An Emirates airline flight came within 175 feet of impacting the ground in a neighborhood near Dubai International Airport after the Boeing 777-300ER took off bound for the United States on December 20.
Month: December 2021
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The Air Current, a leading voice in aviation journalism and analysis, continues its growth with the addition of Elan Head, who as Senior Editor will spearhead the publication’s expanded coverage of the burgeoning electric aircraft sector.
Beyond labor shortages, constrained maintenance capacity, and a still-significant portion of the world’s fleet parked, a previously unthinkable challenge faces the industry as the global economy marches on. We may not have enough airplanes.
Now the A220, Airbus’s journey has been one of integration since the deal was finalized in July 2018; accelerating production, while retooling its supply chain and factory operations to reduce the cost of production. The jet’s customers are formalizing their ask of the plane maker, a stretched A220 — a model 500 — that would find itself in a spot once occupied by the sunsetting A320ceo, an airplane seating about 150 in two-classes.
The industry is closely watching Boeing’s progress as a bellwether for its own health and that of the disrupted global supply chain. While its build rate will accelerate to 31 early next year, the company will need to advance its delivery rate well over that level in order to burn down its enormous inventory of 737 Max aircraft built and stored during the grounding.
Yet, even with this key development, the jet will return to a transforming Chinese aviation ecosystem that bears little resemblance to the world just before the Max was grounded in March 2019. Since then, the dynamics between the U.S. and China have shifted considerably, along with a pandemic that has reshaped its logistical relationship with the world. And all this against the backdrop of major shifts in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s approach to western business.
