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Airbus' labor woes and the trickle down effect

By IAG | February 4th, 2007 | Posted in airbus, airlines, aviation, boeing | 1 Comment

Much has been said about the labor unrest among Airbus employees in Germany. Unfortunately whatever has been said is based on speculation driven by the unions (specifically IG Metall). No official words have come out and the fabled meeting on February 20 is only to report to the employees.

What we do know is that the A380 will have all its work done in Toulouse. That may mean people in Hamburg being offered positions in Toulouse because the skills are not in Toulouse. Similarly, with A320 work going to Hamburg, positions in Toulouse might be migrated to Hamburg. According to Bloomberg – "Among potential cost-cutting measures are moving all cabin work on the A380 to Toulouse from Hamburg; moving cabin interior furnishings work on the single-aisle A320 to Toulouse from Hamburg; and a decision to give Hamburg no work on building fuselages or installing equipment on the A350, the new plane scheduled to enter service in 2013."

Airbus at now being played by the union. If the Union can use its scare tactics, then it has power. "Stick with us and we will protect you". If things work out, the Union takes the credit. Airbus' moves are damned if they do and damned if they don't. The union will blackmail Airbus with delivery delays – something intensely painful to Airbus.

The idea of building a factory in China to make A320s is surely becoming more attractive by the day at Airbus. In Seattle, the IAM union is no doubt watching IG Metall closely. The trickle down effect could become a problem for Boeing as well. Restless labor at both Airbus and Boeing could be devastating to airlines that are now starting to make money. Watch developments closely because rational behavior is set to go out the window as greed takes over, fed by fear. Where will the calming voices come from? Certainly not from politicians who fear voters screaming in the streets. 2007 may be a tough year again at Airbus but potentially it could become tougher for Boeing and airlines around the world.

Airbus denies CRFP barrel story on A350

By IAG | January 31st, 2007 | Posted in a350, airbus, cfrp | No Comments

According to Airbus North America Vice President – Communications Clay McConnell the rumors about the A350XWB fuselage being composite barrels are just rumors. "Composite panels are the way to go, and that's the way we're going."

Earlier there was a story by Geoffrey Thomas at ATW online that Airbus was doing trade studies on a solid barrel for the A350 hull.

Target customers for the A350XWB don't have details on the plane. The plan to use CRFP panels on a metal frame means fatigue problems still exist. How long will Airbus take to freeze the design and enable its sales to get moving?

Airbus denies CRFP barrel story on A350

By IAG | January 31st, 2007 | Posted in a350, airbus, cfrp | No Comments

According to Airbus North America Vice President – Communications Clay McConnell the rumors about the A350XWB fuselage being composite barrels are just rumors. "Composite panels are the way to go, and that's the way we're going."

Earlier there was a story by Geoffrey Thomas at ATW online that Airbus was doing trade studies on a solid barrel for the A350 hull.

Target customers for the A350XWB don't have details on the plane. The plan to use CRFP panels on a metal frame means fatigue problems still exist. How long will Airbus take to freeze the design and enable its sales to get moving?

Interesting ACJ images

By IAG | January 31st, 2007 | Posted in airbus | No Comments

[UPDATE: Our mistake! The picture is an angle where you can see both starboard and port wheels next to each other. They look like double bogies but its just the angle. Thanks to Geoff Thomas for helping us to see better!]

A typical Airbus Corporate Jet has main gear that looks like this, and indeed is"normal" for the airliner version as well.

But the lower picture shows a version only seen on Indian 320s before – double main gear wheels. This is the ACJ belonging to the Czech Republic. (picture from Flightglobal.com)

This type of configuration is able to "reduce" the weight of the plane by spreading it over a greater area. It seems the Czech plane will be expected to land on much lighter concrete than one finds at a typical airport.

Interesting ACJ images

By IAG | January 31st, 2007 | Posted in airbus | 4 Comments

[UPDATE: Our mistake! The picture is an angle where you can see both starboard and port wheels next to each other. They look like double bogies but its just the angle. Thanks to Geoff Thomas for helping us to see better!]

A typical Airbus Corporate Jet has main gear that looks like this, and indeed is"normal" for the airliner version as well.

But the lower picture shows a version only seen on Indian 320s before – double main gear wheels. This is the ACJ belonging to the Czech Republic. (picture from Flightglobal.com)

This type of configuration is able to "reduce" the weight of the plane by spreading it over a greater area. It seems the Czech plane will be expected to land on much lighter concrete than one finds at a typical airport.

A380 VIP headed for the Gulf

By IAG | January 30th, 2007 | Posted in a380, airbus, aviation, gulf | No Comments

Shweta Jain
Business Reporter

January 29, 2007

Airbus's first A380 VIP aircraft is expected to land in the Middle East shortly, according to a senior Airbus official.

“We are talking to two potential buyers, one of which is in the Middle East, for the VIP aircraft in the A380 category. That would be the first A380 VIP aircraft in the world. It will be a private aircraft but we cannot share any more details,” Richard Gaona, Airbus vice president for Executive and Private Aviation, told Emirates Today.

Meanwhile, the France based plane manufacturer signed a $130 million (Dh477.4m) deal yesterday for two Airbus SAS A320s with the Royal Air Force of Oman.

"Of all Airbus corporate jet sales, 20 to 30 percent sales are in the Middle East. But I do not know who is leading in the region — Airbus or Boeing. It is difficult to classify. People make all sorts of claims," said David Velupillai, Airbus' marketing director for Executive and Private Aviation.

The France based plane manufacturer has sold 80 aircraft of the ACJ (Airbus corporate jetliners) family so far worldwide. These include the A320, the ACJ (which comes from the A319 and the A318 (including the A318 Elite).

And according to Gaona, of the 40 wide-bodied aircraft (A330, A340, A300 and A310) sold so far worldwide, the Middle East accounts for about 70 percent of the sales.

While the UAE is a key customer for the ACJ category, Saudi Arabia, as Gaona puts it, is the "biggest" customer for the ACJs in the region, accounting for "60 per cent" of the total GCC market.

"In the ACJ categories, we believe that the market will grow and the demand should be around 30 aircraft a year, worldwide. On the big wide-bodied aircraft (the A330s, A340s and the A380), however, it is difficult to make projections," said Gaona.

Airbus, meanwhile, claims to have been doubling sales for corporate jets in the Middle East since 2004. "The indicator for us in this market is how we are doing against the Boeing Business Jets. We have sold more aircraft than Boeing as corporate jets in each of the last three years, worldwide. And last year, we won two-thirds of the orders in competition with Boeing for the large corporate jets," said Velupillai.

The planemaker further said it has also won two new customers for VIP versions of its ultra long-haul A340s—one for an A340-500 and one for an A340-300. The company refused to identify the customers. Airbus would be announcing two more orders for the A340s today in Dubai, as a part of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (Mebaa) 2007 conference.

The A380 and the 60mph flush

By IAG | January 26th, 2007 | Posted in a380, airbus, aviation | No Comments

Airbus designed plumbing capable of pumping sewage along the 60-meter length of an A380 in about two seconds, Frank Dohrmann (head of design support and cabin testing at Airbus's main German plant) told journalists on Friday. That equates to more than 100kph (60-mph), which could be a sanitary speed record.

Other interesting insight here. Its good to see something else in the news about the A380 other than wiring. This airplane is making progress despite the first nine being partly rebuilt by hand. Once they are out of the factory we hear there should be a serious speed up in production. It can't come too soon.

The A380 and the 60mph flush

By IAG | January 26th, 2007 | Posted in a380, airbus, aviation | No Comments

Airbus designed plumbing capable of pumping sewage along the 60-meter length of an A380 in about two seconds, Frank Dohrmann (head of design support and cabin testing at Airbus's main German plant) told journalists on Friday. That equates to more than 100kph (60-mph), which could be a sanitary speed record.

Other interesting insight here. Its good to see something else in the news about the A380 other than wiring. This airplane is making progress despite the first nine being partly rebuilt by hand. Once they are out of the factory we hear there should be a serious speed up in production. It can't come too soon.

Airbus moving toward solid composite fuselage on A350 XWB

By IAG | January 26th, 2007 | Posted in a350, airbus, cfrp | 5 Comments

Geoffrey Thomas at ATW reports — Airbus appears to be moving toward adopting a solid composite barrel for its A350XWB after receiving mixed feedback on its plan to use composite panels on an aluminum frame.

According to industry analysts, trade studies are underway in Toulouse for the change. Last fall ATWOnline revealed that Airbus was swapping to a composite structure and that the aircraft's EIS would slip to 2014.

The latest mooted change would not surprise Emirates President Tim Clark, who told ATW yesterday that he feels the future lies in a 787-style structure. "That is the way [the industry] is going to go," he said.

Clark said the A350XWB remains a bit of a mystery, adding that he doesn't want to discuss the aircraft with Airbus until it freezes the design. The 2014 timeline is a concern, although he said he does not want the manufacturer to rush the design, and he wants to see two engine-makers commit to the program, which "presents a problem for GE for the A350-1000." He added, "That said, we will still look at the A350 and what guarantees on performance and delivery Airbus are offering."

Like others, Clark has reservations about Airbus's ability to tackle both the 787-8 and the 777-300ER with one aircraft family. "If they succeed, Eureka. If not, well, it's a gamble."

Emirates would like to be in detailed discussions on the A350-1000 and the 787-10 by mid-year for an order for 60-100 aircraft. The order will not be split. On the 787-10 Clark would like to see more range, which Boeing is working to deliver.