Boeing to pay Air India $500 million in compensation because of delays in delivering 27 on-order 787 Dreamliners. The planemaker agreed to the payment two weeks ago, a Civil Aviation Ministry official told reporters at the Hyderabad air show in India today. The carrier may get further compensation as it previously asked for $840 million and it has since asked for more because of further delays, he added.
Boeing's Indian officials denied to comment on this matter.
Boeing Co. and All Nippon Airways are investigating a landing gear problem on the 787 Dreamliner, the first technical glitch reported since the new jetliner entered service less than two weeks ago, the airline said on Monday. Pilots on the first of two aircraft delivered so far to ANA were forced on Sunday to deploy the landing gear using a manual backup system, after an indicator lamp suggested the wheels were not properly down. They landed at Okayama on the second attempt following the incident, the airline said. "We are not yet sure what the problem was, but we are investigating," an airline spokesman said, adding that Boeing was also involved in the investigation. Kyodo news agency linked the problem to a hydraulic valve, but Boeing declined to confirm the cause.
A Boeing spokesman in Europe said: "We are aware of this matter and are on site in Japan with ANA offering whatever assistance they require." The 787 Dreamliner is a revolutionary lightweight aircraft built mainly of carbon composites designed to save fuel. It was delivered in September after three years of production delays and made an inaugural flight on October 26 from Tokyo to Hong Kong followed by regular services from November 1. ANA has said it will fly the aircraft domestically on a trial basis before putting it on long international routes. The 787's two engines power electrical systems that operate flight controls and landing gear. U.S. aviation regulators required that Boeing satisfy extra steps before certifying that system because it was a new design.
Because the high-profile Dreamliner incorporates so many design and manufacturing firsts, the airplane is under increased scrutiny from the aviation community. The plane is about three years behind its original development schedule because of snags in the extensive global supply chain. Boeing departed from traditional use of reliable aluminum construction, opting instead for reinforced carbon composites to improve fuel savings. Many in the traveling public know the Dreamliner as the world's first plastic jet "Teething" problems are relatively common for a new jetliner entering service, but the 787 is under a lot of scrutiny due to its difficult development history," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at Teal Group. "This glitch shouldn't have any impact on customer perceptions of the 787, as long as Boeing aggressively pursues its investigation and implements any needed fix," Aboulafia said.
The incident comes days after a Boeing 767 landed on its belly in Warsaw after the landing gear failed to deploy. The wheels-up landing was hailed as a miraculous escape for the 230 people on board, but aviation experts say such incidents are relatively rare. There have been 10 accidents involving stuck landing wheels since 2000, none of them fatal, according to a database run by the Flight Safety Foundation.The landing gear for the 787 Dreamliner is made by Messier-Dowty.
Boeing and Nigeria's Arik Air today announced a deal for two 747-8 Intercontinental airplanes. The order is valued at $635 million at list prices and was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's website. The order was announced during a signing ceremony at the Corporate Council for Africa's 8th Biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Washington, D.C. "Air travel within the region continues to grow at a rapid pace and we must prepare our fleet to accommodate that growth," said Sir JIA Arumemi-Johnson, owner and chairman of Arik Air. "Boeing's new 747-8 fits perfectly into our long-term planning. It brings the best operating economics for its size, which is important with the increase in fuel prices."
Arik Air is Nigeria's fastest-growing privately owned airline operating a large fleet of Boeing Next-Generation 737s and serves more than 22 domestic, six regional and three long-haul routes. The airline plans to use the 747-8 on its key long-haul routes. "Arik Air is growing to become a leader in aviation in Africa and Boeing is happy Arik will use the 747-8 as a cornerstone of their future growth," said Van Rex Gallard, vice president of Sales for Africa, Latin America, and Caribbean, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "With its unmatched operating costs and economics, the 747-8 is the right airplane to help Arik Air meet growing demand." The new 747-8 Intercontinental features a new wing design and an upgraded flight deck. The airplane interior incorporates features from the 787 Dreamliner including a new curved, upswept architecture that will give passengers a greater sense of space and comfort.
Using General Electric's GEnx-2B engines, the airplane will be quieter, produce lower emissions and achieve better fuel economy than any competing jetliner. It also increases cargo volume by 26 percent. "As we look into the future, the 747-8 Intercontinental is a must have for Arik Air," said Sir Arumemi-Johnson. "Our airline strives to bring the best, most efficient and most modern products to our customers and that is exactly what this airplane is."
Boeing delivered its first 787 jet on Sunday. It's been a long time coming. The new jet, which was supposed to be flying passengers three years ago, has been delayed by production and design problems. But now it's here, and airlines expect it to offer travelers much more comfort, open up new routes and provide significant fuel savings. The first one goes to Japan's All Nippon Airways, which has been printing the 787 logo and "We Fly 1st" on its business cards for years. Airlines love the jet, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner. They've ordered more than 800, well above levels for previous new jets. "A lot of carriers are betting that this is going to be a winner," says George Hamlin, president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting in Fairfax, Va.
Instead of the usual aluminum skin, most of the 787 is covered in carbon fiber, basically a high-tech plastic that is strong but lightweight. Military planes and portions of other jetliners have used that material for years, but this is the first time so much has been used on an airliner. The new material brings improvements that passengers should notice. Its strength allows windows to be bigger and higher, so passengers don't have to hunch over to see the horizon. Electronic dimming replaces pull-down shades. That should mean you'll no longer be blinded when the guy next to you falls asleep with the shade up. Finally, the cabin is pressurized to the equivalent of 6,000 feet, instead of the usual 8,000 feet. That means air pressure will be closer to what passengers are used to on the ground. And without corrosion-prone aluminum skin, the humidity can be kept higher. Those two changes should reduce dry noses and throats.
All Nippon plans to begin flying the 787 from Tokyo to Okayama-Hiroshima on Nov. 11. The first international route will be Tokyo to Frankfurt starting in January. The first US customer is United Continental Holdings Inc., which will get its first 787s next year and plans to fly them between Houston and Auckland, New Zealand, and Houston and Lagos, Nigeria. Those are good examples of "thin routes" that airlines say the 787 will be good for - routes for which there is regular demand that won't fill a larger plane. The 787's size, fuel efficiency and long range should allow airlines to turn a profit on those routes. The jet will be as much as 20 percent more fuel-efficient than planes it replaces. Its efficiency was a nice perk when Boeing first proposed the 787 in its current form in 2003. Now it's essential for airlines dealing with high fuel costs.
Building an all-new plane like the 787 is a massive undertaking. Delays stacked up. Boeing was hit with an eight-week strike in 2008. It had to reinforce the spot where the 787's wings meet the fuselage. In November, the company had to delay the plane further after an electrical fire forced a landing during a test flight. Boeing expects to deliver a combined 25 to 30 of the 787s and new 747-8 this year. To meet the high demand. Boeing has set an ambitious goal of building 10 per month by the end of 2013. No one has ever made a large plane that fast. Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at the Teal Group, thinks Boeing will miss that goal because the company hasn't smoothed out its production process fully. It's also not clear when the 787 will make money. Boeing already took a $2.5 billion charge in 2009 on the program, and it owes additional money to customers for the late deliveries. Boeing executives have said they will announce when the jet will be profitable after the first one is delivered.
The 787 list price runs between $185 million and $218 million. Discounts on new jets are common, though. Aboulafia says it's not clear how steep the discounts offered by Boeing were to lock in all the orders. Boeing rival Airbus hopes to soon launch its new A350, also made with a significant amount of carbon composites. A successful 787 will put pressure on Airbus to meet its fuel-efficiency goals, and to deliver the plane on time.
Air France-KLM has split a $12 billion order for long-range jets following a year-long competition, announcing plans to buy 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 25 Airbus A350s. The move is part of a plan to renew the fleet of Europe's largest airline and the order could rise to 110 of the next-generation aircraft including 60 more options. EADS unit Airbus said it expected to receive 35 of these. Air France-KLM shares opened up more than 1 percent before slipping 0.5 percent to 6.035 euros by 4:26 a.m. ET. Shares in Airbus parent EADS were down 1.1 percent.
The deal follows months of politically sensitive negotiations during which the airline appeared to be pulled between pressure from French politicians to protect jobs at Toulouse-based Airbus and its own differences with Airbus over what caused the 2009 mid-Atlantic crash of an Airbus jet. The airline believes pilots have been wrongly blamed. Air France-KLM has said it ignored calls from French politicians to favor Airbus, but in a sign of frosty relations it snubbed the usual practice of endorsing the Airbus part of the deal in the planemaker's press release.
Boeing is delivering its first 787 Dreamliner to Japanese airline All Nippon Airways next week after three years of production delays as it switched from aluminum to lightweight carbon composites. Airbus plans to deliver its similar A350 mid-decade after earlier delays in the design. Air France-KLM said it aimed to operate 73 of the 250-300 seat aircraft through 2024, including 43 Airbus A350-900 and 30 Boeing 787-9 models. The first Boeing 787-9 will enter into service with KLM in 2016, and the first Airbus A350-900 with Air France in 2018. "Later, both airlines will operate both types of aircraft," the carrier said in a statement. The airlines merged in 2004 but maintain separate networks.
Final details of the order are still being negotiated. The firm part of the order for 50 aircraft is worth $6.7 billion to Airbus and $5.5 billion to Boeing, according to list prices. Airlines usually obtain significant discounts. Air France-KLM indicated in June it would follow United Airlines in splitting the order for the new generation of aircraft between Airbus and Boeing. The plane order guarantees business for Britain's Rolls-Royce (LSE:RR.L - News) to provide power for the A350-900, for which it makes the only engines currently on offer. But industry sources say rival General Electric is front-runner to power the Boeing 787s, for which it competes with Rolls-Royce. Air France traditionally buys long-range engines from the U.S. company.
The orders confirmed by Airbus and Boeing as it stands at Paris air show.
Company Firm Value Provisional Value
Airbus 312 $30.2 bln 318 $29.5 bln
Boeing 47 $7.5 bln 94 $14.9 bln
Last year at Farnborough Airshow, Airbus unveiled net new orders for 130 planes worth over $13 billion, and Boeing 103 new orders worth over $10 billion.
Between them, they racked up a combined 176 provisional orders worth over $19 billion
AIRBUS ORDERS BY CUSTOMER: FIRM ORDERS
Company No of aircraft Type Value
LAN 20 A320neo $1.8 bln
IndiGo 30 A320 $2.5 bln
IndiGo 150 A320neo $13.7 bln
TransAsia 6 A321neo $0.6 bln
Air Lease Corp 11 A330 $2.4 bln
Air Lease Corp 1 A321 $0.1 bln
SAS 30 A320neo $2.7 bln
GECAS 60 A320neo $5.5 bln
Saudi Arabian 4 A330 $0.9 bln
PROVISIONAL ORDERS
Company No of aircraft Type Value
Alafco 30 A320neo $2.7 bln
Republic 40 A320neo $3.6 bln
Republic 40 A319neo $3.4 bln
Avianca 18 A320 $1.5 bln
Avianca 33 A320neo $3.0 bln
Alafco 6 A350-900 $1.6 bln
Garuda 15 A320 $1.3 bln
Garuda 10 A320neo $0.9 bln
JetBlue 40 A320neo $3.6 bln
CIT 50 A320neo $4.6 bln
Air Lease Corp 36 A320neo $3.3 bln
BOEING ORDERS BY CUSTOMER:
FIRM ORDERS
Company No of aircraft Type Value
*Malaysian 10 737-800 $0.8 bln
*Aeroflot 8 777-300ER $2.3 bln
Norwegian 3 787 $0.6 bln
Norwegian 15 737-800 $1.2 bln
Mongolian 1 767-300ER $0.16bln
Mongolian 2 737-800 $0.16bln
Unidentified 2 747-8 $0.6 bln
*Qatar Airways 6 777-300ER $1.7 bln * - orders were previously in Boeing order book but customer was unidentified
Thai Airways announced Monday that it would acquire 23 Airbus and 14 Boeing airplanes for about $3.9 billion to modernise its ageing fleet after a period of financial turbulence. The carrier said the deals, which have been approved by its board of directors, would enable it to grow profits and be among the top three leading airlines in Asia in terms of quality and service efficiency. The airline plans to buy six Boeing 777-300ER planes, four Airbus A350-900s and five A320-200s for a total of about $1.6 billion, for delivery between 2014 and 2017. It will also lease 22 aircraft, including eight Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to be delivered between 2012 and 2017, a company statement said. "Acquiring new aircraft made from lightweight and non-corrosive composite material to replace retiring aircraft will save fuel and maintenance costs," it added.
The company is bouncing back after a tough spell that saw it sink 21.3 billion baht ($702 million) in the red in 2008 owing to the global financial crisis, high fuel costs and political protests that temporarily shut Bangkok's airports. The carrier posted a net profit of 1.6 billion baht in 2010, up more than threefold compared with 2009 as revenue more than doubled. The airline faces increased competition from regional low-cost carriers such as Air Asia and last year announced plans to start its own budget airline in cooperation with Singapore's Tiger Airways. Currently Thai Airways operates a mixed fleet, including some ageing Boeing 747 jumbos and Airbus A300s, which are no longer being produced.
Thai Airways president Piyasvasti Amranand admitted in October that the carrier's planes were "pretty old" and said the company needed to move quickly given the backlog of orders facing Boeing and Airbus. The new orders are on top of a plan announced a year ago to take delivery of seven Airbus A330-300s medium-range aircraft and eight Boeing 777-300ER long-range planes by 2014 on lease.The group has delayed delivery of six Airbus A380s, now due to arrive starting from 2012, because of a shortage of cash. The launch of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, heralded as a new generation of highly fuel-efficient mid-sized aircraft, has been repeatedly delayed due to a string of technical mishaps. Delivery of the first 787s is now scheduled for the third quarter of 2011 to inaugural customer All Nippon Airways of Japan.
Hong Kong Airlines Ltd. will order Airbus A380s as it challenges larger neighbor Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and adds flights in China, the world’s fastest- growing air-travel market. The carrier, controlled by the investment arm of China’s Hainan province government, will announce the deal at next week’s Paris Air Show, it said in a text-message reply to questions today. It didn’t elaborate on the number of superjumbos it will buy at the show, which starts June 20th. The world’s largest airliner may help Hong Kong Air compete with Cathay on long-haul routes and offset a looming capacity crunch at the city’s airport caused by delays in building a new runway. The carrier will be the third new A380 customer this year, following Skymark Airlines Inc. and Asiana Airlines Inc., as Airbus boosts sales among smaller Asian carriers. “It’s a good move for brand-building,” said Kelvin Lau, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Daiwa Capital Markets. “It’s quite difficult for newcomers to break into lucrative long-haul routes.”
Hong Kong Air also agreed to order 32 Boeing Co. 787s and six 777 freighters earlier this year to help expand. It had 30 Airbus A320s, 12 A330s and 15 A350s on order as of the end of May, according to the Toulouse, France-based planemaker’s website. The carrier and affiliate Hong Kong Express now operate 18 planes, according to their website. The airline expects to double passenger numbers to 4 million this year as it adds planes and taps China’s rising travel, President Yang Jianhong said in March. The carrier has a less than 10 percent share of Hong Kong’s outbound travel market, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc said at the time. The airline will be the second in Greater China to order the A380 following China Southern Airlines Co. Airbus is due to deliver the first superjumbo to China Southern later this year. The planemaker has sold a total of 234 A380s, of which 49 have been delivered, as of the end of May, according to its website.
Orders for the A380 have been dominated by Middle East and Asia-Pacific carriers. Emirates Airline has placed orders for 90, making it the largest customer. Singapore Airlines Ltd. was the first carrier to fly the superjumbo on commercial services. Asiana, South Korea’s second-biggest carrier, signed up for six A380s in January. Skymark, a Japanese budget airline, confirmed an order for four the following month. Cathay Pacific has so far ruled out ordering A380s and is instead building its long-haul fleet with smaller planes. It ordered 15 Airbus A330-300s and 10 Boeing 777-300ERs in March, following an agreement for 30 A350s in August. “We’ll probably have another good look at big aircraft in the next one or two years,” Chief Executive Officer John Slosar said last week in Singapore at the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting.
Hong Kong Air is seeking to raise funds by selling a stake to private-equity investors ahead of an initial public offering that may raise as much as $1 billion, Yang said in March. The carrier had a net income of about HK$110 million ($14 million) in 2010, its first annual profit, and it may double that this year, he said. Hong Kong Airport will likely reach full capacity by about 2020 because of growing demand for flights into China, operator Airport Authority Hong Kong said earlier this month as public consultation on plans to build a third runway began. Passenger numbers at the airport may grow as much as 3.6 percent a year, reaching 105 million by 2030, according to estimates on its website. China’s international passenger numbers my rise 11 percent a year through 2014, about double the pace of the global market, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Boeing announced today that it expects delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner in the third quarter of this year. The new delivery date reflects the impact of an in-flight incident during testing last November and includes the time required to produce, install and test updated software and new electrical power distribution panels in the flight test and production airplanes.
"This revised timeline for first delivery accommodates the work we believe remains to be done to complete testing and certification of the 787," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "We've also restored some margin in the schedule to allow for any additional time that may be needed to complete certification activities," Fancher said.
The 787 program has been gradually returning individual airplanes to the flight test program. After receiving interim software and hardware improvements, four flight test airplanes have been subjected to extensive ground testing and a thorough review to ensure their readiness to return to flight. The remaining two airplanes will be returning to flight in the days ahead to bring the full flight test fleet back up to flight status. The revised first delivery date is not expected to have a material impact on 2010 financial results. Financial guidance and anticipated initial 787 deliveries for 2011 will be discussed in the company's earnings call on Jan. 26.
Indian carrier Jet Airways expects to grow its domestic revenue by 15 percent and international revenue by up to 20 percent over the next five years, the chairman of India's largest airline said on Thursday. The airline expects higher demand driven by increasing affluence in Asia's third-largest economy, but has no plans of placing big aircraft orders, Naresh Goyal said. A day after smaller rival IndiGo placed a USD$15.6 billion order to buy 180 planes from Airbus in the largest jet deal in commercial aviation history, Goyal said Jet is following a "relatively modest" aircraft acquisition strategy. "Aircraft orders are not a problem... It's the easiest thing to do; but, can your balance sheet support it?" he asked.
Many carriers are growing their fleet as demand booms in India, where the economy is growing at nearly 9 percent. Jet Airways has firmed up an order pipeline of 29 Boeing 737s for purchase, and another 10 Airbus A330s for lease. The deliveries for both types of aircraft are expected to start in April 2012 and would continue over three years, Goyal said. Jet has placed another order for 10 Boeing 787s, deliveries of which are seen starting in fiscal year 2015, he said. Low-cost carrier and smaller rival SpiceJet in November agreed to buy 30 Nextgen turboprop aircraft from Canada's Bombardier for USD$915 million. "We have to be very careful in adding capacity... We are not running after market share and have to ensure that the bottom-line is alright," he said. Jet has added capacity of 8 to 10 percent over the last three years, he said. While passenger traffic in India grew 19 percent in the year to November last year, the country only has 400 commercial planes for a population of about 1.2 billion. By comparison, China has 2,600 planes. Jet Airways has no plans to hedge its jet fuel requirements and expects to improve its operating margins. "As we grow, our cost of operations per unit (aircraft) will go down hence we hope to increase our profitability," Goyal said.
Boeing recorded 462 commercial airplane deliveries in 2010, meeting company guidance during the year. Boeing posted 530 net commercial orders for the year as air carriers transition from economic recovery to expansion. Boeing Commercial Airplanes maintains a strong order base of 3,443 unfilled orders.With 376 deliveries in 2010, the Next-Generation 737 set a company delivery record for the second consecutive year. The 737 is the industry's most in-demand airplane with 486 net orders as carriers continue to rely on its superior economics, versatility and continuous performance enhancements.The 777 led Boeing's twin-aisle programs with 74 deliveries and 46 net orders in 2010 as the airplane continues to rank at the top of operator, investor and frequent traveler polls for its efficiency and passenger comfort.
During 2010, Boeing announced a series of production rate increases throughout its product line to meet increasing airplane demand from carriers worldwide. The Next-Generation 737 production rate will grow to 35 per month in early 2012 and 38 per month the second quarter of 2013. The 777 production rate will rise from five to seven per month in mid-2011 and grow to 8.3 per month in the first quarter of 2013. The 747-8 Freighter is slated for first delivery mid-year and first delivery of the 747-8 Intercontinental is planned for late 2011. The 787 Dreamliner continues in flight test. Boeing expects to provide 2011 commercial airplane delivery guidance when the company releases year-end earnings on January 26th.
Supersonic passenger travel was grounded in 2003 when British Airways and Air France cancelled their transatlantic Concorde service because of falling revenues and rising maintenance costs. The Aerion Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ) promises to help travelers break the sound barrier again. Named after a fleet-of-foot horse in Greek mythology, the Aerion SBJ will be able to carry a dozen passengers at speeds of up to Mach 1.5 for more than 4,000 miles. It is currently undergoing proof-of-concept aerodynamic testing of critical components in NASA wind tunnels and under the belly of a NASA F-15 supersonic jet. This Aerion SBJ will make it possible to fly from Paris to New York in four hours and 14 minutes, saving three hours off the trip compared to conventional jets.
And even in the United States, where supersonic flight is banned because of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sonic boom restrictions, the SBJ will be able to fly at a high subsonic speed of Mach 0.98 because of its unique, patented wing design, reducing coast-to-coast travel by 41 minutes vs. conventional aircraft.
Design breakthrough
The Aerion SBJ's wing represents a breakthrough in supersonic design and is the key to why the SBJ will be able to avoid the fate of the Concorde. Drag - the resistance caused by air as an airplane flies though it - is the enemy of speed and the enemy of economical operation. The Aerion SBJ's magic sauce is the use of supersonic natural laminar flow (SNLF) technology in the design of the wing. SNLF reduces drag.
Aerion's design completes a virtuous circle - it satisfies environmental regulations while providing economical operation and high performance. Fastest aircraft are in museums
The passenger jet has been in the performance doldrums for nearly half a century. The first Boeing passenger jet, the four-engine B-707 introduced in the late '50s had a design speed of Mach 0.83. Today's state-of-the art commercial passenger jets such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus 380 and business jets such the Gulfstream are basically still in the same Mach range because of their wing design, Aerion wants to change that.
The company hopes to have its new generation aircraft certified by the FAA and in the air by 2015. In spite of the worldwide recession that has toiled the entire aviation industry, Aerion has received 50 deposits of $250,000 for the $80 million for SBJ. The company is actively discussing development of the aircraft with a number of potential OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners and hopes to have a deal in place by the end of the year. Aerion also sees a supersonic future that involves larger commercial passenger jets.
The Boeing B787 Dreamliner made its international debut landing at the Farnborough Airport at 9:09 a.m. (local time) in support of the Farnborough International Airshow that begins today.
It's an honor to showcase the 787 here at the Farnborough Airshow, said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. This is the first international trip made by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airplane came nonstop to Farnborough, U.K., from Seattle.
We took advantage of the flying time to conduct some flight testing on the way, Fancher said. They are taking every opportunity to complete the testing requirements when they fly.
The 787 Dreamliner is built by an international team and will provide airlines around the globe with a new level of efficiency in operations, with a 20 percent reduction in fuel use when compared to similar-sized airplanes. The 787 also brings a new level of passenger comfort to travelers including bigger windows and more personal space as well as an environment designed to help them arrive at their destinations feeling refreshed.
Boeing executives and members of the board of directors, dignitaries from the United States and U.K. and a wide variety of media were on hand to welcome Captains Mike Bryan and Ted Grady as they stepped off the airplane and welcomed visitors aboard. About a dozen people traveled on the airplane to conduct testing during the flight. Fancher and other Boeing executives will provide a media briefing on the 787 at the airshow's main press chalet at 10 a.m. (local time). The airplane, referred to as ZA003, will depart Tuesday afternoon, July 20.
Air China is in talks to buy wide-bodied jets from Boeing Co and Airbus, including A350 and B787 jets, to revamp its fleet, a source close to the carrier said on Wednesday. The ongoing negotiations with Airbus and its U.S. rival also cover exchange of Air China's used jets for new ones. Air China was not ready to comment on this issue. Air China, which has a fleet of 256 jets, operates 245 routes servicing 30 countries and regions.
Two of the senior All Nippon Airways (ANA) pilots flew the B787 Dreamliner on Wednesday. The flight happened over the Washington state airspace. Boeing had obtained a special airworthiness certificate from FAA to conduct the flight. The two ANA pilots were B777 rated. Boeing's test pilot for B787 showed the difference in cockpit layout between the B787 and B777 for the pilots. ANA has ordered for 50 B787's of which their first aircraft is expected to be delivered in late 2010. The two ANA pilots had performed different sorts of landing and take off and had a good feel of the aircraft, the flight lasted for 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Air India the national carrier of India wants to cancel the order of three Boeing 777-300ER. But it is learn t that Boeing has offered Air India 10 single aisle aircraft's in lue of three long haul aircraft's, Boeing is ready to deliver 10 B737-800 instead of the three B777's. Differences in the pricing remain the main obstacle between Boeing and Air India, as AI wants the aircraft's to be priced at a post dated price when the orders were initially placed. AI had placed an order of 68 aircraft's with Boeing in 2005 which includes 23 B777, (8 B777-200LR and 15 B777-300ER) 18 B737-800, 27 B787-800. Air India has already taken deliveries of 18 B737-800, 8 B777-200LR and of the 15 B777-300ER 10 aircraft's have been delivered and the remaining 5 were about to be delivered over a period of next 15 months. It is estimated that Air India will have to pay Rs22,000 crore for aircraft deliveries this year, were it paid Rs 12,000 crore last year.
