ISSN 1718-7966 JANUARY 20, 2014 / VOL. 422 WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES Read by thousands of aviation professionals and technical decision-makers every week www.avitrader.com Boeing and WORLD NEWS Airbus both flew high with More Boeing 787 trouble record orders and deliveries The US National Transportation in 2013, with Safety Board (NTSB) is set to join Airbus taking Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau in a over the lead for new probe into a failed lithium-ion bat- aircraft orders, tery on board a JAL Boeing 787 while Boeing Dreamliner parked at Tokyo’s Narita remained on Airport. Boeing said that the fact top of the that liquid had been released into delivery charts for the second the battery container after smoke straight year was discovered rising from the cells, showed that the modifica- Boeing tions it brought in last year to fix an earlier problem - which led to the grounding of the 50-strong global Airbus tops orders race; Boeing delivers record numbers fleet of 787s from January to April 2013 order backlogs of both airframers top 5,000 units for first time - were working as intended. Airbus and Boeing broke a host Airbus v Boeing: Orders and Deliveries CSeries delivery setback of records with the publication of January through December 2013 Canadian airframer Bombardier their order and delivery tallies for Airbus Boeing announced it was pushing back 2013, with Airbus emerging as the delivery of its first CSeries jet the clear leader in the single-aisle Type Orders* Deliveries Type Orders* Deliveries by around a year, saying it need- category while Boeing continues A318 0 1 737-700 14 17 ed more time to test the CS100, its widebody domination. A319 26 38 737-800 474 356 the first of its two CSeries mod- Airbus said it had exceeded its els. The delay is a blow to the A320 702 352 737-900 21 67 commercial targets in 2013, company’s efforts to break into achieving a new record of 626 A321 525 102 737-MAX 699 0 the Airbus / Boeing duopoly over aircraft deliveries for an indus- A330 77 108 747 17 24 small passenger jets. The first CSeries is now set to be delivered try record of 1,619 gross orders, A340 0 0 767 2 21 in the second half of 2015, just beating the previous record in A350 239 0 777 121 98 ahead of Airbus’ first A320 neo. 2011 by 11 aircraft. The year also represented Airbus’ most valuable A380 50 25 787 183 65 SAA granted late reprieve gross order intake, with the list Total 1,619 626 Total 1,531 648 South Africa’s struggling state- prices of its order book topping *Gross Orders Source: Company websites owned carrier, SAA, was granted $240bn. By year end, the backlog an extension of the government’s had climbed to an industry-wide R5bn ($460m) guarantee, first record of 5,559 aircraft, valued at Airbus has now outstripped Boe- engine option, the A320neo, granted in August 2012, contrary $809bn at list prices, equivalent ing in the order race in seven of which captured 876 orders to the lobbying of Finance minis- to eight years production. the past 10 years, with the Euro- worth $44.6bn in 2013, while ter Malusi Gigaba who had been pean airframer emerging as the Boeing’s response to the neo, pressing for a larger cash injection. Taking into account cancellations clear leader in the narrowbody the 737 MAX, attracted 699 or- According to its last financial report, over the course of the year, Air- single-aisle sector. Overall, it ders worth $38.7bn. Among the the loss-making airline has 29 times bus still booked a record 1,503 took orders worth some $58.4bn current engine options, however, more debt than equity. As part of its net orders to Boeing’s 1,355. at list prices in 2013, compared Boeing’s 737 was the more popu- Gaining Altitude long-term turna- Boeing’s gross order book stood to $55.5bn for Boeing. lar, bringing in 347 orders worth at 1,531, also a company record. round strategy, SAA has committed $16.8bn to 286 orders valued at Its order backlog rose to a record An analysis of the two compa- to a fleet renewal program costing $13.8bn for the Airbus A320. some R70bn, which would cut its 5,080, taking production well nies’ order books shows the mar- fuel bill and improve efficiencies. into the next decade. ket’s preference for Airbus’ new Continued on page 7 Engine Leasing Asset Management All Manufacturer Types Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • Sales & Leasebacks All Manufacturer Types • Operating Leases Asset Management • Sales & Leasebacks All Manufacturer Types • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • Engine Trading • All Manufacturer Types • Sales & Leasebacks • Asset nagement • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • All Manufacturer Types • Sales & Leasebacks Operating Leases • Engine Trading • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • All Manufacturer Types • Operating Leases • Asset Management Leases • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases Manufacturer Types • Sales & Leasebacks • Engine Trading Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Sales & Leasebacks • Engine Trading • Asset Management • Long Medium & Short Term Leases • Engine Trading • Operating Leases • All Manufacturer Types • Asset Management um & Short Term Leases • Asset Management • Sales Leasebacks • All Manufacturer Types • Long, Medium and Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • Sales & Leasebacks • All Manufacturer Management • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases er Types • Operating Leases • Asset Management • Sales & Leasebacks • All Manufacturer Types • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • Sales Leasebacks ating Leases • All Manufacturer Types • Long Medium Short Term Leases • Operating Leases Asset Management • Engine Engine Trading • All Manufacturer Types Leasebacks • Engine Trading • Asset KEEPING YOU IN THE AIR Management • Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases • Asset Management • All Manufacturer Types Sales & Leasebacks • Operating Leases • Engine Trading • Long Medium & Short Term Leases eases • All Manufacturer Types ent • Asset Management Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases •Sales & Leasebacks • Engine Trading • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases • Operating Leases Sales & Leasebacks • Engine Trading • Asset Management • Operating Leases • Long, Medium & Short Term Leases Asset Management All Manufacturer Types Medium & Short Term Leases Management Term Leases Term www.elfc.com 3 AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES AIRCRAFT & ENGINE NEWS Embraer meets aircraft delivery guidance for 2013 Embraer released that it delivered 32 commercial and 53 business jets during the fourth Willis Lease Finance reports strong quarter of 2013, thus closing out the year with 90 airplanes delivered to the airline mar- engine leasing activity in December ket and 119 to executive aviation, that is, 90 light and 29 large jets. Therefore, Embraer 2013 met the estimated aircraft delivery guidance proposed for 2013, for both commercial jets and executive jets from the light and large categories. At the end of the year, the Willis Lease Finance Corporation reported it firm order backlog stood at $18.2bn. closed 2013 with one of the strongest months of new leasing activity in the company’s his- tory. “We ended 2013 by purchasing six brand new engines for over $75m and closing new Bombardier Aerospace confirms change to CSeries’ entry-into-service lease agreements for 19 engines, making De- cember one of the most productive months Bombardier Aerospace confirmed that the CSeries aircraft program is making solid we’ve ever had,” said Charles F. Willis, chair- progress and initial performance results are in line with the company’s expectations. man and CEO. “Excluding two off-lease en- However, based on the thorough review of the CSeries program after the first flight of gines purchased just prior to year-end, our the CS100 on September 16, 2013, the flight test phase will require more time than portfolio utilization reached 87%, which originally anticipated to ensure, amongst other things, that the aircraft has the overall represents significant improvement over the system maturity to support a successful entry-into-service. The CS100 aircraft’s entry- preceding quarter-end level of 85%, and the into-service is now scheduled for the second half of 2015 and will be followed by the highest level of 2013. While this year-end ac- CS300 aircraft’s entry-into-service approximately six months afterwards. tivity will have little impact on 2013 financial results, it is a great way to launch 2014.” Al Qahtani Aviation Company orders up to 26 Bombardier CSeries aircraft Airbus Helicopters to supply six Su- Dammam-based Al Qahtani Aviation Company signed a firm purchase agreement for 16 per Puma AS332 C1e helicopters to CS300 aircraft with options for an additional 10 CS300 jetliners. The aircraft will be oper- Bolivia ated by SaudiGulf Airlines, a newly launched national carrier from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al Qahtani Aviation Company and SaudiGulf Airlines are both owned by Saudi The Bolivian Air Force (FAB) has selected Abdel Hadi Abdullah Al-Qahtani & Sons Group of Companies (Tariq Al-Qahtani & Bros.). the latest high-power version of the Super Puma to fight drug trafficking and perform public-security and disaster-relief missions throughout the country. The contract in- Francois Hollande in New York last Septem- Boeing, Alaska Airlines announce or- cludes a logistics package that will support ber, while allowing the FAB to renew and der for two 737-900ERs fleet sustainability in the coming years. The strengthen its fleet with helicopters boast- Boeing and Alaska Airlines completed Boe- first two helicopters will be delivered this ing the latest technology. The contract also ing’s first firm airplane order of 2014 for year and the remaining four before 2016. includes a logistical support package that two additional 737-900ER (Extended Range) The signing of the contract underscores the aims to provide the FAB with the resources airplanes.