry - but it aims to pack a big punch when it comes to providing spares for the Airbus A380. Hamburg-based chief executive Jean-Luc Fattelay and chief financial officer Georg Fanta head a lean team of about a dozen people seconded from the two parent companies. Their mission, says Fattelay, is to provide Air France, Lufthansa and as many other A380 operators as they can sign up with the component support they need to keep their aircraft flying and earning. Jun 20, 2007

Airbus

Airbus Edging Ahead Of Boeing In 2007 Orders. After a frenzied four days of deals at the Paris Air Show, Airbus appears to have booked enough orders to move ahead of rival Boeing in the sales race this year. Airbus sold less than half as many planes as Boeing over the first five months of the year, but a characteristic surge on its home turf at Le Bourget may have put it ahead. It is not clear how many of the highly publicized deals announced at the show will turn into firm orders to be entered in the companies' online order books, an event closely monitored by investors and analysts, but Airbus has the upper hand. According to sales chief John Leahy, Airbus has taken 405 firm plane orders at the show so far, plus another 250 or so looser sale agreements often never firmed up. Added to the Airbus tally of 201 orders at the end of May, that would edge Airbus above the 600 mark for firm orders so far this year. Jun 22, 2007

Airbus

First flight target for A400M's TP400 engine slips to fourth quarter 2007. The target date for the first flight of the Europrop International (EPI) TP400-D6 turboprop has slipped into the fourth quarter of this year after the engine consortium was forced to redesign some mechanical components that encountered higher than expected loads during bench testing according to Flight Global. Jun 21, 2007

Airbus

Airbus Edging Ahead Of Boeing In 2007 Orders After a frenzied four days of deals at the Paris Air Show, Airbus appears to have booked enough orders to move ahead of rival Boeing in the sales race this year. Jun 21, 2007

Airbus

Airbus was close to finalizing an Indian order for A350 XWB aircraft at the Paris air show on Wednesday after securing 114 orders for a revamped design competing with the Boeing 787. Airbus is also working behind the scenes at the air show to win a reorder for more A380s from an existing Asian customer, an industry executive said. It was unclear whether a deal could be reached in time to be announced at Le Bourget. Jun 20, 2007

Airbus

Airbus predicted it would exceed 600 firm orders for 2007 after bagging 219 on the first day of the Paris air show. The figure would be down from 790 net orders in 2006 when Airbus surrendered leadership of the global order race to Boeing and saw its market share fall to 43 percent, following delays in building its A380 superjumbo and redesigning the mid-sized A350. It is the first 2007 orders forecast issued by Airbus -- it usually predicts only deliveries which are forecast at 440-450 this year, leaving Airbus on top of Boeing -- but reflects the firm's growing optimism as it recovers from a shaky start. Sales chief John Leahy told reporters he expected Boeing to sell around the same number of planes this year for a total market of about 1,200 aircraft, with honors evenly split. As of now, Airbus has 420 firm orders on its books including Monday's USD$45 billion bonanza, Leahy said, putting it close to Boeing's level before the show started -- 429 orders. Jun 20, 2007