AirInsight
• Addison Schonland
The manufacturers’ latest data show both Airbus and Boeing ahead of their delivery totals at the same point last year, although momentum moderated after a strong summer. Boeing delivered 51 aircraft in August, including 41 737 MAXs, and has delivered 418 aircraft year to date as 787 handovers slowed.
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The manufacturers’ latest data show both Airbus and Boeing ahead of their delivery totals at the same point last year, although momentum moderated after a strong summer. Boeing delivered 51 aircraft in August, including 41 737 MAXs, and has delivered 418 aircraft year to date as 787 handovers slowed.
The 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks offers a moment to examine how the event affected Airbus and Boeing, two companies whose commercial aircraft businesses were exposed to the resulting disruption across the global aviation industry and wider economy.
Airbus now expects China to require 470 fewer new single-aisle aircraft over the next 20 years than previously forecast, citing the expanding high-speed rail network’s growing competition with domestic air travel. The revision highlights rail’s increasing influence on airline fleet demand and network planning in the world’s largest aviation growth market.
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Lufthansa Technik has entered the final certification phase for AeroSHARK on Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft, with a Discover Airlines A330-300 set to become the first Airbus aircraft fitted with the shark-skin-inspired surface film. The technology has already been used on Boeing 777 aircraft.
United Airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada are among the North American carriers preparing significant A321XLR deployments next year, as airlines globally shape new long-haul routes around Airbus’ narrowbody. The emerging network plans will show where the aircraft’s range and capacity create viable alternatives to widebody service.
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Egyptian airline Air Cairo has signed a firm order for 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft at the El Alamein International Airshow 2026. The purchase marks the EgyptAir sister airline’s first direct order for the narrowbody type as it expands its fleet.
An Irish unit of Russian state-owned aircraft lessor GTLK is suing easyJet for at least $72 million, alleging the British airline unlawfully abandoned six Airbus aircraft after terminating their leases in response to sanctions, the Financial Times reported. The case highlights the legal and financial exposure surrounding sanctioned aircraft assets.
SWISS and the Swiss Museum of Transport aim to make the airline’s final Airbus A340-300, HB-JMH, a permanent exhibit in Lucerne after its planned 2028 retirement. The museum must raise funds for the complex relocation of the approximately 125-ton aircraft from Zurich Airport.
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