Tag: CSeries (Page 2 of 4)

Airbus Sees Bombardier’s Belfast Plant as ‘Key Supplier’

May 2, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus on Thursday declined to say whether it was interested in buying Bombardier’s Belfast plant after the Canadian firm put it up for sale, but described the Northern Ireland facility as a “key supplier”.

An Airbus spokesman noted the plant makes wings for the A220, formerly known as the CSeries, which Airbus bought from Bombardier last year, and some engine casings for the Airbus A320 family.

Industry sources say the plant uses new technology for carbon fibre wings that could interest Airbus for a future A320 replacement and other long-term projects.

Bombardier’s sale of its Belfast wing and structure-making operation, the largest high-tech manufacturer in Northern Ireland, has stunned workers. They have called on the British government to retain jobs, with the plant employing 3,600 people.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Matthias Blamont)

Delta Air Lines Teams Prep the A220 for Launch

February 4, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

The next era of air travel is just around the corner.

Delta’s newest narrowbody jet, the state-of-the-art A200-100, is just days away from entering service, with inaugural flights set to depart this Thursday, Feb. 7, from New York’s LaGuardia airport.

While in many ways the A220 represents the future – from a state-of-the-art interior to superior fuel efficiency – it also represents years of hard work on behalf of Delta employees across the airline.

Behind-the-scenes, a team of Delta employees, in partnership with Airbus, have been working together for months to prepare North America’s first A220 for service. From honing in on the aircraft’s design to proving that flight crews can safely evacuate the aircraft in 15 seconds or less – the to-do list for readying a new aircraft is long, and often unexpected.

Today, Delta is launching the “Best in Class” A220 miniseries to dive into these efforts. In this three-part series, viewers will hear from Delta people across the business who’ve played a critical role in preparing the A220 to join Delta’s fleet, while keeping customers at the forefront in each decision along the way.

In the first episode, “Coming Together,” we begin with Delta employees gearing up to sell A220 tickets for the first time. Follow along as Delta’s very first A220 goes through the assembly line, paint shop, and ultimately touches down in Delta’s hometown of Atlanta.

Stay tuned for Best in Class Episode 2: “Inside and Out.”

Story from http://www.delta.com

Image from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus Seeks Hefty Cost Cuts for A220 Jet

January 14, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Europe’s Airbus is looking for a “significant double-digit” percentage reduction in costs for a recently acquired Canadian jet program, as it expands production capacity to cope with anticipated demand for the former Bombardier jet.

Philippe Balducchi, head of an Airbus-led venture which took over production of the loss-making A220 last year, indicated the bulk of the reduction in costs would come from the supply chain as Airbus uses its greater clout in negotiations for parts.

Other savings would come from more efficient operations as workers gain experience of building the lightweight 110-130-seat jet, whose deliveries doubled to 33 aircraft last year.

But overall economies will go “way beyond” what Airbus can achieve internally on the assembly line, Balducchi said.

“Our focus is to sell, ramp up (production) and reduce costs on the A220,” Rob Dewar, head of engineering and customer support, added during a media briefing on the jet, which was known as the CSeries until Airbus took control in July 2018.

The A220 consortium, which also includes Bombardier and the Quebec government, is spending some $30 million to expand its Mirabel production plant outside Montreal and will break ground this week on a new assembly line in Alabama for U.S. airlines.

Airbus meanwhile said the Canadian-developed A220 jet had won approval to fly up to three hours away from the nearest airport in the event of a shutdown of one of its two engines – a safety standard which underpins its use on longer-range routes.

The green light has been given by Canada, while approvals in the United States and Europe are pending, Airbus officials said.

The extended operations or ETOPS approval affects the number of routes the plane can fly over water or remote areas.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Richard Lough and Jan Harvey)

Image from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus achieves new commercial aircraft delivery record in 2018

January 10, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Deliveries total 800 aircraft, 11 percent higher than in 2017
Net orders total 747, backlog increases to 7,577 aircraft

Airbus SE (stock exchange symbol: AIR) delivered 800 commercial aircraft to 93 customers in 2018, meeting its full year delivery guidance and setting a new company record. Deliveries were 11 percent higher than the previous record of 718 units, set in 2017. For the 16th year in a row now, Airbus has increased the number of commercial aircraft deliveries on an annual basis.

In total, the 2018 commercial aircraft deliveries comprise:

20 A220s (since it became part of the Airbus family in July 2018);
626 A320 Family (vs 558 in 2017), of which 386 were A320neo Family (vs 181 NEOs in 2017);
49 A330s (vs 67 in 2017) including the first three A330neo in 2018;
93 A350 XWBs (vs 78 in 2017);
12 A380s (vs 15 in 2017).

In terms of sales, Airbus achieved 747 net orders during 2018 compared with 1,109 net orders in 2017. At the end of 2018, the backlog of Airbus commercial aircraft reached a new industry record and stood at 7,577 aircraft, including 480 A220s, compared with 7,265 at the end of 2017.

“Despite significant operational challenges, Airbus continued its production ramp-up and delivered a record number of aircraft in 2018. I salute our teams around the globe who worked until the end of the year to meet our commitments,” said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “I am equally pleased about the healthy order intake as it shows the underlying strength of the commercial aircraft market and the trust our customers are placing in us. My gratitude goes out to all of them for their ongoing support.” He added: “As we look to further increase our industrial efficiency, we will continue making the digitalisation of our business a key priority.”

Over the last 16 years, Airbus has steadily increased its production year-by-year with the final assembly lines in Hamburg, Toulouse, Tianjin and Mobile complemented by the addition of the A220 line in Mirabel, Canada, during 2018. A notable contribution to Airbus’ delivery increase in 2018 came from the final assembly lines in the US and China. For the top-selling A320 Family in particular, the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mobile, Alabama, saw its 100^th delivery, and is now producing in excess of four units per month. Meanwhile, Airbus’ “FAL Asia” in Tianjin, China, achieved its 400^th A320 delivery, while in Germany Airbus commenced operations of its new, fourth production line in Hamburg. Overall, the A320 programme is on track to achieve rate 60 per month for the A320 Family by mid-2019. The Airbus teams successfully reached an important industrial milestone for the A350, achieving the targeted rate of 10 aircraft per month.

Airbus will report Full Year 2018 financial results on 14 February 2019.

Footnote:
The Full-Year 2018 net orders and backlog represent the contractual view. The Full-Year 2018 backlog value will be measured under IFRS 15 and will reflect the recoverable amount of revenues under these contracts. A significant reduction in order backlog value is expected mainly due to the adjustment for net prices versus list prices. The FY 2017 backlog will not be restated.

Story and image from http://www.airbus.com

Airbus Loses 2018 Jet Order Race to Boeing

January 9, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

PARIS (Reuters) – Europe’s Airbus lost out to Boeing in 2018, breaking a five-year winning streak against its U.S. rival for the number of jet orders, slumping to its lowest share of the $150 billion jet market in six years, data showed on Wednesday.

Airbus posted 747 net 2018 orders, down 33 percent from the previous year, including 135 for the A220 jetliner which it took over from Canada’s Bombardier in July. Boeing beat Airbus for the first time since 2012 with 893 net orders.

Airbus delivered 800 jets, up 11 percent, including 20 of the small A220 model, leaving Boeing as the world’s largest planemaker by manufacturing volume for a seventh straight year.

Although Boeing missed its delivery target and Airbus had previously lowered its target due to strains on the industry’s global supply chain, strong demand for passenger jets expanded total deliveries by 8 percent, the fastest pace in six years.

Planemaking chief Guillaume Faury welcomed the deliveries, which set a company record, and a “healthy order intake,” with waiting lists for many new jets stretching for up to 7 years.

Insiders say the quest for new business has, however, been overshadowed in the past year by industrial problems, management changes and morale problems coinciding with a corruption probe.

A resurgent Boeing has been cashing in on greater availability and declining costs for its 787 Dreamliner, while struggling to contain its European rival in the lucrative segment for large narrowbody jets just above 200 seats.

The order figures underscore Airbus’s decision to take over the lightweight but loss-making Bombardier CSeries aircraft, generating 135 orders worth $12 billion at list prices.

Without that boost, Airbus took just 41 percent of the core market in which it competes with Boeing, the lowest since 2009.

Highlighting the pressure Airbus has been facing recently in the market for large, high-margin wide-body jets, the European company was outsold three to one by Boeing for a second year.

However it reached a targeted production rate of 10 aircraft a month for its wide-body A350, which competes with the 787 and larger 777, at the end of the year, company officials said.

Airbus also trimmed the order list for its slow-selling A380 superjumbo, officially cancelling an order for 10 from Hong Kong Airlines four years after Reuters first reported that the airline had axed the deal, triggering financial negotiations.

The world’s largest airliner is mostly dependent on Dubai’s Emirates as Airbus slows production to a trickle in the hope of a future upturn, though many airlines are for now backing smaller jets.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Elaine Hardcastle)

Image from http://www.boeing.com

Boeing Delivers Record 806 Aircraft in 2018

January 8, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N) delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018 as it overcame supplier woes, retaining the title of the world’s biggest planemaker for the seventh straight year.

The company’s shares rose as much as 3.9 percent to $340.90 and were the biggest percentage gainer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI).

European rival Airbus SE (AIR.PA), which will report its numbers on Wednesday and lags behind Boeing due to engine delays, said it achieved its 800-jet target pending final audit.

“Overall, Boeing is taking market share from its main competitor Airbus and is well positioned with strong commercial and military demand,” said CFRA Research analyst Jim Corridore, who upgraded the stock to “strong buy” from “buy”.

Investors and analysts closely watch the number of planes Boeing turns over to airlines and leasing firms for hints on the company’s cashflow and revenue.

The latest numbers indicate that fuselage and engine delays at suppliers in 2018 are largely behind Boeing as it gears up to meet surging demand for airplanes in 2019 amid booming air travel.

“In addition to the ongoing demand for the 737 MAX, we saw strong sales for every one of our twin-aisle airplanes,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing.

To mitigate supply chain snarls, Boeing helped expand production capacity at suppliers who have hired workers, including retirees this year.

In October, its biggest supplier Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc (SPR.N) said it was back on track to meet the surging demand for its aircraft parts.

CFM International, co-owned by France’s Safran (SAF.PA) and General Electric Co (GE.N), also affirmed in the same month its commitment to deliver 1,100 to 1,200 units despite being roughly four weeks behind schedule.

ORDER BOOM

Boeing also looked set to beat Airbus for aircraft orders on a like-for-like basis in 2018 after booking 893 net orders, excluding cancellations in the year.

Meanwhile, Airbus ended November with 380 net orders, to which it has since added confirmed deals for another 220 aircraft.

According to industry sources, it won another 150 from Asian-backed leasing companies that are yet to be announced, with Boeing also getting a lift from Chinese demand.

The Airbus tally, however, included 120 of the former Bombardier CSeries, a Canadian plane programme which it bought last year.

Orders for Boeing and Airbus are seen down compared to 2017 as airlines fret over trade tensions and the slowing global economic growth. But deliveries at both rose on the back of an earlier order boom.

“69 December 737 deliveries suggest (supplier) bottlenecks easing. Solid December book-to-bill closes year at 1.1x and helps mitigate cycle concerns,” Credit Suisse analyst Robert Spingarn said in a client note.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Arun Koyyur)

Image from http://www.boeing.com

Did JetBlue Get 72% Off Airbus A220 Order?

July 17, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

JetBlue Airways Corp. got a great deal on its latest aircraft purchase from Airbus SE, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The carrier probably paid $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion for 60 Airbus A220-300 jets, or between $23 million and $28 million per plane, Moody’s analyst Jonathan Root said in a report Friday, citing estimates by appraisers and price breaks that are typical for large orders. “As with most campaigns, we believe the decision comes down to the lowest all-in cost, because the narrow-body aircraft manufactured by Airbus and Boeing have similar capabilities and operating costs for the majority of operators,” he said.

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Did JetBlue Get 72% Off Airbus A220 Order?

JetBlue Places Order For 60 Airbus A220’s

July 10, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Airbus SE scored a key victory on Tuesday, with U.S. airline JetBlue announcing it would buy 60 of its A220-300 narrowbody jets, the first major order for the planemaker’s newly rebranded programme as its battle with rival Boeing Co intensifies.

Earlier on Tuesday, Airbus unveiled the new A220 name for the 110-seat to 130-seat model jets, previously called the CSeries under Canadian firm Bombardier, at a ceremony at the planemaker’s Toulouse facilities in France.

Airbus has taken majority control of the loss-making Montreal-based aircraft programme, with Bombardier and Quebec as minority partners. The deal closed on July 1.

“We feel the 220 is the perfect fit for our network, strategy and customer experience, and most importantly, for our owners,” JetBlue Chief Financial Officer Steve Priest said in a phone interview. “It really is the ideal aircraft to carry the momentum of our structured cost programme well into the next decade.”

The A220 will replace JetBlue’s existing fleet of 60 Embraer E190 aircraft, with those jets retiring beginning in 2020.

The A220’s triumph over Brazil’s Embraer SA sets the stage for a fierce competition between Airbus and Chicago-based Boeing Co in the narrowbody market. Both major planemakers have recently taken stakes in smaller rivals’ jet programs.

Boeing last week announced a tentative deal for a controlling stake in the commercial aircraft arm of Embraer under a new $4.75 billion (£3.57 billion) joint venture.

“It’s a very smart decision on JetBlue’s part because the A220 is an extremely flexible airplane,” Atmosphere Research Group fleet analyst Henry Harteveldt said, adding that it was a “completely new airplane” with a fuel efficiency that would allow JetBlue to carry “20 to 30 more passengers for free.”

The jets will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) PW1500G engines. Pratt & Whitney is owned by Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp.

JetBlue declined to outline the financial details of the deal.

The carrier said the new aircraft will be assembled at Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama, facility.

(Reporting by Alana Wise in New York and Tim Hepher in Toulouse, France; Additional reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)

Photo from:

https://www.airbus.com/

Airbus Renames CSeries Jet As A220

July 10, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

* Sees demand for at least 3,000 of the planes over 20 years

* Says move will be positive for jobs in Quebec

* Broadens its battle with Boeing to small passenger jets (Adds potential order, background)

TOULOUSE, France, July 10 (Reuters) – Airbus gave its newly acquired Canadian CSeries jet a new name and looked close to winning an inaugural order on Tuesday as it prepares to broaden its battle with Boeing for jet sales.

The European firm said it was rebranding the plane as the A220, slotting it just under its longstanding A300 portfolio which stretches from the 124-seat A319 to the 544-seat A380.

Airbus expects to sell a “double-digit” number of the jets that have 110-130 seats this year and sees demand for at least 3,000 of them over 20 years, said CSeries sales chief David Dufrenois.

“I don’t think it will be very long before we see the first results on the market,” said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Eric Schulz.

The CSeries has been locked in a fierce competition for a deal to supply jets to U.S. carrier JetBlue and is in poll position to win as Airbus also offers more attractive delivery positions on its larger planes, industry sources said.

Airbus and JetBlue declined comment.

The rebranding seals the takeover of one of Canada’s most visible industrial projects and ends Bombardier’s efforts to go it alone in the mainline jet market against larger rivals.

Airbus officials stressed it would be positive for jobs in Quebec where the lightweight jet is built.

The 110-seat and 130-seat models, previously known as CS100 and CS300, will be known as A220-100 and A220-300 respectively.

A deal for Airbus to take majority control of the loss-making Montreal-based aircraft programme with Bombardier and Quebec as minority partners closed on July 1.

The move also sets the stage for a broader confrontation with Boeing, which last week announced a tentative deal to take over the commercial unit of Bombardier’s competitor Embraer.

Until now the two plane giants have focused mainly on planes starting at 150 seats and largely ignored the niche below their single-aisle jets.

Adding the smaller models to their portfolios will broaden the revenue base of each company and prevent a key slice of Western know-how reaching potential competitor China, which had held talks to buy the CSeries, people involved in the deal said.

The change of identity came in a slick branding ceremony as the Canadian-developed passenger jet performed a flypast in searing heat over Airbus’s Toulouse facilities, with executives papering over past differences over prospects for the jet.

Airbus said it expected total demand for 7,000 planes in its category over 20 years, including its own A319.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Edmund Blair)

Boeing To Take Over $4.75 Billion Embraer Unit

July 6, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

SAO PAULO/PARIS (Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N) struck a deal for a controlling stake in the commercial aircraft arm of Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA) under a new $4.75 billion joint venture, the firms said on Thursday, reshaping a global passenger jet duopoly.

The new company, encompassing Embraer’s airliner business, thrusts Boeing into the lower end of the market, giving stiffer competition to the CSeries jets designed by Canada’s Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) and backed by European rival Airbus SE (AIR.PA).

The memorandum of understanding signed by Boeing and Embraer values the Brazilians’ commercial aircraft operations, the world’s third-largest, at $4.75 billion and Boeing’s planned 80-percent stake in the venture at $3.8 billion.

The Boeing-Embraer alliance, following on the heels of the Airbus-Bombardier tie-up announced last year, represents the biggest realignment in the global aerospace market in decades, strengthening established Western planemakers against newcomers from China, Russia and Japan, analysts say.

Chief Executive Paulo Cesar Silva told employees in a note reviewed by Reuters that consolidation in the aerospace supply chain had also forced Embraer’s hand.

“This has been happening with both our suppliers and our clients. They have started to organise in big blocs, making it harder for companies of Embraer’s size to negotiate,” he said.

Embraer shares fell 10 percent in New York and nearly 15 percent in Sao Paulo on disappointment at the financial terms of the long-awaited deal.

The price tag for Embraer’s commercial aviation unit was “significantly lower” than early reports, according to analysts at Vertical Research Partners, who underscored in a client note that a deal must still clear political and regulatory barriers before closing as proposed at the end of next year.

“We also see strong odds of Embraer shareholders demanding a higher price for the stake in the commercial segment,” wrote BTG Pactual analysts Renato Mimica and Samuel Alves in a note.

The partnership, which adds a 70- to 130-seat family to Boeing’s lineup, is expected to boost the U.S. firm’s earnings per share from 2020, generating annual pre-tax cost savings of about $150 million by the third year, the companies said.

Boeing shares were little changed on Thursday.

CASH AND DEBT

Embraer will transfer much of its debt to the new venture and receive cash from Boeing, Embraer executives told analysts.

About a fifth of the cash payment will go to taxes and the rest could be split between share buybacks, a special dividend, deleveraging and new product development, they said.

Silva told employees in his note that Embraer would improve its cash position by $1 billion once the deal closes, allowing more investment in new projects.

Embraer will hold the remaining 20 percent of the Boeing joint venture and keep control of its defence and business jet operations. Concern over U.S. influence in military programs had raised flags in the Brazilian government, which holds a strategic veto at Embraer dating back to its privatisation.

However, recent signals from Brazil’s President Michel Temer and military officials suggest the government is satisfied with the new structure of the tie-up, as long as Brazilian jobs are maintained and Embraer continues to develop new technology.

One government official said the deal as announced on Thursday was likely to get approval in Brasilia. Another official said government approval was not certain and would depend on the final details presented later this year. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In addition to the passenger jet deal, Boeing and Embraer will deepen a sales and services partnership on the new KC-390 military cargo jet through a separate defence venture that is likely to eventually receive a joint investment, Silva said.

A union of metalworkers in Sao Jose dos Campos, where Embraer is based, said in a statement it would “pressure” the federal government to use the golden share it owns in Embraer to veto the deal.

The Embraer-Boeing tie-up took shape more than two years after the idea was first presented internally to Boeing’s board and reflects a longstanding affinity between the two planemakers, a person familiar with the discussions said.

However, the pressure for an alliance accelerated when Airbus last year announced it would take control of the CSeries jet, which had been struggling in its battle with Embraer at the small end of the airliner market.

That deal put enormous marketing weight behind Embraer’s competitor, while for Boeing the transatlantic tie-up threatened to expand the revenue base of its European arch-rival.

“The Boeing-Embraer announcement confirms the strong market potential in the 100- to 150-seat category,” Airbus said through a spokesman. “Boeing and Embraer are following Airbus and Bombardier.”

(Reporting by Brad Haynes in Sao Paulo and Tim Hepher in Paris; Additional reporting by Arunima Banerjee in Bengaluru, Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Paula Laier, Flavia Bohone and Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo; and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Nick Zieminski and Lisa Shumaker)

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