At last year s Paris Air Show, there were blue skies and the airline industry managed to stay relatively healthy despite soaring oil prices and an anaemic global economic recovery, with a year-end industry-wide profit of US$7.9 billion, according to Geneva-based industry body International Air Transport Association (IATA). Fast forward car rental specials in germany 12 months and the global economy was in a very different shape. Having gone through the fear of contagion in the eurozone economy car rental specials in germany as a result of a calamitous Greek election that almost wreaked havoc across car rental specials in germany global financial markets, investors and businesses now find themselves bracing for the US$500 billion defence budget sequestration, which, coupled with the expiration of Bush-era car rental specials in germany tax cuts, is characterised as falling off a fiscal car rental specials in germany cliff.
The airline industry was hit particularly hard by this triple whammy weakening business confidence, skyrocketing fuel prices and an increase in aircraft deliveries, car rental specials in germany with 2012 industry profit expected to be more than halved at just US$3.0 billion, a mere 0.5% profit margin.
This was the economic backdrop against which the re-engined Boeing 737 MAX aircraft won 285 new orders and commitments during this year s Farnborough Airshow in the UK, including 175 firm orders from aircraft lessor Air Lease Corporation (ALC) and United Continental Holdings. The US$14.7 billion order from Chicago-based United Continental Holdings for 100 737 MAX 9s and 50 737-900ERs car rental specials in germany also propelled the 737 family beyond the 10,000 order milestone.
Make no mistake, while the competing offering from Boeing s transatlantic arch-rival, the re-engined Airbus A320neo (new engine option) has a 9-month head start, which has garnered 1,554 firm orders since its launch car rental specials in germany on 1st December, 2010, the 737 MAX is on track to meet its year-end target of having 1,000 firm orders.
For instance, Airbus had 638 firm orders for the A320neo family aircraft after last year s Paris Air Show in June, but ended up winning 1,276 firm orders in 2011 alone. In comparison, Boeing has 649 firm orders for the 737 MAX family aircraft after Farnborough Airshow and since the beginning of this year, the 737 MAX has secured 499 firm orders whereas the A320neo has 218 firm orders, as delivery slots for the highly successful re-engined Airbus single-aisle were taken up fast.
While this still lags the [A320]neo's 1,454 [1,554] firm orders, [737] MAX momentum is building and we expect more orders and commitment conversions this year. At the show, Boeing car rental specials in germany defined the MAX enhancements that will drive the 13% improvement versus the NG [Next-Generation] and this definition was likely key for many customers, Credit Suisse said in a 12th July research note to clients.
Besides the sales performance that stole the media spotlight last week, the war of words between Airbus and Boeing car rental specials in germany over the merits of their narrowbody offerings continues and in fact extends car rental specials in germany to every arena other than just the block fuel burn of the aircraft.
For instance, European plane-maker Airbus bases its marketing pitch around the centrepiece driving the 15% fuel burn improvement car rental specials in germany next-generation engines, claiming that the A320neo car rental specials in germany as the only aircraft that can fully benefit from a high bypass engine with a 18.1in (46cm) ground clearance even with an 81in (2.06m) fan diameter and a 104.3in (2.65m) nacelle diameter on the bigger Pratt Whitney (P W) PW1100G-JM engine.
Boeing counters that the lightweight design car rental specials in germany of the 737 NG (Next-Generation) contributes to the lower operating cost and maintenance cost of the 737 NG versus its competitors and that this advantage in weight will be retained by the 737 MAX over the A320neo.
Boeing claims its 162-seat 737-800 is 10% lighter in terms of operating empty weight (OEW) per seat than a 150-seat A320, whereas the 126-seat 737-700 is 5% lighter per seat than a 126-seat A319 and the 180-seat 737-900ER is 7% lighter per seat than a 183-seat A321.
Boeing says as fuel accounted for 39% in operating costs and landing and navigation fees accounted for another 29% on a 500nm (nautical miles) mission at a fuel price of US$3.5 per gallon in 2011 dollars, coupled with the fact that airframe and engine maintenance accounted for another 5% and 3% of an aircraft s operating car rental specials in germany cost, respectively, that the 737 NG s lighter weight will drive lower operating costs, as today s 737-800 having a 8% lower operating cost than the A320 demonstrates.
Boeing also adds that US Department of Transportation (DOT) Form 41 data has shown the 737 NG having a 27% lower total direct maintenance cost (DMC) per flight hour from 2003-2010 and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Maintenance Task Force has found similar results with a 23% lower DMC than the A320 family aircraft. Boeing says planned car rental specials in germany improvements in 2014 will further slash the 737 NG s airframe maintenance cost by a further 7%.
Airbus car rental specials in germany apparently rejects Boeing s claims on the 737 Next-Generation s operating cost advantages in addition car rental specials in germany to the maintenance cost advantages, as a structural improvement implemented car rental specials in germany in the A320 s wings in 2010, a maintenance programme introduced in 2011 and the extended service goal (ESG) in place earlier this year which extends the A320 s lifespan from 48,000 flight cycles (FC)/60,000 flight car rental specials in germany hours (FH) to 60,000 FC/120,000 FH have reduced the A320 s direct maintenance cost (DMC), let alone the A320 s digital fly-by-wire system that features fewer mechanical parts and hence results in lower maintenance costs and fewer re-rigging maintenance tasks.
Moreover, car rental specials in germany Boeing claims that when compared to a fleet of 100 A320s, a fleet of 100 737 NGs will have 590 fewer delays and disrupting 65,000 fewer passengers per airplane per year with a schedule reliability of 99.7% versus the A320 s 99.4%. The 737 MAX, in the meantime, will have a US$1.3-1.8 million net present value (NPV) saving in airframe maintenance cost versus the A320neo (new engine option), a US$1 million NPV saving in engine maintenance cost and 67 fewer days out of service.
car rental specials in germany Airbus refutes this by saying that the A320 family aircraft car rental specials in germany has achieved a 99.7% operational reliability with 60 million flights and 6.5 billion passengers being carried so far, as well as 110 million revenue flight hours which increase by 1 million each month with the worldwide A320 fleet growing car rental specials in germany at 10% each year. A noteworthy point is, Airbus 99.7% operational reliability car rental specials in germany figure only includes the last 250 aircraft produced, whereas Boeing s figures are based on the worldwide A320 and 737 Next-Generation (NG) fleets on a given timeline.
Furthermore, Boeing characterises Airbus A320neo s sharklets car rental specials in germany as in-service technology and that its Advanced Technology winglet will yield an additional car rental specials in germany 1% reduction in a 737 MAX s block fuel burn on a 500nm (nautical miles) mission. The lower portion of the dual-feather winglet, which will extend downward car rental specials in germany by 30in (76.2cm), will not affect the 737 MAX s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Code C category. The ICAO Code C category features airplanes whose wingspan is between 78.1-118.1in, whereas Code D aircraft has a 118.1-170.6in wingspan.
car rental specials in germany The sharklet, Airbus fires back, will slash the block fuel burn of a wingtip fence-equipped A320 by up to an additional 3.5% while improving car rental specials in germany range by 100nm (nautical miles) and payload by 450kg (992 lbs). The 2.44m (8ft) high winglet device will increase car rental specials in germany an A320 s wingspan by 1.7m (5ft 7in) and that the weight penalty brought by a reinforcement in the outer wing box Rib 27 and those ribs outboard of Rib 8, and the reinforcement in the centre wing box, will be neutralised by 200kg (440lb) of weight reduction on the A320neo airframe.
According to Aspire Aviation car rental specials in germany s multiple sources at the world s largest aircraft manufacturer, the fuel burn performance of the sharklets has exceeded car rental specials in germany initial expectations by 1%-1.5%, thereby resulting in a net block fuel burn saving of 5.5%-6% when compared to an A320 without any winglet device, or 4.5%-5% when compared to a wingtip fence-equipped A320 ( The showdown in re-engined narrowbody battle begins , 13th Jun, 12).
If the sales performance of the 737 MAX was the focus of the Farnborough Airshow, then the weight details on the 737 MAX released by Boeing were less popular, yet arguably more intriguing information.
The 737 MAX 8 will see its range and maximum take-off weight (MTOW) being increased to 3,620nm (nautical miles) and 82.2 tonnes (181,200lbs), up from 3,080nm and 79t (174,200lbs), respectively. The 737 MAX 7 saw a 5,000lbs increase in its MTOW from 70t (154,400lbs) to 72.3t (159,400lbs) and its range being boosted car rental specials in germany by 400nm from 3,400nm to 3,800nm. The largest variant in the MAX family, the 737 MAX 9, will see its MTOW being boosted by 7,000lbs from 85.1t (187,700lbs) to 88.3t (194,700lbs) and its range increased to 3,595nm from 3,055nm.
We continue to make steady progress towards our development goals. We are able to firm up our maximum take-off weight projections, which allow us to confirm that the 737 MAX will fly farther and offer more revenue potential than its predecessor and its future competitor, Boeing 737 programme vice president (VP) and general manager (GM) Beverly Wyse said.
This will allow our customers the flexibility to open up new markets. 737 customers today enjoy a range advantage over the competition and now they ll have even more benefit with the 737 MAX. A lower operating empty weight but higher maximum take-off weight allows customers to increase payload or range of the airplane beyond what the main competition can offer, Boeing 737 MAX product marketing vice president (VP) Joe Ozimek highlighted.
Boeing says all the 737 MAX variants will enjoy the range advantage over their A320neo family counterparts, with the 162-seat 737 MAX 8 having a range of 3,620nm versus the 150-seat A320neo s 3,295nm, car rental specials in germany a 325nm advantage. The 126-seat 737 MAX 7 will have a range advantage of 240nm with its range at 3,800nm versus the 126-seat A319neo s 3,560nm range. The 180-seat 737 MAX 9 will have a 485nm
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