Leeham News
• Scott Hamilton
Airbus executives once celebrated overtaking Boeing in widebody sales, underscoring the European manufacturer’s earlier competitive momentum. The company has since fallen well behind its U.S. rival in the segment, marking a significant reversal in the long-haul aircraft market and Airbus’ commercial positioning.
Boeing
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An assessment of Boeing’s recent direction finds signs of improvement after nearly two decades of setbacks, beginning with the 787 rollout and extending through the 737 Max program’s multi-year failures from March 2019 into mid-2024. The analysis says the company still has substantial work ahead.
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Airbus executives once celebrated overtaking Boeing in widebody sales, underscoring the European manufacturer’s earlier competitive momentum. The company has since fallen well behind its U.S. rival in the segment, marking a significant reversal in the long-haul aircraft market and Airbus’ commercial positioning.
Kenya Airways is close to leasing a Boeing 777 freighter as it maintains a target of 40% of the cargo market, but the carrier is simultaneously seeking new investors and restoring grounded widebodies after heavy losses, rising fuel costs and reduced aircraft availability pressured its finances and operations.
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SWISS flight LX9 from Chicago O’Hare to Zurich diverted to Lajes Airport on Terceira after crew detected an unidentified, pungent odor in the Economy cabin. The Boeing 777 landed safely, and SWISS dispatched a replacement aircraft to carry stranded passengers onward.
Members of a Boeing engineers’ union voted down a proposed four-year employment agreement last week, leaving the parties without a defined path forward. The rejection raises the risk of fresh labor disruption after Boeing machinists walked off the job in 2024 and 2025.
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Reducing traveled work at Spirit AeroSystems’ former facility in Wichita, Kansas, remains critical to Boeing’s effort to reintegrate the operation and increase 737 MAX production rates. The persistent issue underscores the manufacturing and integration challenges accompanying Boeing’s Spirit takeover.
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A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III flew from the Washington area to Moscow via Riga, Latvia, on Aug. 25, carrying CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to reports and flight-tracking data. The Kremlin said no meetings were planned, while the purpose of the visit remained undisclosed.
French Polynesia’s government has proposed an XPF8.5 billion ($82.9 million) loan to Air Tahiti Nui for cabin refurbishments across the airline’s four Boeing 787-9s. The financing remains subject to approval by the territory’s assembly, linking the carrier’s product investment to public-sector support.
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