The aviation industry is under a microscope when it comes to emissions and fuel efficiency. This weekend’s delivery of a bunch of Qatar Airways 787s is most definitely not going to help the situation.
Boeing
OpEd: Muilenburg finally booted from Boeing
They’re calling it a resignation for some reason, but Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg was fired over the weekend. His departure, effective immediately, is the latest fallout in what has proven to be a very challenging year for the company.
An electrified experience: PaxEx Update – 13 Dec 2019
Electric aircraft are really real and the Embraer E2 family is complete. Plus a ton of good news for Airbus and an incremental eventual win for inflight connectivity.
Qantas selects A350-1000 for Project Sunrise
A slightlyy modified version of the Airbus A350-1000(ULR) is the aircraft of choice for Qantas as it inches closer to its “Project Sunrise” plans for nonstop flights between Sydney and London or New York City. But neither the business plan nor aircraft order are finalized yet. Negotiations with pilots over work rules are the sticking point now.
United Airlines boosts 787 capacity with Polaris conversions
Business class passengers get a boost with the Polaris retrofits coming to United Airlines’ 787 fleet. But down the back the passenger density increases while lavatory count drops. That’s not great news for the bulk of travelers.
United picks A321XLR for transatlantic 757 replacement
United Airlines will take on the A321XLR to replace its agin 757-200 transatlantic fleet. The move gives the carrier certainty of delivery timing and promises to expand the route profile from Newark and Dulles.
It also removes another potential NMA order from Boeing, further killing off a product that is years late and likely will never be.
A WiFi Challenger: PaxEx Update 1 Nov 2019
Can LiFi replace WiFi on board, opening up more spectrum for passengers? And can new satellite launches deliver the capacity that airlines need for inflight connectivity? Plus an expanding award chart and plans for a massive fleet expansion in India.
Norwegian’s Russian dalliance could open new Asian markets thanks to the SSJ100
It is no secret that Norwegian wants access to fly across northern Russia. The trans-Siberian routes open up opportunities in North Asia, including Japan, China and Korea. And the Russians know this. The country is a notoriously tough negotiator when it comes to gaining access to those routes. Some might even claim extortionate. Oh, and the country has a maligned small airplane that it would like to see selling better, perhaps flying more outside of its home carriers. What are the odds??
Some thoughts on Muilenburg’s testimony about the 737 MAX crash
What can we gather from more than three hours of testimony by Boeing executives and government safety officials before the US Senate Commerce Committee today? Mostly that the format is terrible for getting real answers to the critical questions surrounding the 737MAX crashes, subsequent grounding and potential, eventual return to service. Still, a few interesting bits bubbled up through the testimony.
Some Sunrise skepticism
Over the weekend Qantas brought another 787-9 home to its fleet in Sydney. But this was not a normal delivery flight. Project Sunrise is coming, and maybe it shouldn’t.