The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has laid out a path for the beleaguered Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to return to service as soon as Friday after a mid-air blowout grounded the planes.
09.01.2024 - 18:27 / skift.com / Gordon Smith
The first major airline deal of the year has been formally confirmed. Taipei-based EVA Air has finalized terms with Airbus for a new fleet of widebody and narrowbody planes. A total of 33 new aircraft will be joining the Taiwanese carrier, comprising 18 A350-1000s and 15 A321neos.
Although the deal has been in the pipeline since early November when the Star Alliance member referenced the order in a stock exchange filing, the closure of the contract remains significant.
EVA Air has long been a Boeing and Airbus customer; however, this latest development shifts the center of gravity towards the European manufacturer.
The list price of the transaction is estimated at $10.1 billion, although airlines usually get discounts on this official catalog rate.
Comments from Clay Sun, President of EVA Air are unlikely to make happy reading for Boeing. He said the airline conducted a “thorough evaluation of the various models in each market segment” before selecting “the most modern and fuel efficient types, that offer the highest levels of passenger comfort.” In other words, the U.S. firm didn’t make the cut on this occasion.
While any new business on this scale will be welcomed by Airbus, it is the A350 part of the deal that will be particularly pleasing. EVA plans to use the twin-aisle jets to replace many of its existing Boeing 777-300ERs. The net result is that all three of Taiwan’s long-haul carriers – EVA Air, China Airlines, and Starlux Airlines – will soon be flying the A350 on their flagship routes, including to the United States.
To date, the A350 has secured over 1,000 orders from 60 customers, with more than 570 of the type currently in operation with 39 companies including Delta Air Lines and British Airways. Meanwhile, the A321neo has received more than 5,600 orders from 100+ customers since its 2016 launch.
While disappointing for Boeing, today’s news doesn’t represent a complete severing of ties between the company and EVA Air. An additional tranche of 787 Dreamliner airplanes is due to partly replace EVA’s outgoing Airbus A330s. These typically serve busy trunk routes within Asia, often linking regional capitals. As EVA doesn’t operate Boeing narrowbody jets, the deal can be chalked up as a neutral outcome on the single-aisle front.
The more troubling strategic question for Boeing is this – are delays to the company’s next-generation 777X airliner encouraging existing clients to defect to Airbus? With the current version of the 777 no longer commercially relevant and high-profile 777X launch customers growing impatient, expect Airbus’ A350 to gather more new buyers in the coming months.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has laid out a path for the beleaguered Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to return to service as soon as Friday after a mid-air blowout grounded the planes.
Everyone knows Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. But smaller cities and towns around the world put on epic parties of their own. The events—which mostly began as a sort of pagan late-winter celebration in Europe and morphed into a global kind of Catholic last hurrah before the austerity of Lent—are lively, colorful and often steeped in tradition. UNESCO has put many of them, both in Europe and in its former colonies, on its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
An airline passenger who prompted the Spanish Air Force to scramble fighter jets after he joked about blowing up the plane he was on appeared in court on Monday, the BBC reported.
Alaska Airlines’ CEO said he was “angry” at Boeing after a door panel on a 737 Max 9 blew out mid-air.
With Alaska travel on the rise, United Airlines is introducing a new route to Anchorage just in time for the summer season.
Frequent fliers with American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific have an exciting new membership benefit. Alongside regular perks such as extra baggage and assigned seating, today marks the official opening of the first dedicated oneworld airport lounge.
After a horrific start to January, Boeing has received a much needed boost. The good news has come from India where the country’s youngest carrier Akasa Air has ordered 150 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The deal was confirmed at the aviation event Wings India 2024 on Thursday in Hyderabad.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will keep the beleaguered Boeing 737-9 Max planes grounded until it approves the aircraft manufacturer’s inspection and maintenance process.
Snowy and frigid weather swept the country over the holiday weekend from Texas and the Midwest to the Northeast, canceling and delaying thousands of flights.
Last week Lufthansa made history. Weeks ahead of its major European rivals, the airline resumed scheduled services to Israel. As of last Monday, the German carrier is offering four weekly flights between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv and three from Munich. The routes mark the first time the company has operated to the country since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in early October.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or delayed due to extreme winter weather throughout the midwest and northeast. A check of FlightAware's Misery Map shows that the storm system has already caused over 800 delays. The most affected airports were Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Denver. Chicago’s O’Hare airport has canceled over 800 flights have, due to the ongoing winter storm.
Delta frequent flyers take note – there’s a brand-new flagship coming your way. The Atlanta-based carrier has confirmed that the Airbus A350-1000 is joining its long-haul flying roster. While specific details are still to be announced, expect this new jet to instantly become Delta’s biggest and best aircraft.