By Staff Correspondent
Aviation magnates convened on the second day of the Paris Air Show, an event held for the first time beyond the confines of the French capital after a four-year hiatus. The event’s curtain-raiser witnessed Airbus SE, the domestic behemoth, reel in an unprecedented order from Indian airline IndiGo, involving a fleet of 500 A320 family aircraft. The show’s second day is bracing for another surge of commercial declarations from Airbus and its American adversary, Boeing Co.
Simultaneously, experienced industry pundits are expressing concerns about airlines possibly over-booking in a phase where economic growth is moderating, and casual customers face potential financial exhaustion following the first wave of post-pandemic reservations. Conversely, a restrained supply of new jets compels customers to take swift action to evade being consigned to the bottom of the waitlist. Tuesday’s show was punctuated with significant developments:
Boeing’s Breakthrough
Boeing inked a definitive contract with Air Algerie involving eight 737 Max-9 aircraft and two converted 737 freighters, known as BCF. The two corporations have collaborated since the 1970s. Air Algerie intends to utilise the new planes to supersede ageing 737 models, marking Boeing’s first firm order proclamation at this year’s Paris Air Show. Air Algerie also contemplates acquiring wide-body aircraft for future expansion.
Pending Colossal Order
Turkish Airlines continues to scrutinise options regarding a colossal 600-plane order. A decision is now projected within three to four months between Boeing and Airbus, said CEO Bilal Eksi at the Paris Air Show. Turkish is also mulling a separate regional-jet order involving Airbus and Embraer.
Fighter-Jet Sales
Lockheed Martin Corp. aims to conclude F-35 sales to Greece and the Czech Republic after recent orders from Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the stealthy US fighter jet has become a preferred weapon among NATO members.
Twin-Aisle Agreement
Airbus struck a deal to sell nine A350-1000 aircraft to Philippine Airlines, which aims to deploy the twin-aisle jetliners on services between Manila and North American cities.
Engine Production
GE and Safran have raised the output of their CFM Leap engines by 30% in the first half, compared to the same period in 2022, said supply chain executive Mike Kauffman.
Leap Fixes
General Electric Co. engineering Vice President Mohamed Ali states that Testing a redesigned high-pressure turbine blade for the Leap narrowbody engine is progressing well.
Strengthening Orders
Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd confirmed orders for an additional 9 Airbus SE A220 jets. With this latest addition, Qantas will procure 29 A220-300s as part of an order announced in December 2021.
