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Boeing Orders Fall to 16-Year Low

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Published: Wednesday, 15 January 2020 20:54

Aerospace giant’s deliveries also slump to 380 jets, the lowest since 2005

Boeing Co. said deliveries and new orders for its jetliners hit their lowest point in more than a decade as the global grounding of the 737 MAX undermined the aerospace giant’s business.

The U.S. plane maker in 2019 handed over 380 aircraft, including military versions of its jetliners, a 14-year-low that compares with a record 863 deliveries by European rival Airbus SE. Boeing delivered 806 planes in 2018, a high for the company.

The Chicago-based company last year brought in new orders for 246 commercial jets of all types, its lowest tally before cancellations and model swaps since 2003.

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Iran’s Plane Shootdown Sparks Anger at Home

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Published: Friday, 10 January 2020 15:57

Iran’s admission that its armed forces shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner appeared intended to salvage its credibility at a time of heightened international tension and domestic unrest. Instead, it triggered quick anger from Iranians aimed at the country’s leadership.

Security forces in Tehran fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of people who took to the streets in protest against the military, which on Saturday acknowledged shooting down the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 by mistake.

Some Iranians blamed their leadership for incompetence and for lying during the first three days after the crash when it denied Western claims the plane had been hit by an Iranian missile, killing 176 people. Hundreds gathered outside Amirkabir University of Technology in the capital, where some young men tore down posters of Qassem Soleimani, the prominent general who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad last week and mourned as a national hero.

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Airplanes Can’t Outfly Their Carbon Emissions

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Published: Monday, 30 December 2019 16:07

There is no easy way out of “flight shame.”

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg’s warnings against air travel seem to be having an effect, particularly in Europe. In a recent survey by Swiss bank UBS, 21% of respondents in the U.S., the U.K., Germany and France said they had cut back on flying this year. Perhaps more importantly, lawmakers are listening: Starting next year, France will impose a tax on outbound flight tickets.

Airlines are looking for ways to clean themselves up. Last week, U.K. budget carrier EasyJet said it would become the first major airline to operate with net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by buying carbon offsets. British Airways -owner IAG recently said it was on its own path toward carbon neutrality in 2050.

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United Airlines to Buy 50 Jets From Airbus

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Published: Monday, 23 December 2019 16:05

United Airlines Holdings Inc. struck a deal to buy 50 long-range Airbus SE EADSY 0.01% jets to replace its aging fleet of Boeing Co. BA -0.97% 757s, which are due to be retired in the coming years.

The airline will use the single-aisle A321XLR jets beginning in 2024 to fly from its hubs near New York and Washington, D.C., to European destinations, United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said Tuesday. He said the aircraft will likely open up new routes with its longer flying capability.

Mr. Nocella said United hasn’t ruled out buying Boeing’s proposed midsize aircraft, known as the NMA. Boeing has yet to decide whether to build the jet as it focuses on returning the 737 MAX to service after two recent fatal crashes. It had hoped to have the new midsize plane in service by around 2025.

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