At the International Paris Air Show this week, much of the excitement at the aerial displays will come from the latest souped-up versions of the smaller Airbus and Boeing planes. But the chatter at the lavish dinners is likely to focus on a more worrisome topic: a recent slowdown in orders for the companies’ largest and most expensive jets. As one of the longest upswings in sales in aviation history falters, Boeing has been forced to cut production of its giant 777 and 747-8 jets. And questions are mounting about how much longer Airbus will be able to keep building its mammoth A380. Analysts say several factors have come together to reduce interest in the planes, and some experts think the slide in orders could last several years. <br/>
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Boeing is increasingly bullish about the opportunities for a new-generation aircraft to straddle the gap between existing single and twin-aisle passenger jets, as it prepares to launch a stretched version of its existing 737Max narrow body Monday. Kevin McAllister, head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes poached from General Electric 7 months ago, said he believed demand for a so-called “middle of the market” (MOM) aircraft could be close to 4,000 jets. This compared to the company’s own estimate a year ago of 3,000 aircraft and analyst’s forecasts for demand of between 2,000 and 4,000 passenger jets. “We see size of the market is maybe bigger than in some of these reports,” he said. “We see a bigger market. I am more bullish towards the higher side of that range.” Some analysts disagree however. <br/>
Japan brought its first passenger aircraft in half a century to the Paris Airshow, confirming it is on track for first delivery in mid-2020 and hoping to show potential customers the progress it has made. The 90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet is Japan's first commercial aircraft in 50 years but it has been delayed 5 times and is facing rising costs. "We have brought it here to demonstrate that the plane is making good progress," Shunichi Miyanaga, the president and CE of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, said Sunday. He said he did not expect to announce any orders at the show but would be speaking to many potential customers. Launch customer ANA, which has resorted to leasing jets and pushing back the retirement of older aircraft while its awaits the delayed MRJ, said Sunday it remained committed to the programme. <br/>
Bombardier is considering updating CSeries performance specifications following reports from airlines that the aircraft are performing better than expected. "Both Swiss and Air Baltic have been public about the fact that the airplane has done better than what they thought it would do in terms of performance," says Bombardier commercial aircraft president Fred Cromer. "We are in conversations about... should we modify the spec?" Cromer says Bombardier is "in the middle of analysing data", adding: "This is more specifically the fuel consumption." His comments come as the manufacturer showcases CSeries at this year's show in an effort to move an orderbook that has remained nearly flat for more than a year. Nearly a year has also passed since the first CSeries – a CS100 – entered service with Swiss. <br/>
US president Donald Trump moved to roll back some of his predecessor’s policy of reopening relations with Cuba, but Trump will keep the air services pact in place that allows commercial flights between the two countries. However, Trump said the US govt will “strictly” enforce the ban on US tourism in Cuba. In particular, “people-to-people” travel—which allowed individuals to travel to Cuba on approved trips—will be eliminated. Nine US airlines launched flights to Cuba in the second half of 2016 and early 2017 after president Barack Obama eased longstanding tensions with Cuba and agreed to a new air services accord restarting scheduled commercial flights between the US and Cuba for the first time in over 50 years. But 3 US airlines have already pulled out of the market, which has proved difficult for US carriers. <br/>
Since the UAE govt’s announcement that it would cut diplomatic ties with Qatar earlier this month, 5 UAE-based carriers have suspended all flights to and from Doha. The suspension came into effect June 6 and is until further notice. The move came as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt said they would sever diplomatic ties with Qatar amid escalating tensions and accusations that Doha sponsors terrorism. Commercial carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, and Air Arabia, as well as Royal Jet, the private flight service provider, all suspended their flights to and from Qatar. On top of that, the UAE banned all international flights serving Doha from flying through its airspace. The General Civil Aviation Authority June 8 said the UAE’s airspace will be closed to any aircraft flying to and from Doha. <br/>