December 2007 Archives

Following in the footsteps of the Boeing 787 tails poster that was first created back in early May, I have created another exclusive presentation of the tails that belong to all the present and future Airbus A380 operators. Half of the tails were adapted from other images and the other half were hand drawn my myself. We've already seen a few of these tails floating around Toulouse and I'm sure we'll be seeing even more in the coming year.

I also wanted to wish everyone a wonderful year ahead in 2008. Barring any unforeseen major stories over the next few days, this will likely be my final post of 2007. Needless to say, 2007 was a big one for me, and I owe a deep debt of gratitude to all of you for making this adventure possible. After all, without you, I would just be talking to myself.

Onward.

Click to Enlarge

(Left to right)
Row 1: Thai Airways, Etihad, Kingfisher, Malaysian, Korean, British Airways

Row 2: China Southern, Lufthansa, Aerolineas Argentinas, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air Comet

Row 3: ILFC, Air France, Emirates, QANTAS, Sinagpore Airlines, Airbus SAS

I went back and looked at a post I published on April 4, 2007 when the 787 program crossed the 500 (and 14) order mark when JAL added five 787. Today, December 27, 2007, the 787 program crossed the golden mark: 787 orders, 790 to be exact. The milestone was crossed when British Airways firmed its order for 24 787 (8 x 787-8 + 16 x 787-9). This eclipses the 737 orders the 737NG program accumulated at the time of its first delivery to Southwest.

Somewhat ironically, I wrote this:

...by May 2008 when the first 787-881 is delivered to ANA the title may be revoked [for the 737] if Boeing hasn't booked 738 firm orders. Why not shoot for 787?

Mission accomplished. Congratulations Boeing.

Image Courtesy The Boeing Company

There are other notable orders over the last few days also:

GOL: 74 737-800
Jeju Air: 5 737-800
Air Astana: 3 787-8

There are a few others floating around and the math is always fuzzy with firm orders, but the Boeing/Airbus order battle is even tighter than ever. Stay tuned.

On December 19, the second Qatar Airways 777-300ER was delivered to Doha. In case you were wondering, the trip from Everett, WA, USA to Doha, Qatar is a marathon on a 6413 nm route. However, the Qatar Airways delivery flight is only the fourth longest of this year for Boeing on the 777 line which has had an amazing 75 deliveries through November 2007.

Photo Courtesy Liem Bahneman

For those who are fans of flight plans, here's the route:

KPAE-OTBD
QTR3052
777-3DZER - A7-BAB
FL330
YDC J503 YEG J517 YMM NCAD RIDOK NCAD 6014N 10000W NCAD DARUB 6600N 05000W 6700N 04000W 6600N 03000W 6500N 02000W 6400N 01000W VALDI UL621 UKOV UN616 DINRO UL601 TUNLA UL601 KTN R785 ZELAF UR785 TRF UP559 GADLI UT503 PAXAN UT503 TAMRO UN318 ALSAT UN318 IMGAS R659 DOH

Also, here's the countdown of the top five longest delivery flights of 2007:

5. Paine Field (PAE) to Indira Gandhi International (DEL)
October 31, 2007
Air India Flight 164
777-300ER - VT-ALK
6111 nm

4. Paine Field (PAE) to Doha International Airport (DOH)
December 19, 2007
Qatar Airways Flight 3052
777-300ER - A7-BAB
6413 nm

3. Paine Field (PAE) to Dubai International Airport (DXB)
December 20, 2007
Emirates Airlines Flight 777
777-300ER - A6-ECE
6425 nm

2. Paine Field (PAE) to Changi (SIN)
October 29, 2007
Singapore Airlines Flight 777
777-300ER - 9V-SWL
6998 nm

1. Boeing Field (BFI) to Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO)
February 21, 2007
Kenya Airways Flight 772
777-200ER - 5Y-KYZ
7834 nm

On December 21st, MSN010 registered as F-WWSG, the 11th A380 and the 5th for Singapore Airlines made its first flight from Toulouse. The unpainted superjumbo was spotted taking to the skies by Hervé G. earlier this week. Delivery is scheduled for a year from now in December 2008.

The production update has been changed accordingly to reflect the new information.

The Chinese AVIC I Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century (ARJ21-700) rolled out on Friday afternoon in Shanghai. This is a major milestone in Chinese aerospace. This is the first commercial jet offering in Chinese history. AVIC announced a 100 aircraft order by Kunpeng Airlines, a joint venture between China and Mesa Air Group, bringing the order total to 170. The 70 to 95 seat aircraft is powered by two General Electric CF34-10A turbofans at 15,332 lbs. of thrust each.

Bombardier and AVIC have decided to collaborate on the development of the larger ARJ21-900. This collaboration may actually lead to trouble for Bombardier if the -700 begins to eat into its market share on the CRJ.

One thing that deserves special attention is the design of this aircraft. Though it does bear a striking resemblance to a western counterpart, what strikes me when looking at these photographs, which were taken by Flight's Leithen Francis, is the very troubling location of the aft emergency exits. If you look closely as these photographs, you'll notice that the aft exit is directly in front of the engine inlets. In the event of an emergency evacuation, passengers will be exiting dangerously close to the engine, which could be potentially spinning and/or on fire at the time. I cannot imagine that safety regulators will be content with this design, nor should they.

Overall, the introduction of a new national player in commercial aircraft design and manufacture is a very bright point for the industry which will only serve to drive new partnerships, innovation, research and development. The more choices the market has, the better the products the flying public gets to enjoy.

All Photos Courtesy of Leithen Francis

Many more photos below the fold.

I felt like last week's open thread experiment went pretty well, so let's try it again.

Also, one question to ponder. Where do you see IFE in 2008? With American, Alaskan, jetBlue and Virgin America all upping the stakes with in-flight Wi-Fi in the year to come, the introduction of a potentially profitable frill is an exciting development. Flight Senior Editor Mary Kirby sat down with Addison Schonland at IAG to discuss the matter in a great podcast. Also, if you have 60 seconds, head over and take this survey about IFE and weigh in on what you'd like to see happen with in-flight internet.

Week In Review (In No Particular Order)
Rough List

JFK Traffic Control
Big Sky Closes Down
Airbus/Boeing Order Battle
Scott Carson's End of the Year Interview
QANTAS 737 Order
Airbus Divests to GKN, Latecoere and MT
Branson Opts for Serious A380 Amenities
Vietnam Firms A350 Order

And for your enjoyment, this IFE gem from Virgin America.

If you've got 32 minutes to spare, I highly recommend listening to the complete interview with BCA President Scott Carson by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's aerospace reporter, James Wallace. His write up is primarily about the 787, but the interview covers a broad range of topics including the 737RS, 777X and the 747-8I.

The interview should really be taken as an additional supplement to last week's call. The ebullient optimism of last week is more tempered with a little more insight and color about key suppliers, which demonstrates the confidence but also the realities of the challenges ahead for 2008 and 2009.

Lastly, listen for Carson's comments on the 777 replacement program. He talks about the potential offering looking at a seat range that starts above the 787-10 and spans to an aircraft larger than the 777-300ER.

This kind of planning makes it look as though the 747-8I wouldn't have nearly as long a life as they are forecasting. Any new aircraft with more seats than the -300ER would be targeted as a 747 replacement as well. Boeing's market forecast anticipates fewer than 1000 747 and larger aircraft and greater than 6,200 twin aisle aircraft sold between now and 2026. That's a staggering difference. Their product planning here would reflect this trend.

With this line of thinking, the 787-10 ends up taking the 777-200ER's spot at the bottom of the 777 family and everything moves up a notch on the 777 replacement program. Ultimately you go from a four aircraft product line to a three aircraft product line by 2020. Boeing's core products would be the 737RS, 787 and 777RS on the passenger side.

Singapore Airlines two painted A380s. Can you spot the difference? Images zoomed and scaled and courtesy of Yvan Panas and Helmut Schnichels.

9V-SKA

9V-SKB

First the logos go missing on the nacelles, now this. Who's painting these, and which one is right?

When asked in early November at the Dubai Air Show about the impact of the weak dollar on Boeing, VP of Marketing for Boeing, Randy Tinseth replied, "I don't know if it necessarily hurts or helps us, but I'm sure it's not helping our competition."

Less than two weeks later, Airbus CEO Tom Enders was saying that the Euro had passed, "The pain barrier" and was forcing cuts to the European aerospace giant's research and development budget.

Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS reinforced the need for a change in an interview in early December, saying, "if the dollar rate stays the way it is now, we will have to shift parts of our production and supplier business to the dollar zone."

In response to its Power8 reorganization plan, Airbus decided to divest itself from French manufacturing plants in Meault, Saint Nazaire, German plants in Nordenham, Varel and Augsburg, as well as a plant in Filton in the UK.

Airbus announced its decision today to distribute the the sites amongst GKN, Latecoere, and MT Aerospace, all three are European companies based in the UK, France and Germany respectively. It had been thought that Kansas based Spirit Aerosystems was the leading contender to receive all of the sites because it allowed Airbus to move key portions of its business into the dollar-zone, thus beginning to deliver some relief from the weak dollar, which it sells its airplanes in. Had Spirit been selected it would've given an opportunity to potentially relocate the manufacturing capability outside of the euro-zone to an area with lower costs and a more favorable exchange rate.

During the late night hours of December 10th to 13th, a convoy wound its way through the French Countryside from Langon to Toulouse. On board the slow moving industrial parade were the wings, horizontal stabilizer, front, center and aft fuselage sections of an Airbus A380.

Speculation about the identity of this convoy points to it potentially as the first Airbus A380 for Air France. If confirmed, the aircraft would be MSN033 which is expected to wear the final registration F-HPJA following its flight testing and preparation for entry into service.

When contacted for confirmation, Airbus declined to disclose the identity of the unidentified A380.

Air France would join Singapore Airlines, Emirates and QANTAS as the fourth airline with an A380 under assembly in Toulouse.

Air France's first A380, which is slated for delivery in 2009, will be powered by four Engine Alliance GP7200, which received official certification earlier this month.

Monday in the US is wrapping up, and today was largely a research day for me that has left me with more questions then when the day began.

Maybe a few of you out there can answer a few of these:

Which mystery A380 structures found their way to Toulouse last week?

Why is the 747 LCF flying back and forth between Charleston and Everett empty? Training flights? Fixture movement?

When is Virgin America launching its broadband on-board?

And lastly, where did I leave my keys?

Have the answers? Leave a comment or drop a line at flightblogger (at) gmail (dot) com.

All and all, a very slow Monday. Maybe you can lend a hand and make Tuesday a bit more interesting.

Thought it was time to give something new a try. I'm creating an open thread for a discussion of the week's big events. I've been wanting to give this a try for a while and now seems like a good time. This may even become a regular Friday occurrence if it goes well.

Week In Review (In No Particular Order)
Rough List

- 787 Program Update
- China Airlines A350 order
- GECAS 777, 737 order
- Luftansa and jetBlue
- jetBlue flies wireless internet
- 777F Assembly to begin in January
- Pilots can fly until 65 in US
- A380 Engine Alliance Certification
- Alitalia postpones purchase decision
- 5000th Airbus goes to QANTAS
- Air India gets Star Alliance Approval
- Airbus Selects Messier-Dowty for A350 Landing Gear
- Libyan and Afriqiyah Airbus Orders

Rules: Keep it civil, keep it clean.

Boeing and GE Commercial Aviation Services Announce Order for 55 Airplanes

SEATTLE, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing and GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) today announced a 55-airplane order that includes 53 Next-Generation 737-800s and two Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) passenger jetliners.

Congrats to Boeing on a huge order. It's another boost to a staggering backlog on both the 737 and 777 programs. With that being said, what's taking GECAS so long to order 787s? ILFC has placed orders for 74 787s - the chief competitor to the GE aviation leasing arm. Certainly the hesitation at GECAS isn't with with GENx engines which I'm sure they'd love to showcase, so what are they waiting for?

Having had the opportunity to allow yesterday's update to stew for 24 hours I wanted to throw my $.02 in the mix.

Richard Aboulafia described the call yesterday as, "Both reassuring and underwhelming," signaling the reaffirmation of Boeing's confidence in its own production plan, while falling short in providing the specifics to spread its own confidence to a jittery market and a skeptical media.

The point of confidence that I believe can be derived from the update is the way in which Shanahan demonstrated his oversight of the inherited program he now captains. At every turn, he emphasized his role in ensuring the easy flow of communication and decision-making across the entire program. Whether it was his three to four hour daily meetings with managers yards from the assembly floor or his upcoming afternoon conference call with Japanese suppliers, this is a manager who has quickly found his footing and taken the reins. Whether this stands in genuine contrast to the way that Mike Bair operated is not fully known. In previous update calls, Bair never had to justify his level of engagement in the process, yet, Shanahan needed to establish this in contrast to the perception that the level of oversight just simply hadn't been sufficient to run the program.

One item that was raised at the conclusion of the call was a question regarding metrics for measuring program status. Carson suggested that the arrival of ZA007 for final assembly in Everett is a milestone to watch for. Though additional specific Boeing metrics aren't available for evaluating the health of this program, I believe there are two additional indications of how the program is progressing:

1. How long does it take ZA002 to go through final assembly in Everett?
2. When do parts for ZA007 arrive in Charleston and how fast is the center fuselage assembled and delivered to Everett?

The first metric provides a good indication as to the application of the lessons learned from Dreamliner One. This will be Boeing's first opportunity to apply its in sequence assembly processes on a flying 787 airframe.

The second demonstrates the speed at which Global Aeronautica can assemble and deliver sections of a production model airframe. Charleston needs to show it can complete work fast enough with adequately utilized manpower to accommodate high delivery rates of full production airframes.

Stay tuned, this one's getting interesting.

This is a picture in desperate need of a caption. Yes, that's a bug on the A380 tail camera.

Image courtesy Kleinschmidt!!

Released Moments Ago:

Image Courtesy Boeing

Overview Courtesy of NYC777

* Gratified by market demand for the 787.
* Set a new high for sales of the 787 at 314 and may have more before year end. 762 firm orders from 52 customers.
* Confidence in the business model and the technologies underlying the 787
* Fly end of 1st quarter of 2008, delivery in November – December 2008 and have 109 deliveries by end of 2009.
* Shanahan reviewed the entire 787 program starting in October and met with the global partners.
* Design and development phases were executed well and now need to execute production ramp up.
* Retired combined aircraft development and design team (led by Scott Strode).
* Reorganized the department: 1) Development, 2) Supplier Management, and 3) Final Assembly and Operations
* Meet daily on the factory floor to make sure that the right processes are followed and that required changes are implement
* Starting the same process with the partners (meetings with them).
* 100% complete on the 787-8 design.
* Reviewed and agreed to certification requirements of the 787 program with the FAA now need to demonstrate compliance with the requirements.
* Successfully tested the HTP in Italy to design.
* Continue to work weight reduction and have some work to do.
* LN 1 – the primary structure is completed, fastener availability is reduced. Complete the aircraft and focused on power on by end of January. Can retire risk at power on. Perform integration testing and then perform gauntlet testing. Everything is on track to support power on.
* ZY997 – move to static fixture in January. Frame is mostly complete.
* Parts are much more complete
* Fasteners and parts are arriving at a faster pace.
* On track to make power on by end of January
* Production schedule will be more predictable once Power-On is achieved.
* Flight-control tests will occur after Power-On.
* Honeywell flight control software is ready for Power-On. All 92 systems are ready.
* ZY998 – started final assembly, forward with main fuselage and wings are attached. Rear fuselage will be joined later this week.
* LN 2 parts will arrive later this month to start final assembly
* LN 3 – LN 6 will be in the factory by end of February in Everett. LN 7 (First customer airplane) will be arriving by March.
* Both engines families (RR and GE) will be ready for testing by start of flight test program.
* No flaws in the production system process
* Alenia starting to work on LN 14 with most partners starting work on LN 7
* Traveled work is starting to decrease.
* Traveled work continues to be the biggest constraint to progress
* Big problems are solved but the small details are the frustrating part
* No more join problems (as was on LN 1).
* Investment in automation and processes (more efficiencies) will allow 6/month production rate
* Hardware and software that is going to be used in flight test are being used in the engineering simulator. Software is coming together very well.
* The documentation problem still exists but Shanahan has his arms around it and the situation is improving.

9:50 AM: Good morning to some, good afternoon and good evening to others! Welcome to Flightblogger's liveblogged coverage of the December Boeing 787 Program Update. We'll be getting underway here shortly once the call gets started in about ten minutes or so.

The consensus inside the financial world this morning is that a change in schedule isn't expected in this call. There are many things to listen for though, including the status of fasteners, flight test software, assembly progress and some serious questions about Vought's future in the program.

Full coverage below the fold.

Ever-louder rumblings inside Boeing from Everett and Charleston point to this potential course of action.

Following the October 10th announcement of the six month delay in first delivery of the 787, significant speculation began as to the exact source of the problems.

Though many have been looking for a smoking gun, there are many factors that added up to create the current situation. One piece of the puzzle that has been perpetually been identified as a source of the program’s problems is Texas-based first-tier supplier, Vought Aircraft Industries.

Vought has never been identified by name as the source of the problems, yet it appears that the change in language amongst the top brass at Boeing and Vought points to a cooling relationship which could be setting the stage for a clean extrication in the near future.

October 31
Former 787 Program Manager Mike Bair spoke frankly in an address to the Snohomish County Economic Development Council remarking on unidentified suppliers that, “Some of these guys we won’t use again.”

November 7
A memo to all 787 program staff from Program Manager Pat Shanahan announced that, “To strengthen the management of the supply chain, Scott Strode, previous vice president of Airplane Definition and Production, will oversee all BCA supplier development activities with Vought Aircraft Industries, with special attention to 787 recovery and production ramp up.

November 9
Vought CEO Elmer Doty at his company’s third quarterly earnings report admitted that “I don't think you need rumors to assume we are among the riskiest, if not the riskiest, of the structure producers."

December 7
BCA President Scott Carson, who was surprisingly available just days before the 787 update remarked to the Wall Street Journal Friday in regards to Vought and its suppliers, "In addition to oversight, you need insight into what's actually going on in those factories…Had we had adequate insight, we could have helped our suppliers understand the challenges."

So how does Boeing gain that insight?

A buy out of Vought makes the most sense moving forward. It would eliminate the middle-man in what the Wall Street Journal called a “new bureaucratic ladder.” This allows Boeing to more effectively work with its global suppliers by retaking the reins on manufacture and assembly of 787 structures.

Overall, this is not a rejection of the fundamental principles upon which the 787 was built. Without Vought, the 787 is still very much an aircraft program that has a global scope. Reassuming control which was previously outsourced is not a rejection of outsourcing, it’s an acknowledgment that good business is done with good partners – a tenet which has never changed.

An amicable end to a tumultuous relationship allows Vought to walk away from the 787 program with its financial house in order while giving Boeing the best opportunity to meet the only goal that really matters:

Build 109 Dreamliners in the next 751 days.

In advance of tomorrow morning's Boeing 787 Program Update, a Flightblogger-style program update is now available. Different from previous updates, this post provides visual context for understanding where the program currently stands. Below is an image depicting the rough locations of the three airframes currently being assembled in Washington, and is accurate as of December 10, 2007. This page will feature liveblogged coverage of the conference call on the morning of December 11 (10 AM ET, 7 AM PT, 1500 GMT) so please feel free to come by, leave your comments and questions for the 787 leadership.

Dreamliner One - ZA001
Structural work has largely concluded on Dreamliner One and installation of insulation blankets began on the forward part of the aircraft in Section 43 on December 3rd. ZA001 remains at position three in Building 40-26. Doors three and four have not yet been reinstalled following their removal just after the July 8th rollout. Electronics racks in the airframe have also been installed in the cargo bay and the airframe is still largely surrounded by scaffolding.

Power on is still planned to take place on or before January 24th. Early February is slated for the second rollout/factory completion of Dreamliner One. At that time the first flying 787 is expected to move to the flight line where it will be prepared for its first flight. The aircraft is expected to achieve flight readiness by the end of February in preparation for a first flight on or before the 31st of March 2008.

Click to View Larger Image
Original Image Courtesy of Boeing
Edited by Flightblogger to reflect current status

Program Note:
I will be liveblogging the Boeing 787 Program Update on December 11th starting at 10 AM EDT (7 AM PT, 1500 GMT). This will be the first update offered by new 787 Program Manager Patrick Shanahan and BCA CEO Scott Carson since the October 10th delay announcement.

In addition, a Flightblogger 787 production update will be posted later today.

Stay tuned.

Compiled below is the completion of almost a month's worth of research. Many thanks to those of you who assisted in its compilation, you know who you are. Just as this blog was born from data about the Boeing 787 that was publicly available, this production update aims to provide similar information about the Airbus A380. Photographs, press releases, magazines, online encyclopedias and news articles have all been utilized to provide the most comprehensive status update regarding the A380.

If you feel that there are required changes or additions to any of this information, please do not hesitate to contact me at flightblogger (at) gmail (dot) com or leave comments. Those who have information should be aware that sources are closely held and never shared.

If there are those of you who live along (or near) the route of travel for the A380 convoys please do not hesitate to contact me as well.

UPDATED: Monday, February 11, 2008 5:10 PM ET - Changes are BOLD

GOV HOPEFUL ABOUT DIRECT BOSTON-TO-CHINA FLIGHTS State Capitol Briefs December 6, 2007

Gov. Deval Patrick says there’s hope of arranging new direct service between Boston and Beijing and Shagnhai. During an interview with New England Cable News that aired Wednesday night, Patrick, speaking from Shanghai, said, “We will have some news, I hope, to announce with respect to direct air service between Boston and Beijing and Shanghai. We have some details to work out.”

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Scott Carson announced today that Boeing will be making a decision within the next eighteen months about its plans for the 737RS. Entry into service would still be around 2015 or so. Boeing is clearly striking while the iron is hot. With Airbus scaling back it R&D costs because of the weak dollar, Boeing is going full steam ahead with plans for a new single-aisle program.

One distinct challenge here, is that Boeing has significant resources devoted to the three new programs right now: 787 taking the lion share of the most experienced engineers, the 747-8 and the 777F. However, I can promise you that deep in the depths of Boeing there are white boards being scribbled on, pots of coffee being brewed and visionaries at work. For the sake of full disclosure, beside flight testing, the "idea" phase is the one that is a personal favorite of mine. Watching "an idea" become something that defies gravity is a feat deserving of nothing but enormous respect.

According to those involved in developing new commercial products, it appears that the attitude inside Boeing is that the competitor isn't Airbus, but rather the 737NG itself. The task, and it is a big one, is to unseat its own hot-selling product while providing significant improvements in fuel consumption, noise, comfort and range.

The magic number here is 20. Come up 20% increase in fuel efficiency or it just isn't worth it to develop an entirely new product.

This is not going to be easy - but who ever said it was supposed to be?

Progress on Boston's first Asian route. Clearly discussions have been fruitful:

Xinhua Financial Network News
December 6, 2007
Thursday 3:36 PM GMT

US state governor hopes to see 'progress' on Boston-China direct flights

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Deval Patrick, governor of the US state of Massachusetts, said he is close to reaching an agreement that would allow direct commercial flights to Beijing and Shanghai from Boston's Logan International Airport.

"We're one of the few major cities in America that doesn't have direct service. We're working on that, and we have made some progress and we hope to have something to announce, if not by the end of our visit here, then shortly thereafter," Patrick said in a statement.

Patrick is currently heading a trade delegation to China.

He told XFN-Asia in an interview earlier: "There are no direct flights between Boston and any of the commercial capitals of China, but we have 68,000 people who travel between Massachusetts and China every year. So it's a market waiting for someone to make money. Hainan Airlines comes to mind."

The latest podcast from aviationpodcasts.com and IAG is an absolute must. Addison Schonland sat down with Mark Dunkerely, President and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines to talk about the A350 purchase. They cover the map with talk of delivery dates, engine manufacturers, new routes, and even the possibility of new narrow-bodies.

LISTEN HERE

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts (D) departed for a trade mission November 30 to China by departing Boston's Logan International Airport with a 40 member delegation for a direct flight to...

...another airport in the US that serves China directly.

Currently, Boston has no direct service to Asia.

Logan Airport has always been limited by a runway that is unable to accommodate a fully loaded 747-400. Korean Airlines operated service between BOS-IAD-ICN, not the most attractive of options for New England travelers. The 747 would depart Boston with many empty seats and fly to Washington, DC to pick up additional passengers before flying to Seoul. The airline struggled to achieve profitability on the route and it was eventually canceled in July 2001.

Talk of establishing the route had been floating around the aviation world when Boston's Mayor Menino first announced plans for the service in early 2006.

According to his public schedule, Governor Patrick will be sharing dinner with the Chairman of the soon-to-be-re-branded Hainan Airlines (Grand China Air), this evening (December 3rd). Undoubtedly, a topic of conversation will be the air link between Boston and China. Accompanying Governor Patrick on the Trade Mission is the CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Tom Kinton who oversees the operation of Logan Airport.

Not coincidentally last week, a member of the Governor's Commission on Asian American Affairs reaffirmed that flights between BOS and PEK were planned for launch sometime in 2009.

Grand China Air will fly its new Boeing 787s on the route. GCA is expected to receive ZA012 and ZA016 sometime in 2009 following flight testing and certification of the Dreamliner which is expected to begin in March 2008.