US airline JetBlue impatiently waits to see what replacement will be proposed by Boeing for the 737.

The carrier has been a regular customer for Airbus for many years. It notably started its operations in 2000 with an A320 fleet, rejecting Boeing’s 737 model. However, CEO Dave Barger said this week that he would wait to see what Boeing would offer to replace the 737 aircraft. “We are a loyal Airbus customer and a loyal Embraer customer, but we are really interested and excited to see what Boeing is going to come out with”, he said. But this is unlikely to happen in a short-term period, as both Airbus and Boeing do not plan to roll out their next single-aisle models until at least a decade. In the meantime, JetBlue is pushing Airbus to follow Boeing’s lead and put bigger winglets on the A320 to generate further fuel savings. Indeed, fuel accounts for 30 to 40% of JetBlue’s costs. Separately, JetBlue is opening a new US domestic route, from Seattle, with Embraer aircraft. The airline has purchased 101 Embraer 190 jets, with an option for 100. Seattle Post Intelligencer (09/04)

787 programme would be delayed by another six months for several reasons:

In a conference call yesterday, Scott Carson, CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft division, confirmed recent speculation that the 787 programme would be delayed by another six months for several reasons: some of the suppliers –often located far away from the Everett assembly line- have accumulated delays; unexpected reviews of the plane’s design have slightly complicated its progress; Boeing gives itself more margin of manoeuvre to conduct the certification test campaign. “Problems old and new provoke third delay”, writes International Herald Tribune in its headlines. Under the new schedule, the 787’s maiden flight will take place in the fourth quarter of this year and the first delivery to All Nippon Airways is expected for the third quarter of 2009. Boeing was also forced to delay the first delivery of the 787-9 larger version to early 2012 from late 2010. This will slash deliveries in 2009 from the initial target of 112 units to just 25.

The delays to the 787 are forcing Qantas Airways to implement contingency measures:

it will lease up to six Airbus A330 aircraft to operate its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar on international routes. Geoff Dixon, CEO of Qantas, underlined that he would seek “substantial liquidated damage” from Boeing due to the postponement of the Dreamliner. DowJones Newswire (09/04)

Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy predicted that new orders for Airbus

During a news conference in Auckland, Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy predicted that new orders for Airbus aircraft in 2008 will fall to 750 units because of rising fuel costs and the current credit crunch. Last year, Airbus reported a record of 1,341 orders. Mr Leahy pointed out that fuel costs, which represent 28 % of airline operating expenses, rose 16 % in the past quarter. Seattle Post Intelligencer (09/04)

The AMF has handed the findings of its probe into EADS down to

the public prosecutor’s department, confirms Le Monde. The French market regulator also sent notices of grievance detailing the allegations against the former and current executives being targeted in the probe, adds Les Echos. The news was confirmed by an AMF spokeswoman to the AFP press agency. The next step will be for the cited individuals – 17 past and present company executives, as well as shareholders Lagardere and Daimler- to present their defences. The AFX cites analysts as saying the probe’s association with executives at EADS and Airbus could threaten the aerospace group’s image,

EADS accelerates disposal plans for its subsidiary Socata.

According to concomitant sources cited by La Tribune, EADS and Airbus are in talks with potential buyers for Socata, the Tarbes-based specialist in light aviation and airframes. Daher reportedly is among the candidates, as well as some investment funds. However, Mubadala, a fund of the Emirates, would not be in the run. A source close to the matter expects EADS to make a decision “before the summer”. The operation is nonetheless pending to the allocation of airframe contracts for the A350 XWB programme. If Socata was not part of this programme, several bidders could lose interest in acquiring the group. Indeed, Daher marketing and development director Didier Kayat confirmed to the AFX that the company would decide whether to “go further” with its partnership with Socata depending on the award of work packages for the new A350. AFX (09/04), La Tribune

Louis Gallois will be part of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s delegation

on an official trip to Japan starting today. The aim of this visit will notably be to raise interest from the Japanese airlines in Airbus’s aircraft, in particular the A380 superjumbo. The plane maker’s market share in the Nippon archipelago is only of 4 %, points out Reuters. Reuters (09/04)

Airbus has ordered a new software system

designed to help it better track the supply of parts and to cut its production and maintenance costs, announced technology providers IBM and OATSystems today. The system uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, details Dow Jones Newswires. In an interview with the news agency, IBM vice-president RFID solutions Martin Wildberger explains that Airbus is under pressure to improve its manufacturing efficiencies given its huge aircraft backlog. Financial details of the project were not disclosed. Dow Jones Newswires (10/04)

Between 1,500 and 2,000 Airbus workers demonstrated against the Power 8

restructuring plan at the plant in Saint-Nazaire Ville yesterday. The workers had come from Toulouse, Meaulte, La Courneuve or Nantes, calling for the Airbus management to stop “the plant disposal, the 10,000 job cuts, the relocation of activities and the increased pressure on suppliers”. Yet, notes Reuters, the mobilisation was weaker than last year, when a “European day of action” gathered some 40,000 workers. AFP (09/04), Reuters (09/04), Aujourd’hui en France, L’Humanite