As its customers prepare for a big shift to satellite navigation, Boeing has brought larger-format, 787-style electronic instrument displays to the 737 MAX's cockpit, enabling easier upgrades as airlines adapt to evolving air traffic control requirements.

Meanwhile, Boeing quietly moves toward a double-stretched 787.

Research into alternative jet fuels grabs the headlines. Delta Air Lines, justifiably, is drawing a lot of attention for its decision to acquire an oil refinery to alleviate the rising cost of jet fuel (AW&ST May 7, p. 24).

That Bombardier's CSeries would not fly this year, as promised, has been the expectation of essentially the entire aerospace industry—except for the manufacturer. Now Bombardier has finally acknowledged the aircraft will not take off on its initial flight before the end of June 2013, but the reasons remain cloudy.

SAS has been one of the world's best-known airline brands for decades, but if the carrier does not succeed in a quick turnaround, it could soon be gone forever. CEO Rickard Gustafson pointed out in a dramatic statement last week that “the company's existence is dependent” on the fast implementation of its latest restructuring plan. The board was due to convene for an extraordinary meeting on Nov. 18 for final approval of the plan.

Precision Castparts Corp. (PCP) is again strengthening its market position, by acquiring Titanium Metals Corp. (Timet), the largest independent manufacturer in the U.S. of titanium billets used in aerospace structures.

Not long ago, it was in vogue to talk about the coming end of the Boeing-Airbus duopoly in the commercial jet market, with the impending arrival of a new generation of competitors such as China's Comac and Russia's United Aircraft Corp. (UAC). Regional-jet pioneer Bombardier had already leaped into head-on competition in the narrowbody market with its CSeries jet, and many industry observers speculated that it was only a matter of time before Embraer moved into larger models.

It has been obvious since a number of countries threatened serious retaliation against Europe's Emissions Trading System (ETS) that the European Commission would have to find a way to back away from its plans in their current form with the least embarrassment. The shelving of parts of the contentious European Union ETS creates an opportunity to settle the dispute. But it is far from certain that a global scheme will be created.