Norwegian Air Shuttle orders 15 Next-Gen 737s at Farnborough

Capping yesterday's flurry of aircraft orders at the U.K. Farnborough Air Show is an order by Norwegian Air Shuttle for 15 Next-Generation 737-800s.  To be more precise, the order is an exercise of purchase rights that Norwegian Air had secured way back in 2007, when they had made an order of 42 737's and 42 purchase rights.  The total order is valued at around $1.15 billion at list prices.

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GECAS announces order for 40 737-800s at Farnborough

Chalk up another order for Boeing at this year's Farnborough Air Show in England.  Leasing giant GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) announced an order with Boeing for 40 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft.  The total order value is around $3 billion at list prices.

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Emirates orders 30 777-300ERs at Farnborough

Today at the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K., Boeing cemented an important order for 30 777-300ER's from Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, one of the most dominant and luxurious airlines in the Middle East.  Emirates is already the world's largest operator of Boeing 777's, and is the only airline to fly every model within the 777 family.

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British Airways places order for 24 787 Dreamliners

On Sunday, 7/18, British Airways announced that it has placed an order with Boeing for 24 787 Dreamliner aircraft.  They will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, and are scheduled to enter service around 2012.

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Boeing 737 faces tough challenges from its competitors

Interesting read from BBC news regarding Boeing's 737, the world's best-selling commercial aircraft.  It talks about the lean production system that Boeing has employed to manufacture these aircraft, its current status in the soon-to-be-crowded short-haul commercial aircraft market, and its future (new more fuel-efficient engines on the existing platform, or an all new aircraft design like the 787). 

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Boeing officially submits bid for U.S. Tanker contract

Today Boeing submitted its proposal for the U.S. Air Force aerial tanker contract, at a whopping 8,000 pages and over 1,200 graphic images.  I guess you need that much information so as to satisfy the Air Force's 372 mandatory requirements for their new tanker.  Airbus had already submitted their proposal yesterday.  As expected, Boeing will be pitting their 767-based tanker against Airbus' A330-based one, with a contract award to come no later than November 12, 2010.  Whether the Air Force decides to include into the contest the prickly matter of illegal subsides that the WTO had levied against Airbus remains to be seen.    Here are some fun facts about Boeing's tanker (officially dubbed the NewGen Tanker):

* Based on commercial 767 aircraft
* Digital flight deck
* Electronic displays that are currently used on the 787 Dreamliner
* Advanced KC-10 refueling boom with expanded refueling envelope,
  increased fuel offload rate, and fly-by-wire control system
* 40-year service life
* Burns 24% less fuel and weighs less than A330 tanker
* Saves American taxpayers more than $10 billion in fuel costs
* Supports approximately 50,000 U.S. jobs and more than 800
  suppliers in more than 40 states
* Manufacturing to take place in existing facilities in Washington and
  Kansas

NewGen Tanker Website

New player in U.S. Tanker contract

Looks like there will be a 3rd wheel in the ongoing saga that is the U.S. Air Force Tanker Replacement Program.  On July 2nd, the Department of Defense confirmed that Ukranian aircraft maker Antonov, in partnership with California-based Aerospace Inc., has been approved to enter the contest.  Antonov will offer three models from its product line: the AN-124 and AN-122, which are commercial passenger aircraft currently in use today, and the AN-112, which Antonov states will be specifically designed to meet all of the U.S. Air Force's tanker requirements.  The tankers would be manufactured in the Ukraine and then finished at a new U.S. based factory.  As to where that factory will be located remains undecided.  Now all we need is for a Chinese-based company to enter the contest to make things even more interesting!

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Boeing finalizes 787-9 design

On Thursday, July 1st, Boeing announced that it had finalized the basic design for the 787-9, which is a stretched version of the Dreamliner product line.  With a firm configuration set, Boeing and its network of global suppliers will now be able to begin producing parts for the new model.  The 787-9 can carry up to 290 passengers to distances as far as 8,500 nautical miles (about 4% farther than the 787-8, which is currently undergoing flight testing and FAA certification).  Compared to the 787-8, the 787-9 will have two new fuselage sections added.  First delivery of the aircraft is expected to occur around late 2013.  Meanwhile Boeing confirms that they are still on track for first delivery of the 787-8 to launch customer All Nippon Airways by the end of 2010.