Emirates Aims Big With Mega Airshow Orders

Emirates was the chief noisemaker at the recently concluded Farnborough International Airshow, confirming its ambition to be a long haul leader.

It was a statement-making appearance for Dubai carrier Emirates at Farnborough this year as it made clear its ambition to vie for the top spot in the global airline stakes. At the start of the show, American aircraft maker Boeing and Emirates revealed that two had finalised an order for 150 777Xs, valued at $56 billion at list prices.

Emirates had placed the order at the Dubai Airshow last November where the 777X program was first unveiled, part of what Boeing calls the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history. In addition to the 150 jets, Emirates has reserved purchase rights to order for 50 more.

The 777X announcement comes not long after Emirates cancelled its order of 70 A350 XWB aircraft from Airbus, the European aircraft maker. Emirates originally placed the order in 2007, with first delivery slots scheduled from 2019.

However, Airbus still has the order to supply Emirates with 50 A380 superjumbo planes, an agreement worth $23 billion signed last year at the Dubai Airshow.

Given that Emirates has canceled the A350 order, many experts believe that the airline will exercise the option to order 50 more of the 777Xs, which Boeing claims will be “the largest and most-efficient twin engine jet in the world.”

Simon Elsegood, senior analyst (Middle East & Africa) at aviation intelligence firm CAPA – Centre for Aviation, said that the new 777Xs will be used for a combination of fleet growth and replacement of older types.

“Emirates existing 777 orders are due to complete delivery in 2019 and the carrier has historically been fairly aggressive with retirements, keeping its average fleet age at about six and a half years,” he said.

“The 777Xs are a little larger, more fuel efficient and slightly longer ranged than the current generation 777 aircraft, which is what it will primarily replace in Emirates’ fleet.”

According to Elsegood, the 777X will also have certain advantages over the A380 in terms of fuel efficiency and ability to access airports that aren’t certified for the big Airbus jet.

“The aircraft will also be Emirates’ tool of choice for long-haul and ultra-long haul routes. It will be particularly suited to flights of 12 hours and beyond,” he said, adding however that he would expect Emirates to continue a flexible deployment strategy.

He pointed out that Emirates’ current generation 777s operate everything from one-hour intra-regional flights (such as Bahrain and Doha) in high-density configurations, to 16-hour flights to Dallas.

Vikram Krishnan, partner, aviation practice at Washington D.C-based management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, said that the decision to cancel the A350 order and go for Boeing’s 777Xs fits right in with the carrier’s long term strategy.

“Given Emirates’ hub-and-spoke structure and global network, they’ve historically preferred larger aircraft, so their interest is in larger gauge aircraft to achieve a lower cost per available seat kilometer.

“Emirates’ hub in Dubai is at the crossroads of the fastest growing trade and consequently passenger and cargo flows. The intent here is to connect most of the world’s major demand lanes via at most one-stop over Dubai,” he added.

According to Elsegood, the A350 order was dropped after a strategic fleet review. “When Emirates ordered the A350s, the 787-10 and 777X programmes didn’t exist and the, 787-8 and 787-9 were too small.”

He pointed out that Emirates had planned to primarily deploy the A350s on routes of 10 to 12 hours flying time – a role that he believes the 777X will now take as well.

“Emirates has been increasing average aircraft size to help overcome congestion issues at Dubai and similarly restricted airports,” he said.

In the deployment of these new aircraft, Krishnan does not see any one regionto seee disproportional aircraft deployment “Emirates wants to grow all over the world where there is demand for its product.”

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Russian Fighters Will Miss Farnborough Air Show

Russian officials will not feature their Sukhoi Su-27 twin-engine fighter jets on display this year at the Farnborough International Air Show — a move that marks a strategic departure from prior years for Russia, show officials said.

The Russian Su-27 fighter jets were at Farnborough last year, leading observers and analysts to presume that tensions in the Ukraine have led the Russians the scale back their presence this year. This year’s show outside of London will run July 14–20.

“With the continuing issues in the Ukraine, I don’t think there will be any Russian aircraft,” a Farnborough official told Military​.com.

There will be a Russian pavilion and a Ukraine pavilion at the show, however, along with pavilions from numerous other countries, officials said.

“The Russian scale-back is a surprise because weapons like fighter jets are one of the few things the Russian seem to do well at. Their fighter jets are in demand around the world. You would think the Russian arms industry would want the opportunity to showcase their best products,” said Loren Thompson, vice president of the Lexington Institute, a Va.-based think tank.

Recently, the Iraq government bought Russian Su-25 fighters after the U.S. delayed the delivery of F-16s. U.S. officials said the delivery would be delayed until the Pentagon could measure the threat posted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Russian fighters were in abundance performing acrobatic airshows this past January at the Bahrain International Airshow, a trade show which takes place on an air base in Bahrain. The Russian display team, called the Russian Knights consisting of six Su-27s, performed at the show, Farnborough officials said.

“The Russians kind of push it to the limit with acrobatics,” an official explained.

As a maneuverable fighter aircraft, the high-speed fourth generation Su-27 plane is designed to rival the U.S. Air Force’s F-15 and F-16. The Su-27 can reach maximum speeds of 1,553 miles per hour and hit ranges greater than 2,000 miles. The aircraft entered the Soviet Air Force in the mid-1980’s.

“The Russians prefer to do extreme acrobatics to demonstrate how maneuverable their fighters are. As a result they have a significant number of crashes,” Thompson said.

The Chinese military will also be in attendance at the Farnborough Air Show, however, like the Russians they are not planning to bring fighter jets or participate in the air shows, show officials said.

“Chinese fighter development is significantly behind the Russians,” Thompson added.

Both Russia and China claim to be developing a fifth-generation stealth aircraft similar to the F-35. The Russians are developing the Sukhoi PAK FA, or T-50, fifth generation stealth aircraft and the Chinese are working on the J-20, a twin-engine stealth fighter.

The Joint Strike Fighter has already grabbed most of the headlines surrounding the air show after the U.S. announced the F-35 would make its first international flight at Farnborough. However, following the grounding the aircraft following a June fire, it appears the F-35 will miss the show.

“Neither the Russian or the Chinese have anything close to the F-35. The planes may resemble the F-35 but they don’t begin to approach the capabilities. They don’t have the same situational awareness and they don’t have the tactical communications options,” Thompson said.

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FARNBOROUGH: Global focus for this year's show

With this year’s major aerospace event fast approaching, companies will be gearing up to demonstrate their capabilities and showcase their products in the flying displays.

This year’s Farnborough air show is expecting to see around 1,500 exhibitors, with 32% of these from the UK and 68% from the rest of the world. With 115 new exhibitors, Farnborough welcomes new exhibiting countries Croatia, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Thailand and Tunisia.

There are currently 17 country pavilions ready to make their mark, with the USA, Russia, UK, Italy, and France taking prime spots with the most exhibition space. Morocco and Malaysia are also welcomed as new country pavilions for 2014.

With a total of 121 chalet units, the show will this year introduce its brand new permanent chalet line on row A as part of a series of developments, including brand-new exhibition halls.

Around 100,000 trade visitors are expected during the five trade days, with registered visitor and accredited media representation from 53 countries to date.

Around 50 military delegations are expected to attend, alongside seven acceptances from commercial and civil delegations, including NATS from the UK and Comac from China.

Mainframe manufacturers often choose Farnborough to showcase their military and commercial aircraft and the air show has long history of milestones, from the first of the Vickers V-Bombers in 1951, to the Concorde appearance in 1970 and the Airbus A380 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner both making their debut appearance in 2012.

This year will be no exception with the first overseas appearance of the F-35B Lighting II and the Farnborough debut of the Airbus A350 in special livery highlighting Qatar’s status as A350 launch customer. Qatar Airways will also be displaying its A380, 787-8, and a sharklet-equipped A320. Farnborough looks like it’s shaping up to make a big impression in 2014.

The Space Zone will again be a popular key feature of the show, having already sold out and with key exhibits from the UK Space Agency, ESA, Roscosmos and the Italian Space Agency. A new feature will be a series of seminars due to take place each day.

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F-35 and A350 among highlights of a new-look Farnborough air show

Most of the serious aerospace business at Farnborough goes on behind closed doors, but it is in the skies and static display that the world’s attention will be focused at this year’s show, with treats for fans of both latest-generation airliners and fighters.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will follow its international debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford on 11-13 July with an arrival at Farnborough – a few minutes' flying time distant for a supersonic warplane.

On the commercial side, Qatar Airways will be making the biggest splash, with no fewer than four types on display, including the first Farnborough appearance of the Airbus A350-900 in a hybrid colour scheme featuring the liveries of both the Gulf carrier and the airframer.

Qatar will also show its first Airbus A380 after taking delivery in June of the first three of 10 superjumbos it has on order (it has options for three more), as well as a sharklet-equipped A320 and a Boeing 787-8.

The appearance of the F-35B short take-off and landing variant – 138 of which will be operated by the UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy – is a major coup for the biennial show, which takes place during the week of 14 July.

Full-scale development of the fighter began 13 years ago, and UK suppliers are heavily involved in the programme, as a first-tier participant with a 15% share. They include BAE Systems which makes the aft fuselage assembly.

The country invested $2 billion in the system development and demonstration phase in the early 2000s, making the UK second only behind the USA among the eight national partners involved from the beginning.

The UK debuts will be the first time the JSF has crossed an ocean, seven years and 15,200 flight hours after taking to the air for the first time in December 2006. However, on 25 February , an F-35A and F-35B completed a 5.7h mission in the USA.

In a neat loop of aviation history, also appearing at this year’s show will be the original vertical take-off and landing jet, the British Aerospace Sea Harrier, a veteran of UK military campaigns such as the Falklands war.

The other major airliner that is due to enter service this year is the Bombardier CSeries. However – although it would be an enormous marketing fillip for a type still struggling for orders – it appears unlikely that the CS100 will appear at Farnborough.

The issue for the Canadian manufacturer is that while its sales team would love the opportunity to show off the narrowbody at the year’s biggest air show, the type is bogged down in a delayed and highly-complex flight test programme.

Recent Farnboroughs have seen mega-orders, but whether this year’s show will see a similar bonanza is hard to predict, as airlines and manufacturers tend to keep cards close to chests. Boeing, in fact, refuses to play the “orders race” by “storing” announcements for the week.

However, it would be surprising if at least one of the blue-chip airlines did not declare their hand. Leasing companies could also be at the fore, and manufacturers of smaller jets, including Embraerand Sukhoi/Superjet International, will be keen to make a mark.

Speculation is growing, meanwhile, that Airbus may declare its hand with the A330neo. Toulouse has been hinting for weeks that it will take a decision on whether to launch a re-engined version of its smallest widebody in the middle of the year.

With the smallest version of the A350, the -800, shedding orders, a refreshed variant of the twinjet might help Airbus win over existing A330 customers or those tempted by the 787 but unwilling to take their place in a long queue.

Farnborough air show regulars may also this year notice something more enduring about the show site that, for one week every two years, transforms part of a Hampshire airfield into a bustling marketplace of the global aerospace industry.

The traditional prefabricated A-row chalets – the ones facing the flightline – are being replaced with permanent hospitality suites, allowing exhibitors to hire them for several years and leave contents in place, saving the cost of fitting out the chalet each show.

It is part of a longer-term vision by organiser Farnborough International to create the world’s best air show facility as well as a venue that attracts clients outside the Farnborough cycle. Also on the wish list is a permanent convention centre on the site of the temporary hall One.

Farnborough International already has a smaller permanent exhibition space – Five – which is well used throughout the year. Although it has to get its plans approved by both its landlord TAG – which runs the neighbouring business aviation airport – and the local authority, it is confident they will gain favour.

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