Free Republic

SEATTLE: Air India's decision to buy nearly $7 billion worth of planes from the American firm Boeing instead of from its European rival Airbus stems from their differing vision on the future of aviation - is bigger better than quicker? Room, or vroom? Hub or spoke? Delhi/Mumbai or Bangalore/Hyderabad? Look at it this way. The Airbus A380 Super Jumbo, the roomiest passenger jet ever built, is great for what airline experts call the hub-and-spoke routing - say London to Mumbai. You can load anywhere from 555 to 800 passengers on one of these humongous beasts, disgorge them in Mumbai, from...

Emirates Airline continues to push Airbus to launch the stretch version of the A380, the proposed dash 900, President Tim Clark told ATWOnline in Dubai.Asked whether he expects Emirates' first A380 to arrive on schedule in October 2006, Clark responded, "I don't know of any aircraft that has been delivered on time to the customer." The most important thing, he said, is that the jet meets Emirates' demanding specifications: "The A380 has to deliver to us 18% lower seat-mile costs compared to our 777-300s." Emirates' A380s will seat 489 in a three-class long-haul configuration, with up to 644 seats in...

WASHINGTON - Buoyed by an influx of new orders, Boeing Co. appears to be turning the corner in its battle with archrival Airbus SAS. Boeing's commercial airplanes chief, Alan Mulally, conveyed that message in a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday — backed by a slew of new orders that testifies to the company's improving jet sales outlook. The latest evidence came earlier Tuesday when Air India announced plans to order 50 new Boeing jetliners — a deal worth $6.8 billion minus undisclosed price discounts. On Monday, Air Canada said it had made firm orders for 32 Boeing jets at a...

NEW YORK (CP) - The Wall Street Journal says Air Canada plans to announce an aircraft deal worth more than $6 billion US before the end of June. The supplier would be either Boeing Co. or Airbus Industrie, and the deal would replace the Canadian carrier's entire fleet of wide-body jets over several years, CEO Robert Milton told the newspaper in an article published Thursday. ACE Aviation Holdings (TSX:ACE) recently secured $642 million US in financing and has previously signalled its plan to make a major aircraft order. Milton also said ACE will quickly pursue the sale of a stake...

787's popularity adds to pressure on A350 FRANKFURT A funny thing happened while the United States was crying foul over Europe's subsidies to Airbus: Boeing, the embattled American manufacturer in need of Washington's helping hand, suddenly started booking orders for planes. A spate of orders, and expected orders, for Boeing's new 787 has given it fresh momentum. What seemed last year like a lopsided competition - with Airbus rolling up more orders and rolling out more new planes than Boeing - now seems like a genuine duel. On Sunday, Korean Air announced an order for 10 Boeing 787s, the midsize,...

ALLISON LINN Associated Press BELLEVUE, Wash. - Boeing Co. doesn't need money-losing airplane orders to compete with rival Airbus SAS, the company's new top commercial-jet salesman said Monday. "Our intention is not to do silly business," Scott Carson told reporters at an evening briefing in this Seattle suburb. Analysts speculate that Boeing may be unable to compete with Airbus on price because the French-based consortium is willing to take a loss to build market share. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. holds a majority stake in Airbus. Carson, a longtime Boeing executive, was appointed to head commercial airplanes sales...

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union is not serious enough about negotiations over aircraft subsidies and is leaving Washington with few choices other than taking the dispute to the World Trade Organization, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said Monday. Zoellick, the former U.S. trade representative, said there was no will on the European side to cut government aid that helps Airbus launch new aircraft models. "We made clear we needed to eliminate the subsidies as defined by the WTO," Zoellick said after talks with EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, which also touched on Iran, Iraq and the...

WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of a breakdown in talks aimed at settling the largest trade dispute in U.S. history, Boeing Co.'s chairman is pushing a hard line and warning that any new European government support to archrival Airbus would prompt a new trans-Atlantic trade war. Lewis E. Platt, who has taken a leading role at the aircraft maker since chief executive Harry Stonecipher was ousted in a sex scandal last month, accused Airbus of trying "to slide one more new plane under the door" by pushing for subsidies to launch the A350. "We reject that premise," he added. The...