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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 1866.PDF
HEADLINES BA ponders engine switch for big new 777 acquisition BRITISH AIRWAYS is consid ering buying 20 more Boeing 777s in a $2 billion deal that could see it switch engine suppliers. The carrier selected the General Electric GE90 engine for its cur rent fleet of 777-200s, having rejected an offer from traditional supplier Rolls-Royce, but it is now seeking bids from alternative sup pliers for die new purchase. BA's current 777 fleet numbers 18 aircraft. A further 11 are on order and option, and the airline is contractually obliged to take these aircraft with die GE90, but is free to switch to another supplier on any additional aircraft. The airline,which is also about to announce the winner of a mas sive narrowbody order, declined to comment on its 777 plans. The carrier is looking to enlarge its 777 fleet to up to 50 aircraft as part of a strategy to replace the Boeing 747-400 on its thinner, long-haul routes to points in South America and southern Africa. The move would require the heaviest with a maximum take-off weight version of the 777-200ER^ - 297,800kg (656,0001b) - and a rel atively high thrust engine. GE is offering an improved ver sion of its GE90-92B, while R-R has its Trent 895 and Trent 8104. Pratt & Whitney is proposing a derated version of its PVV4098. According to US industry sources, Boeing will meet BA this month to discuss die order, and the proposal will be reviewed at the air line's monthly board meeting in August. An engine selection is due in October, with deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2001. If the airline does choose to switch engine manufacturer, this raises the possibility of the in-ser vice fleet being re-engined, although this is thought unlikely. Europe's largest carrier is look ing to boost its twinjet fleet at the expense of 747-400s it has on order. BAhas firm orders for 14 addition al R-R RB211-powered 747-400s, but is looking to swap some of these for 777s. This could involve a deliv ery positions exchange deal with Cathay Pacific. • Huge UPS contract provides A300-600 lifeline for Airbus MAX KINGSLEY-JONES/LONDON UPS AIRLINES has chosen the Airbus A300-600 for its long-awaited widebody regional freighter requirement, with a deal for up to 100 aircraft, including 40 new build examples. The deal, which was won over a several bidders, including Boeing, provides a vital boost to the flagging A300 order backlog. The order has not been confirmed by eidier party, but is ex pected to include orders and op tions for 20 to 40 new A30O-60OFs worth over S3 billion. Deliveries will get under way next year. The US express parcels airline is understood to have a requirement for up to 60 more A300-600s which would be sourced from the second hand passenger market and con verted. A300 freighter conversion specialists, Daimler-Benz Aero space Airbus and British Aerospace Aviation Services, were involved in the Airbus bidding process. The A3 00-600 bid was selected over Boeing offers including the McDonnell Douglas DC-10/MD- 10, BoeingMD-11 and Boeing 767 freighter. The last two bids are diought to have included new and used aircraft. The Lockheed L- 1011 TriStar was also a candidate, widi the UK's Marshall Aerospace pitching a package to convert Delta Air Lines' large fleet. TheA300/A3 lOproduction line in Toulouse has been operating on a build-to-order basis recently, with the backlog dropping to little over 20 and output running at less dian one a month. Airbus is anxious to keep the line active until an expected resurgence in demand early in the next centu ry. Ten of the A3 00s on backlog are the remainder of 35 -600Fs or dered by UPS rival FedEx. 3 Boom continues for Airbus and Boeing ASURGE OF narrowbody business kept die order boom going for Airbus and Boeing over the first half of 1998, although both will be watching for signs of a slow down in the second half, when the full impact of the Asian recession is likely to be felt. The two together booked more dian 550 orders, almost doubling the tally at the half-way stage last year and apparently putting the market on track for another full- year total above the 1,000 mark. So far there has been little visible impact from the downturn in South-East Asia. Despite a round of delays and deferrals from the region, the only major outright loss of business came from Asiana Airlinesslippinga couple of Boeing 737s, two 777s and six Airbus A321s. Ordering elsewhere com pensated, but it could begin to tell over the next year if deferrals turn into cancellations. A surge in business for the A320 family, with major orders from Latin American carriers, Sabena and a top-up from United Airlines, not only gave Airbus a lead over the 737 in die first half, but helped the European manufacturer take pole position for die period. It reverses a dire performance a year ago, when Airbus managed only 80 new orders over the six months. The launch of die new A340 types has also helped stimulate Airbus widebody sales, while the US Airways A330-300 deal agreed in July is still to appear on the books. Boeing's performance relied equally heavily on narrowbody sales of the New Generation 737 family, with a series of major US deals led by Southwest Airlines. The backlog for other Boeing types was down from the start of the year, despite a couple of large US orders for the 777. • •hliOMa Aircraft Airbus A300-600R A310-300 A319 A320 A321 A330 A340 Total Boeing 737-3/4/5 737-6/7/8 747 757 767 777 Total Ii!:liM:fcli1dlW:l Deliveries 2 1 25 39 23 7 13 110 67 50 21 25 25 37 225 Douglas Products 717 (MD95) 0 MD-11 MD-80 MD-90 Total 6 3 14 23 Boeing Group total 248 TOTAL 358 H+fiVI Orders 0 0 111 106 30 11 29 287 10 188 9 5 8 26 246 5 7 24 0 36 282 569 l&MHMiBdl Cancelled* 0 0 -6 7 -12 1 -3 -13 -6 0 1 0 -2 2 -5 0 0 0 -1 -1 -6 •19 <TT Miitt Net orders 0 0 105 113 18 12 26 274 4 188 10 5 6 28 241 5 7 24 -1 35 276 550 NOTES * Cancellations = Calculated over first six months only. May be positive where an converted from one aircraft type to another but no new order has taken place Backlog 18 6 386 368 138 167 90 1.173 97 887 148 113 122 251 1,618 55 15 31 53 154 1.772 2,945 order has been 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15 - 21 July 1998
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