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☆ French company Safran keeps 2023 outlook as Q1 sales rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - France's Safran (SAF.PA) kept its 2023 financial outlook unchanged as it reported sharp growth in quarterly revenues, buoyed by a swift recovery in air traffic demand. Safran, which provides engines for Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) narrow-body jets through its CFM International joint venture with General Electric (GE.N), said first-quarter revenues rose 24.7% on an organic basis to 5.266 billion euros ($5.78 billion). Core propulsion revenues rose by 34.9%, on an organic basis, to 2.714 billion euros, the company said on Wednesday. Safran reaffirmed its 2023 full-year financial outlook, namely for revenues of at least 23 billion euros, recurring operating income of around 3 billion euros and a free cash flow of at least 2.5 billion euros. The engine industry and other parts of the aerospace supply chain have, however, been hit by labour and parts shortages.

☆ Airbus tells shareholders Europe needs to 'get its act together' on autonomy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The chairman of Europe's largest aerospace group, Rene Obermann, told investors last year's invasion of Ukraine by Russia had been a wake-up call. "It has highlighted the essential role that defence plays in society and that European nations need to get their act together for higher levels of strategic autonomy. "We are committed to playing a role of enabler for more co-operation in defence, which we believe is one of the key prerequisites to make sure that Europe maintains its strategic autonomy, Obermann said. He also cited sovereign capabilities for which Europe does not want to depend on the United States. DEFENCE DIVIDENDFrench President Emmanuel Macron is pursing an agenda to beef up Europe's "strategic autonomy" separate from the U.S.-led NATO umbrella, with eastern allies trusting the United States more for their defence.

REUTERS/Jason Redmond/File PhotoPARIS/WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - Planemakers have signalled a shift in production strategy to make factories more resilient to recent supply disruptions by adding "surge capacity," even where that means extra cost. "We live in a supply constrained environment ... Our focus is on both capacity and quality. "To support the supply chain, we've increased on-site presence, we've ramped up internal fabrication for surge capacity and we've increased inventory of select parts for risk protection." DEFENDING AVERAGE OUTPUTPlanemakers only rarely speak of "surge capacity" in the aerospace production system, which is seen as more capital-intensive and less nimble than in consumer-facing industries. Although auto firms rely heavily on overtime to meet peak demand, analysts say there are examples of automakers installing surge capacity for a successful product.

☆ Exclusive: Airbus delays some 2024 deliveries, keeps output goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Airbus confirmed unspecified delays for 2024 in a statement to Reuters but said they did not reflect any worsening of supply chain problems since it revised production plans earlier this year. The delays particularly affect the larger and in-demand A321neo variant, which now represents over half of Airbus deliveries, the sources said. Airlines and leasing companies have protested in recent months over a trickle of short-term delay notices amid ongoing supply chain problems. Airbus is currently the world's largest planemaker as Boeing slowly recovers from the 737 MAX safety crisis and production delays on the 787. The delays for 2024 extend the impact of supply chain problems stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak into a fifth year.

☆ Airbus confirms Q1 deliveries drop, sells 4 A350 freighters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) confirmed a drop of as much as 11% in first-quarter deliveries and announced the sale of four A350 freighters to an undisclosed customer on Tuesday. The deliveries, which included a two-thirds drop in handovers of the A350 to five aircraft in the quarter, were in line with detailed numbers published by Reuters on Friday. Airbus meanwhile sold 20 airplanes in March to bring the gross total for the year to 156 airplanes or a net total of 142 units after cancellations. Orders included a previously announced order for 15 A350s by Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and four A350 freighters for which the buyer's name was withheld. Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Airbus deliveries fell to 127 jets in Q1, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 7 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) deliveries fell by 11% on an industrial basis to 127 jets in the first quarter, underscoring pressure on global supply chains, industry sources told Reuters. Deliveries were down 11% from 142 physical deliveries in the same period last year, or down 9% compared with an adjusted year-ago total of 140. Also in this year's first quarter, Airbus delivered 11 wide-body jets including 5 A350s, 10 small A220 jets and 106 of its best-selling A320neo-family aircraft, the sources said. Airbus declined to comment ahead of a release due on April 11, when rival Boeing (BA.N) is also scheduled to report deliveries. But hopes of achieving closer to 140 deliveries in the first quarter were hit by continuing industrial and supply chain problems, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The comments suggest a more muted stance on the prospect for significant orders of large Airbus jets compared with the planemaker's best-selling A320neo medium-haul model, for which it is doubling production capacity in China. It also welcomed an agreement giving delivery clearance for 150 A320neo and 10 A350 jets that Airbus had already sold to China. Airbus is marketing a freighter version of its A350 jet and is keen to sell more wide-body passenger jets to China. The statement also said European and Chinese regulators would accelerate certification involving the Airbus H175 helicopter, Dassault Aviation (AM.PA) 8X business jet and Harbin Y12F turboprop. The H175 was co-developed by Airbus Helicopters and Chinese aerospace conglomerate AVIC and is often used for ambulance or police service.

Strikes have rolled through France, Portugal, Britain and Germany in recent weeks and could cause air travel disruption in parts of Europe through the Easter holidays, officials at airlines, airports and air traffic authorities told Reuters. There's no doubt about it," said Steven Moore, who is in charge of air traffic management operations at Eurocontrol. Airlines say they have to pay compensation without themselves getting compensated for air traffic delays. Consumer groups say air traffic control strikes are not new and airlines should be quicker to react and pay compensation. He called last week on the European Commission to do more to stop such strikes hitting overflights, by introducing minimum service rules, though industry experts say strikes are a national issue.

[1/2] A logo of Airbus is seen at the entrance of its factory in Blagnac near Toulouse, France, July 2, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, April 3 (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) is negotiating a new round of plane orders with China, coinciding with a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the economic superpower later this week, government and industry sources said. The potential deal for dozens of jets comes amid worsening relations between Washington and Beijing, which have seen China's usually balanced airplane imports tilt towards Airbus in recent years. Airbus also has an industry presence in China including an assembly plant. Macron is due to conduct the state visit to China on April 5-7, with a delegation of company chiefs from France-based companies, expected to include Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury.

[1/2] An Air India Airbus A320neo passenger plane moves on the runway after landing at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, in Ahmedabad, India, October 22, 2021. In another sign of the formerly government-owned carrier's whirlwind transformation under its new owner Tata Group, Air India is testing ChatGPT, OpenAI's popular chatbot, to replace paper-based practices. Air India is not only reworking every aspect of operations - from systems to supply chains - but integrating four Tata-related airlines, with Air India due to merge with Vistara while low-cost Air India Express and AirAsia India also converge. Airline mergers in India have had little success with Air India still hobbled by the botched integration of Indian Airlines in 2007. Air India's planes are already a mix of Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) jets with multiple cabin configurations.

☆ Ryanair says price still key to new Boeing jet deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 29 (Reuters) - The boss of European budget carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) said on Wednesday attractive discounts remained the key to securing a new plane deal with Boeing <BA.N after the two sides resumed talks following an 18-month hiatus over jet prices. Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters that Ryanair was looking at two models: the roughly 200-seat 737 MAX 8200, which is already "performing well," and the larger 737 MAX 10, which is still in development and awaiting certification. Talks resumed after Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Stan Deal, head of its commercial division, approached Ryanair two months ago offering to get negotiations started again, O'Leary said. "They are back talking to us; I think it takes maybe six, nine months to get a deal done," O'Leary said. In September 2021, it said it had halted talks for an order of the 737 MAX 10 because of a pricing dispute.

☆ Airbus drops offer for stake in Atos unit, shares tumble
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, March 29 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) has decided not to make an offer for a minority stake in Atos' soon-to-be spun-off division Evidian, sending shares in the French IT firm down more than 15%. Its shares plunged on Wednesday after news that Airbus was dropping out of the Evidian deal to close 16.75% lower. "Atos takes note of Airbus' decision to no longer pursue the discussions it initiated in February 2023," it said in a separate statement. At that valuation, a 29.9% share stake in Evidian would have a price tag of 1.2 billion euros. Atos rejected last September an unsolicited offer from rival onepoint and UK private equity fund ICG at an indicative enterprise value of 4.2 billion euros ($4.1 billion).

☆ Air taxi firm Lilium says in funding talks, defends battery design
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, March 28 (Reuters) - German air taxi developer Lilium said on Tuesday it was in "active and constructive" discussions for new funding as it ramps up battery-cell production. But the challenge of securing certification and funding innovations such as batteries weigh heavily on the new sector. In November, Lilium raised $119 million from existing and new shareholders and partners such as Honeywell. Headed by former Airbus executive Klaus Roewe, Lilium is initially targeting contracts with large corporations and private individuals. Critics say the more radical design may be harder and take longer to certify than other eVTOL models.

Airbus and Boeing have both highlighted the scale and technology of existing investments in India, playing down the significance of final passenger jet assembly. Boeing said it buys $1 billion a year in parts and services from India, while Airbus said it buys $700 million. "There's a desire in every country to have as much manufacturing as possible ... and final assembly is a desire that you see all around the world," Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, told Reuters. "The volumes that you would require for final assembly on the commercial part of the business are just far, far greater," he said. "Even without the C295 FAL, the Airbus industrial footprint in India already generates more foreign exchange value and jobs for the country than any modern assembly activity would," said Remi Maillard, president of Airbus India & South Asia, by email.

☆ Boeing wins Japan Airlines order for 21 MAX jets -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON/TOKYO, March 22 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) has secured a deal worth at least $2.5 billion at list prices to sell 21 of its 737 MAX jets to Japan Airlines Co (JAL) (9201.T), industry sources said. The deal will be announced on Thursday, they added, after talks to renew the narrow-body fleet emerged earlier this month. The deal is slated to be the first order for the 737 MAX placed by JAL, which predominantly owns Boeing aircraft and has operated the 737-800 as its main narrowbody plane. It follows an order from All Nippon Airways for 20 MAX jets that was finalized in July after a two year delay following the 737 MAX safety crisis. With Airbus single-aisle A320s in use by ANA's Peach unit and JAL's Jetstar Japan, Boeing strove to ensure that the MAX secured a foothold in the mainline fleet of Japan's national carrier.

[1/2] An Air India Airbus A320 plane is seen at the Boryspil International Airport upon arrival, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak outside Kiev, Ukraine May 26, 2020. "India is now at that inflection point," Scindia said during an interview at his office in New Delhi. "We are going to see an explosion of air traffic in India in the years to come," he said, adding he wanted domestic carriers to look at international expansion with greater focus. Air India last month placed a record order for 470 jets and is making an aggressive push in the international market. Scindia said India was not looking at increasing air traffic quotas with Gulf states and instead wanted Indian carriers to offer non-stop long haul flights on larger planes.

[1/2] Air India passenger aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, February 14, 2023. Current limits on the amount of flying allowed between India and many markets date back to heavy losses at Air India around the beginning of the last decade, analysts said. "We are not getting enough share from this market," Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Bilal Eksi told the CAPA India conference. "I think it's about time that our carriers looked at the international market with greater focus. Other analysts noted India is not alone in making use of a post-war system of air traffic agreements to aid development.

☆ India to boost aviation infrastructure as demand booms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) - India outlined plans on Monday to invest billions of dollars in airports, aircraft and recruitment as the world's fastest-growing economy seeks to meet booming air travel demand. Growth will include new airports, more regulators and air traffic controllers, and new flying schools, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told an industry audience. "We need to put in place the civil aviation infrastructure and capabilities that by 2047 would be able to support a $20 trillion economy within India," Scindia told the CAPA India Aviation Summit in New Delhi. Where at one point we did not have passengers to fill our airplanes ... now we do not have enough airplanes to fly our passengers," Scindia said. Consultancy CAPA India expects at least 1,300 more orders from Indian airlines in the next 1-2 years, weeks after Air India announced a record order for 470 jets.

On Tuesday, Boeing announced orders for 78 Dreamliners, split between state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) and new national airline Riyadh Air. The $37 billion sale, which Boeing called its fifth-largest commercial order by value, followed a deal with United Airlines (UAL.O) in December for 100 Dreamliners and a purchase by Air India that included 20 787s. Planemakers are also grappling with the after-effects of the pandemic, which forced waves of layoffs and retirements of skilled workers. While Airbus outsold Boeing in the Air India deal, landing orders for 40 A350 widebodys, the U.S. planemaker swept both the United Airlines and Saudi orders. “Saudi Airlines is a government-owned airline, and so there are politics involved with this,” analyst Stallard said.

[1/2] A logo of Airbus is seen at the entrance of its factory in Blagnac near Toulouse, France, July 2, 2020. But whereas this makes up some 12% of market forecasts for Boeing's 2023 deliveries, Airbus has secured just 9% of its 2023 target of 720 jets, below the trend for this time of year. After missed targets in 2022, Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury has told executives that 2023 will be "make or break" for the company's industrial reputation, industry sources said. In February, Airbus delivered 46 jets, up from 20 in January, for a total of 66 in the first two months of 2023. Lessors have said both jetmakers are delivering planes three-to-six months late, though Airbus is pushing to maintain higher industrial output.

MADRID/PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Doubts are growing over the future of Madrid's remaining orders for the Airbus (AIR.PA) A400M troop plane, European defence sources said on Monday, as corporate leaders and dignitaries marked the centenary of Spain's military planemaking activities. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Defence Minister Margarita Robles and King Felipe also attended Monday's event. Spain and Airbus are in discussions over how to soften any impact from a partial A400M order cancellation, sources said. Defence publication Janes reported last year that Airbus was waiting for Madrid to back the SIRTAP tactical drone project, co-developed by Airbus Spain and Colombia. Spain also last year ordered an extra 20 Eurofighter combat jets, a four-nation fighter programmre for which Airbus is the industrial partner in Spain and Germany.

☆ German air taxi firm Lilium says reaches 250 kph in testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - German air taxi developer Lilium Air Mobility (5KD.F), said on Thursday it had reached a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour with a technology demonstrator, calling it a key milestone on the way to certifying its electrically powered flying shuttles in 2025. The threshold was reached during testing of the Phoenix 2 vehicle at a flight test centre in southern Spain, the company told Reuters after posting a teaser video on social media. Lilium is competing in a crowded market for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles, hoping to replace road trips or short hops by aircraft or helicopters. It plans a cruise speed of 250 km or 155 miles per hour. Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dassault Aviation seeks more Rafale exports, defends business jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, March 9 (Reuters) - Dassault Aviation (AM.PA) highlighted negotiations for new Rafale fighter export orders and hit back at European critics of business jets as it posted higher profits on Thursday. It booked new orders worth 21 billion euros, including 92 Rafales and 64 Falcons. It delivered 46 jets including 32 Falcons in 2022, down from 55 including 30 Falcons in 2021. He said Dassault remained in talks to provide 26 carrier-borne Rafales to the Indian navy, in competition with Boeing's (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet. One year's use of the global fleet of Falcon business jets is equivalent to 24 hours of global video streaming or five hours of worldwide truck traffic, he said.

IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (INGL.NS), is also comparing the A320neo with the Boeing 737 MAX as it weighs a major new order for narrow-body jets, they added. The split between wide- and narrow-body jets was not immediately clear. An IndiGo representative told Reuters the airline is constantly in talks with manufacturers as it plans its next phase of growth. IndiGo, which counts a 55% share of the domestic market, is widely expected to maintain Airbus as its supplier of narrow-body jets to squeeze out further economies of scale. Industry publication CAPA reported last month that IndiGo was looking at around 500 jets as Air India closed its own deal.

☆ Saudi, UK ministers agree to study combat air cooperation -Saudi agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 1 (Reuters) - Saudi and British defence ministers have agreed to study future co-operation on combat air capabilities and potential industrial projects, the Saudi state news agency reported. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met in Riyadh on Wednesday and signed a "declaration of intent regarding the participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Future Air Capabilities Program (FCAS)", it said. FCAS is an acronym widely used for next-generation fighter projects known as Future Combat Air Systems, including the British-led Tempest programme which was recently expanded to include Japan under a new framework called Global Air Combat Programme. It said identifying industrial participation projects and joint research and development projects were also included. The British Defence ministry said the statement of intent signed in Riyadh would initiate a "Partnering Feasibility Study to explore how we can best position our decades long combat air relationship for the future".

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