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☆ Airbus drops 2022 delivery forecast after slow November
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) on Tuesday abandoned its forecast for airplane deliveries in 2022 but maintained other financial guidance after posting 68 deliveries in November. The world's largest planemaker does not expect 2022 deliveries to be "materially short" of the previous forecast of "around 700" which is now "out of reach", it said in a statement. Reuters reported on Friday that the target was under review after November deliveries fell short of expectations. Airbus said it would also adjust the speed of a planned production ramp-up of its best-selling A3200neo family to 65 a month for both 2023 and 2024. Airbus had previously said it planned to reach 65 a month by early 2024, having pushed this back from mid-2023 earlier this year, citing problems in its supply chain.

☆ Global airlines see return to profitability in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Global airline industry body International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh attends an interview with Reuters in Doha, Qatar, June 19, 2022. Airlines lost tens of billions of dollars in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but air travel has partially recovered and some airports have struggled to cope. DOWNSIDE RISKIATA believes global air traffic levels will return to pre-COVID or 2019 levels by 2024, led by the United States and with Asia-Pacific "notably lagging." If China does not loosen restrictions, airlines' profitability would be affected. Walsh said airlines had survived the worst of the downturns, though Europe's fragmented market remained an area to watch.

☆ Airlines to return to profitability in 2023 - IATA
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Airlines lost tens of billions of dollars in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic but air travel has partially recovered and some airports have struggled to cope. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) now expects a net profit of $4.7 billion for the industry next year, with more than 4 billion passengers set to fly. For 2022, IATA narrowed its forecast for industry-wide losses to $6.9 billion from $9.7 billion. "That is a great achievement considering the scale of the financial and economic damage caused by government imposed pandemic restrictions," said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, commenting on the projected return to profit in 2023. IATA said that its forecast is based on a gradual reopening of China to international traffic and the easing of domestic zero-COVID restrictions.

☆ Airlines warn of higher fares from green transition
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association, which includes most of the world's major airlines, called for swifter action in Europe to drive up scarce production of greener Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Air fares have already jumped this year as a result of higher prices for conventional fossil-based jet fuel. Environmental groups argue that air higher travel costs will help to rein in emissions by curbing growth in traffic. In July, the European Parliament backed rules on aviation fuel that set binding targets for the replacement of kerosene with less polluting sources, while extending the definition of what a green fuel could be. This year's U.S. Inflation Reduction Act includes significant subsidies to the SAF industry in the form of tax credits, but European industry leaders including the head of planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) have said the legislation is unfair.

☆ Airbus 2022 target under review after estimated 563 deliveries in Jan-Nov - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) delivered an estimated 66 jets in November, leaving itself a near-record challenge of 137 in December to meet its 2022 goal, though it has not excluded the possibility of trimming the target, industry sources said. A late surge pushed November higher than initially expected but failed to lift doubts over the 2022 target of “around 700” with weeks to go before the end of the year, the sources said. One industry source said the company had all but given up hope of reaching its key revenue-driving target. Missing parts forced Airbus to cut the target for deliveries to 700 from 720 in July. Reuters reported on Monday that preliminary external November data and industry sources pointed to increasing challenges in reaching the revised target.

☆ Airbus CEO says supply chain still 'very complex'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) will have a clearer picture on 2022 deliveries by the end of November but the supply chain environment "remains very complex", Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said on Tuesday. On Monday, Reuters reported a senior supply chain source as saying it would be difficult to reach the full-year target. "I consider that the supply chain crisis is going to be longer than what we thought a couple of months ago. Leonardo (LDOF.MI) Chief Executive Alessandro Profumo, who chairs ASD, said prime contractors like Airbus and Leonardo and others should "take care" of the supply chain, without elaborating on what kind of support companies should provide. "Without a strong supply chain we won't be strong, so clearly this is a role we have," he said at the same event.

☆ Airbus faces growing end-year jet delivery crunch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Airbus has told investors it plans to deliver "around 700" commercial aircraft in 2022. That figure is increasingly under pressure, barring what would be a record and essentially glitch-free performance in the busy month of December, industry sources said on Monday. According to latest available data from aircraft analyst Cirium, Airbus has delivered 536 aircraft so far this year, implying 39 to 41 deliveries so far in November. Between January and October, Airbus delivered 497 planes or a net total of 495 after adjusting for the cancellation of two planes stranded by Western sanctions against Russia. That could intensify the traditional crunch which often sees some planes delivered in the closing hours of the year.

☆ Airbus may delay some 2023 jet deliveries -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A spokesperson for Airbus said it had no comment on deliveries ahead of its next monthly bulletin in early December. At least one engine maker is experiencing renewed pressure to shift more engines away from supporting aircraft production to a pool of spares for existing customers, the sources said. Currently some 129 Pratt-powered Airbus jets and 55 fitted with CFM's LEAP engines are parked, according to Ascend by Cirium's head of global consulting Rob Morris. At the same time, engine industry sources insist snags on their side of the fence are not solely to blame for delays. In July, Airbus said it would reach an interim production goal of 65 A320-family narrow-body jets a month in early 2024 instead of summer 2023.

☆ Europe names world's first disabled astronaut
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Member of ESA's new class of astronauts John McFall attends the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at Ministerial level (CM22) at the Grand Palais Ephemere in Paris, France, November 23, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. The 22-nation agency said it had selected former British Paralympic sprinter John McFall as part of a new generation of 17 recruits picked for astronaut training. He will join five new career astronauts and 11 reserves in training after ESA replenished its astronaut ranks for the first time since 2009. It received 257 applications for the role of astronaut with a disability, a parallel role that it terms "parastronaut".

☆ European ministers to debate sharp increase in space funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Logos of ArianeGroup and the ESA (European Space Agency) are seen on a rocket model at the entrance of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) space exploration conference in Paris, France, September 19, 2022. Other initiatives include extending Europe’s global navigation system into low Earth orbit and kickstarting a new satellite mission, Harmony, to expand climate research. Ministers will seek to close a narrow funding gap for Ariane 6 rockets and discuss the future of emerging micro-launchers. In a recent interview, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher urged rapid global action to tackle congestion in low Earth orbit including a ban on ASAT or anti-satellite weapons tests. Even without such threats, the sheer number of satellites and fragments of debris in low Earth orbit raises concerns.

Now, Boeing wants the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve its plan to incorporate a layer of ultraviolet- blocking black topcoat between the primer and the white topcoat. Boeing said in its filing the fix was needed in part because the "paint peeling issue requires the operators to repaint the wing and horizontal stabilizer at a much higher frequency." The company said in a statement to Reuters it had asked the FAA to approve the proposed change to "eliminate the paint adhesion issue experienced on some 787s. The FAA, which said on Monday it would carefully review Boeing's petition, in August approved the first 787 for delivery since 2021. Airbus declined to comment on the 787 paint news.

☆ Boeing wants U.S. FAA to OK paint fix for 787 wing peeling
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. planemaker's interim fix involves repeated use of speed tape over affected areas. The company also wants the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve its plan to incorporate a layer of ultraviolet blocking black topcoat between the primer and the white topcoat. Some passengers have posted photos online of 787 wings with tape and raised concerns. Boeing did not immediately comment but said in its filing the fix was needed in part because the "paint peeling issue requires the operators to repaint the wing and horizontal stabilizer at a much higher frequency." Boeing halted deliveries in May 2021 after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method.

☆ Regulators in focus as Airbus and Qatar Airways return to court
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Surface damage seen on Qatar Airways' airbus A350 parked at Qatar airways aircraft maintenance hangar in Doha, Qatar, June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Imad CreidiLONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) and Qatar Airways will resume a London court battle on Friday that thrusts their relations with regulators into the spotlight in a dispute over the safety of grounded A350 jets. Experts say it is the first time such a major international contractual and safety dispute in aviation, involving claims now approaching $2 billion, has ended up in open court. Airbus has told the court it would seek to show Qatar Airways "colluded" with the QCAA to have jets unnecessarily grounded to win compensation, a charge the airline denies. In a publicly available witness statement submitted to court in an October hearing, Qatar Airways cited what it called the "particular closeness" of ties between Airbus and its own regulator, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

[1/3] An undelivered Airbus A350 built for Qatar Airways is seen in storage at Chateauroux, France, September 3, 2022 as Airbus and the Gulf carrier remain locked in a contractual and safety dispute. The two leaders discussed the issue last December during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Doha, the French official told Reuters on Wednesday. The exchange marks the first confirmation that a bitter contractual and safety dispute spilled beyond the courtroom. A spokesperson for Qatar Airways could not immediately be reached for comment. The dispute marks a public divorce at the heart of the $150 billion jet industry with billions of dollars at stake.

☆ Airbus speeds deliveries, books key Chinese jet order
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Airbus delivered 60 jets in October, up from 55 the previous month. Airbus also booked an order for 40 jets from traditional Boeing operator Xiamen Airlines, which had provisionally added Airbus as a supplier in September in a sign of Beijing's apparent tilt towards Europe amid tensions with Washington. The Xiamen deal brought Airbus orders so far this year above the 1,000 mark. After 223 cancellations, its 1,033 gross orders fell back to a net total of 810 in the first 10 months. So far this year it has booked 664 new orders or 550 after cancellations and before accounting adjustments.

☆ Boeing deliveries fall in October while orders rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( David Shepardson | Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co <BA.N) said Tuesday deliveries fell in October as it faced quality issues, while orders rose as the U.S. planemaker continues to see strong demand for new aircraft. The Arlington, Virginia-based planemaker said it booked 122 new orders in October, including 106 737 MAX airplanes and 10 787-9 airplanes. The October deliveries included 23 737 airplanes, which was down from 37 737s in September. Boeing’s orders net of cancellations for the year rose in October to 550 from 428 and its commercial backlog rose from 4,354 to 4,441 orders. Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said last month he is confident Boeing will get an extension.

☆ China confirms orders for 140 Airbus jets worth $17 bln
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - China's state aircraft buying agency officially signed orders to buy 140 Airbus planes worth about $17 billion on Friday, China Aviation Supplies (CAS) Holding said in a statement. They are all pre-existing orders, with some included in an order for 292 jets announced earlier this year, Airbus said on Friday. The formal signing of the agreement took place on Friday, during a visit to China by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Boeing suggested it may have to make do without Chinese deliveries for some time amid the zero COVID policy and U.S.-Chinese tensions. Friday's purchase agreement includes 132 of the European planemaker's A320 series planes and eight A350 planes, the company said.

☆ Airbus gets dollar boost, explores higher wide-body output
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) received a billion-euro boost in projected cashflow from a strong dollar and said it was exploring higher production to meet resurgent demand for wide-body jets, as the European planemaker celebrated five decades of flight on Friday. Third-quarter revenue also benefited from the U.S. currency but operating earnings that include hedging rose by a slimmer-than-expected 26% to 836 million euros ($834.5 million) as the company battles a "degraded" global supply chain. Airbus raised its forecast for free cashflow in 2022 to 4.5 billion euros, from 3.5 billion, after generating almost twice the amount of expected cash in the third quarter. Analysts were on average expecting quarterly adjusted operating income of 887 million euros on revenues of 12.848 billion, according to a company-compiled consensus. Faury reaffirmed single-aisle production targets and said Airbus was assessing supply chain capacity for an increase in production of wide-body jets.

☆ Analysis: Airbus widens A350 cabin in mile-high real estate war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The latest salvo concerns some of the world's prime real estate - the cabin of a big jet where comfort meets cost. Airbus said in a blog it was introducing a New Production Standard (NPS) to make A350s lighter and more flexible. Changes include scraping four inches off interior walls and making the cabin longer by moving a bulkhead and squeezing the cockpit. Currently most A350 economy cabins have nine 18-inch wide seats per row. Airlines opting to add an extra seat per row to fly 10 abreast will have 17-inch wide seats.

☆ Airbus faces fresh bribery settlement, French prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - French authorities are in talks with planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) that could lead to the expansion of a record multi-national bribery settlement agreed in 2020, prosecutors said on Tuesday. French publication Mediapart reported that Airbus was facing an investigation into alleged bribery in the sale of 21 jets to Libya in 2007, part of a wider probe into links with Libya under late leader Muammar Gaddafi. The 2020 French CJIP cited corruption of foreign officials, fraud and money laundering in the sale of jets and satellites. The planemaker has undergone sweeping management changes since the original probe began in 2016 and says it now has a state-of-the-art compliance system. ($1 = 1.0043 euros)Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro and Tim Hepher; Writing by Tim Hepher; Editing by Richard Lough and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The move to strengthen industrial leadership comes after delays and cost overruns blighted a series of long-term projects for which Boeing is locked in to a fixed price. Chief Financial Officer Brian West said last month fixed-price defense contracts were being "knocked around" by supply chain problems, inflation and labor shortages. In 2006, incoming BCA chief Scott Carson appointed Jim Jamieson chief operating officer of the planemaking unit - a wide brief giving him effective oversight of jet manufacturing and development until his retirement about 18 months later. Those changes came just as Boeing was trying to juggle changes in manufacturing with the development of the Boeing 787, while still bearing the wounds of a 1997 production crisis. Airbus (AIR.PA) has long had a chief operating officer at its main planemaking arm, though in practice it is more than a divisional role as the defense and helicopter units slot in underneath.

☆ Airbus eyes Saudi deal for almost 40 A350 jets - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Airbus A350 aircraft during a display at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Peter CziborraPARIS/DUBAI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is in advanced negotiations to order almost 40 A350 jets from Europe's Airbus (AIR.PA) as part of strategic efforts to launch a new airline and challenge heavyweight carriers in the Gulf, industry sources said. Any commercial deal must still win political approval and also depends n complex engine negotiations, one of the sources said. The choice of supplier is widely seen as politically charged as the Saudi gathering takes place amid deepening tensions between Washington and Riyadh, two industry sources said. Reuters first reported in August that Saudi Arabia was discussing a significant order for wide-body jets.

☆ Airbus and Qatar Airways face off again in court over A350
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Tim Hepher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An undelivered Airbus A350 built for Qatar Airways is seen in storage at Chateauroux, France, September 3, 2022 as Airbus and the Gulf carrier remain locked in a contractual and safety dispute. REUTERS/Tim Hepher/File PhotoLONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) and Qatar Airways return to court on Friday as a contractual and safety dispute over A350 passenger jets descends into a tug-of-war over confidential documents while the sums at stake in their unprecedented falling-out top $1.5 billion. Qatar Airways is suing Airbus over damage to the painted surface and anti-lightning system on A350 jets, saying safety could be at risk from a design defect. Airbus said last month it had revoked all 19 remaining A350 orders from Qatar Airways, severing outstanding business with the Gulf carrier for new jets. Airbus and Qatar Airways both declined to comment ahead of Friday's hearing, which was due to start at 0830 GMT.

☆ Airbus 'turns page' on Brexit but presses UK on helicopters, space
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The head of planemaker Airbus "turned the page" on the planemker's past opposition to Brexit and pledged to keep wings production in Britain, but said the European aerospace giant hoped to be "better understood" on helicopters and space. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA British government source said Truss had joined her business minister's introductory meeting with Airbus. Britain also plans to buy up to 44 medium helicopters to replace its fleet of Pumas and other military models, with Airbus' European rival Leonardo (LDOF.MI) seen as front-runner. Analysts say Leonardo dominates the UK military market where Airbus is touting a military version of its H175. Faury said Airbus had "turned the page" on its public opposition to Brexit during Britain's 2016 referendum, which had been inspired by the European scale needed to build planes.

☆ Boeing orders, deliveries rise in September
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Eric Johnson/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said Tuesday deliveries rose in September to 51 airplanes, while orders rose by 90 as the planemaker continues to see strong demand for new aircraft. Boeing deliveries last month tied its 51 deliveries in June, when it exceeded the 50-plane threshold for the first time since March 2019. In August, Boeing deliveries rose to 35 airplanes after it resumed handovers of its 787 Dreamliner after a 15-month delay. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLast month, Boeing had 51 new 737 MAX airplane orders and 45 widebody airplanes, including 14 777s. In September, Boeing delivered 14 widebody planes, including 7 787s, including three 787-8s to American Airlines (AAL.O).

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