- Biggest Middle East aerospace event held on Nov 17-21
- Boeing 737 MAX grounding seen dominating show
- Airlines frustrated by series of industrial delays
- Gulf tensions dominate defence side of biennial show
By Alexander Cornwell and Tim Hepher
DUBAI, Nov 15 (Reuters) - An eight-month
crisis over the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX jets and widespread industrial
delays are setting an unpredictable backdrop to next week's Dubai Airshow, with
some airlines reviewing fleet plans even as others look for
bargains.
The biennial civil and military expo is a major showcase for wares
from jumbo jets to military drones but faces growing questions over demand and
the capability of overstretched suppliers, delegates arriving for the Nov. 17-21
event said.
Top of their agenda will be the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX in
the wake of two deadly crashes.
Investors who have pushed up Boeing shares believe the planemaker is
turning a corner after the eight month grounding, with the company predicting
commercial flights in January. But it also faces a logjam of undelivered jets
that could take 1-2 years to unwind.
State-owned flydubai expects its fleet will now shrink by a third
this year, highlighting the cost of the grounding for the biggest MAX customer
outside the United States.
"Flydubai has very big ambitions ... given the scale of those
ambitions, there's little they can do but wait and watch, like everyone else,"
said Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Boeing lost one potential MAX customer earlier this year as Saudi
budget airline flyadeal ditched a provisional order.
Experts say airline frustrations with plane and engine makers could
also disrupt plans by the world's largest jetmakers pushing for order
endorsements.
The Middle East's largest aerospace event will give Airbus and Boeing
a chance to sit with some of their top customers who have threatened to walk
from billions in deals.
The planemakers are struggling to deliver aircraft on time, forcing
airlines to delay expansion plans, while engines on some jets are consistently
causing issues for carriers.
"This seems to be a systemic issue across the board," said Novus
Aviation Capital Managing Director Mounir Kuzbari.
"As a result, we see stress on the relationship between airlines and
the plane and engine makers."
Dubai's Emirates, by far the region's biggest airline, has issued a
stern warning to plane and engine makers. It will no longer take delivery of
aircraft that do not meet performance expectations, raising doubts over $35
billion in pending orders.
Airbus, Boeing and engine makers will be looking to allay concerns as
they finalise jet sales with Emirates, which is also looking at reducing an
order for the delayed Boeing 777X.
Airbus is seen close to a final order for A330neo and A350 jets while
Boeing aims to salvage a provisional order for 787s.
GULF PRESSURE
Air Arabia could, however, steal the show with a planned order of up
to 120 Airbus jets, industry sources say.
Kuwait's Jazeera Airways is in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing
for around two dozen airplanes.
Past editions of Dubai's premier trade event have featured
blockbuster deals, often led by Emirates as Gulf carriers redrew the aviation
map around their 'super-connector' hubs.
But the Gulf hub model is increasingly under pressure as the
once-rapid growth of the region's biggest airlines slows.
"The market continues to be weak for all airlines in the region; we
should see a further 2-3% reduction in passenger numbers for the full year,"
said Diogenis Papiomytis, Frost & Sullivan's Global Program Director for
Commercial Aviation.
Middle East military leaders touring the displays will try to gauge
whether they are on the cusp of another regional splurge on weapons after an
escalation in Gulf tensions.
A series of attacks over the summer has highlighted potential
security gaps among some of the world's top defence spenders who now
increasingly buy from China and Russia.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Tim Hepher, Ankit Ajmera, Stanley
Carvalho; Editing by Mark Potter)
Boeing to brief American Airlines pilots, flight attendants on 737 MAX next month
American's fleet of 737 MAXs will go to its maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla. for software modifications. Eight of the jets remain parked in Roswell, NM.
EULESS, Texas - Pilots and flight attendants from Fort Worth-based American Airlines will meet with Boeing's CEO, chief pilot and other executives for a three-day briefing in Seattle next month as the airplane manufacturer tries to complete software modifications and restore confidence in the 737 MAX.
"The meetings will take place on Dec. 2 through 4 and include pilots, safety experts, commentators, and journalists," said Lori Bassani, a 33-year veteran flight attendant and president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
"We want to look them in the face and ask them the hard questions," she added.
Bassani said American and its work groups are still preparing for the 737 MAX to return to service in March 2020, even though the FAA has yet to recertify the aircraft as safe for flight.
Still, she admitted some flight attendants remain apprehensive about working on the MAX.
"I hear from flight attendants every day and they're begging me not to go back up in that plane. By the time March comes around, that should change," Bassani said.
She and other senior leaders from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, or APFA as it is known, spoke to reporters on Thursday. The union represents 28,000 flight attendants for American Airlines.
Bassani said they're looking to American's pilots to determine when the MAX is safe to return to flight.
"We have some of the most talented and trained pilots in the world," she added, "We trust what they say."
"I'm very optimistic for March 5," said Capt. Patrick O'Rourke, an American Airlines pilot and Vice President of the Allied Pilots Association.
He said on Thursday that he expects the 737 MAX to be certified by the end of the year and about a month or so to train American's 4,200 737 pilots on the software changes.
O'Rourke said that pilots will get web-based training on the updates.
American's current fleet of 24 737 MAXs will all go to the airline's maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla. for the software modifications. Eight of the impacted aircraft remain parked in long-term storage at Roswell, NM, O'Rourke said.
Flight attendants said they are working to get the airline and Boeing to host Town Hall meetings at all of American's major flight attendant bases to answer questions and restore confidence.
Bassani said flight attendants want factual information about changes to the 737 MAX when they visit Seattle - not only to help them understand what happened but also so they can reassure their customers.
Governments worldwide grounded the Boeing 737 MAX jets in March 2019 after two fatal crashes.
The first happened on Oct. 29, 2018 when pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 lost control of their 737 MAX as they departed from Jakarta, Indonesia. The airliner, with 189 passengers and crew on board, crashed into Java Sea 13-minutes after take-off. No one survived.
Investigators discovered flight control problems - FAA-approved software on the aircraft pushed the nose of the plane down while pilots struggled to raise it. An investigation revealed a design flaw with an on-board software system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System - or MCAS.
Boeing and the FAA sent advisories to airlines and pilots about the potential problem, but the danger was not fully realized until another deadly crash this spring.
On March 10, 2019, a 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this disaster, 157 people died.
"We lost some trust and confidence in the FAA after those last two crashes," said Bassani complaining that the regulators were too cozy with the manufacturers. "The most important thing on flying that airplane is safety. By the time we take it up in the air, we'll know it's safe to fly."
She said the APFA would also be watching to see how United Airlines and Southwest Airlines return their 737 MAXs to flight.
Boeing to brief American Airlines pilots, flight attendants on 737 MAX next month
American's fleet of 737 MAXs will go to its maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla. for software modifications. Eight of the jets remain parked in Roswell, NM.
EULESS, Texas - Pilots and flight attendants from Fort Worth-based American Airlines will meet with Boeing's CEO, chief pilot and other executives for a three-day briefing in Seattle next month as the airplane manufacturer tries to complete software modifications and restore confidence in the 737 MAX.
"The meetings will take place on Dec. 2 through 4 and include pilots, safety experts, commentators, and journalists," said Lori Bassani, a 33-year veteran flight attendant and president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
"We want to look them in the face and ask them the hard questions," she added.
Bassani said American and its work groups are still preparing for the 737 MAX to return to service in March 2020, even though the FAA has yet to recertify the aircraft as safe for flight.
Still, she admitted some flight attendants remain apprehensive about working on the MAX.
"I hear from flight attendants every day and they're begging me not to go back up in that plane. By the time March comes around, that should change," Bassani said.
She and other senior leaders from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, or APFA as it is known, spoke to reporters on Thursday. The union represents 28,000 flight attendants for American Airlines.
Bassani said they're looking to American's pilots to determine when the MAX is safe to return to flight.
"We have some of the most talented and trained pilots in the world," she added, "We trust what they say."
"I'm very optimistic for March 5," said Capt. Patrick O'Rourke, an American Airlines pilot and Vice President of the Allied Pilots Association.
He said on Thursday that he expects the 737 MAX to be certified by the end of the year and about a month or so to train American's 4,200 737 pilots on the software changes.
O'Rourke said that pilots will get web-based training on the updates.
American's current fleet of 24 737 MAXs will all go to the airline's maintenance base in Tulsa, Okla. for the software modifications. Eight of the impacted aircraft remain parked in long-term storage at Roswell, NM, O'Rourke said.
Flight attendants said they are working to get the airline and Boeing to host Town Hall meetings at all of American's major flight attendant bases to answer questions and restore confidence.
Bassani said flight attendants want factual information about changes to the 737 MAX when they visit Seattle - not only to help them understand what happened but also so they can reassure their customers.
Governments worldwide grounded the Boeing 737 MAX jets in March 2019 after two fatal crashes.
The first happened on Oct. 29, 2018 when pilots of Lion Air Flight 610 lost control of their 737 MAX as they departed from Jakarta, Indonesia. The airliner, with 189 passengers and crew on board, crashed into Java Sea 13-minutes after take-off. No one survived.
Investigators discovered flight control problems - FAA-approved software on the aircraft pushed the nose of the plane down while pilots struggled to raise it. An investigation revealed a design flaw with an on-board software system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System - or MCAS.
Boeing and the FAA sent advisories to airlines and pilots about the potential problem, but the danger was not fully realized until another deadly crash this spring.
On March 10, 2019, a 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this disaster, 157 people died.
"We lost some trust and confidence in the FAA after those last two crashes," said Bassani complaining that the regulators were too cozy with the manufacturers. "The most important thing on flying that airplane is safety. By the time we take it up in the air, we'll know it's safe to fly."
She said the APFA would also be watching to see how United Airlines and Southwest Airlines return their 737 MAXs to flight.
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