Executives at Brazilian LCC GOL expect to operate roughly 20 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the end of the year, part of a transition that will see the MAX comprise half the carrier’s all-737 fleet by 2025.
As airlines grapple with capacity shortages created by the Boeing 737 MAX grounding or a sudden over-supply because of COVID-19-related schedule reductions, lessors are supporting their mitigation plans, including matching customers in both categories and moving aircraft between them.
Air Canada is hopeful that challenges posed by the Boeing 737 MAX grounding and COVID-19 outbreak in China will be resolved by the second half of 2020, optimistic time lines that assume worst-case scenarios regarding both crises will not come to pass.
Ireland-based lessor AerCap, reporting $1.15 billion in net income for 2019, said its prospects are fair for 2020, although the continuing Boeing 737 MAX grounding is having an adverse effect on its figures.
With the aerospace manufacturing sector expecting Boeing to restart 737 MAX production as early as next month or April, one widely followed industry consultant said it will take up to two years to clear out the stored inventory of narrowbody aircraft and fuselages.
Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering has signed a license agreement with CFM International to provide MRO services for the Boeing 737 MAX’s LEAP-1B engine.
Albany International, the provider of 3D-woven composite fan blades to Safran for LEAP aircraft engines, has let go workers as it tries to adjust to lower demand related to the Boeing 737 MAX production halt, the company’s new executive team told analysts.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) plans to start a lawmaker-requested audit of global pilot training standards and evaluate ways the FAA can better link its certification process with international regulations.
FAA administrator Steve Dickson sounded a positive note on the Boeing 737 MAX recertification process, telling reporters the agency is “narrowing the issues” leading to an upcoming certification flight.
Icelandair estimates the Boeing 737 MAX grounding has cost the airline $100 million to date as the all-Boeing operator plans to reduce capacity for summer 2020.
Canadian pilot training specialist CAE expects increasing demand for its simulators for Boeing 737 MAX and continues to make so-called “white tail” systems ahead of actual orders.
The Boeing 737 MAX production halt is a catalyst for Triumph Group to further consolidate its interiors and Mexican operations, top executives said Feb. 6, adding more divestiture announcements should be expected this year.
Despite economic uncertainty, trade tensions and headwinds compounded by the Coronavirus outbreak, the Asia-Pacific region—and China in particular—remains pivotal to Boeing’s fortunes and the best hope for offsetting the commercial slowdown, a company executive said.
Boeing continues to refine its updated 737 MAX fight control computer (FCC) software and proposed simulator training, addressing new issues that have cropped up in testing and pilot evaluations and analyzing the risks of a wiring issue that may require modifications.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson has hinted of a new regulatory regime around aircraft certification leaning on lessons learned from the ongoing Boeing 737 MAX debacle.
Wall Street remains dubious that aircraft subsystems provider Woodward and composites supplier Hexcel can provide one of the main benefits they promised from their recent merger, particularly as the commercial aviation sector reels from the Boeing 737 MAX production halt and both companies lower their 2020 guidance as a result.
In-seat system provider Astronics on Feb. 4 warned investors over financial effects of the Boeing 737 MAX production halt, as well as other “unfavorable” developments including a negative court ruling and ongoing restructuring charges.
United Technologies Corp. (UTC) says its commercial aftermarket business is being hit by ramifications from the Boeing 737 MAX grounding and could see additional headwinds linked to the coronavirus outbreak, but executives are confident that any dip will be short-lived.
Boeing executives believe customer sentiment toward the 737 MAX remains strong, insisting that airlines still want the grounded model even amid rising operating costs linked to simulator training and the risk that passengers may shy away from the aircraft once it returns.
Boeing does not see simulator capacity as an issue that will delay the 737 MAX’s return to service (RTS) and is working with operators to develop plans for training MAX pilots under the assumption that immediate simulator time will be mandated.
Last year turned out to be the ugliest for Boeing’s finances in a generation, with the Chicago-based manufacturer of the 737 MAX and other aerospace and defense products reporting a net loss of $636 million.
