Boeing will raise production of its 787 Dreamliner in 2019 and bolster a key accounting measure that will improve the plane’s long-term profit margins, CE Dennis Muilenburg said. Both moves signal Boeing’s confidence that the carbon-composite jetliner will continue to generate strong sales despite a tough market for long-haul aircraft. The company is starting to fill in its 787 order book as far ahead as 2022, and that’s before a wave of wide-body jet replacements that should spur sales next decade, Muilenburg said Wednesday. The existing tempo is already the fastest on record for a twin-aisle jet, and some analysts have expressed concerns that a quicker production tempo would burn off the 787’s backlog, to be followed by a rate cut that would hurt suppliers. <br/>
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Bombardier is trying to fire up sales of its aging regional jets by revamping the cabin interiors, part of a wider effort to replenish the backlogs for its older aircraft amid tough competition. The plane maker said Tuesday it will move forward with a previously announced concept for new interiors for its regional jets. Changes passengers will notice include more room in the overhead bins, mood lighting and washrooms that are 60% bigger. The company did not say how much it would spend on the refresh. Bombardier is also making changes to its Q400 turboprop aircraft. It has introduced a series of design tweaks to the planes over the past 18 months that have added 3 more windows to each side of the aircraft while enhancing the cabin interior and increasing capacity to as many as 90 seats. <br/>
Pratt & Whitney's grip on the regional turboprop market could come under threat after ATR said it would look closely at alternative engines for its planes in future. Christian Scherer, who took over as CE of ATR said Wednesday he would open the door to other potential suppliers as soon as he could. Pratt, which is struggling to reassert itself in the passenger jet market, enjoys an effective monopoly in the market for smaller regional turboprops via its Canadian subsidiary. ATR and Bombardier dominate the market of about 100 aircraft a year and both exclusively use PW&C engines. The most obvious beneficiary from any decision by ATR to switch engine suppliers would be General Electric, which is developing an "Advanced Turboprop," so far aimed at the business and general aviation markets. <br/>
A4E has called on the French govt to address air traffic controller strike action, which has canceled at least 200 flights as a result of the latest French ATC walkout. French ATC staff at Reims and Marseille has been on strike from Sept 11-13 in the most recent round of industrial action. A4E said the action impacts connectivity across other EU member states and damages the economy. The body called for the issue to be tackled by the French National Mobility Summit, which will be held Sept 19. “With two-thirds of all European ATC strike days taking place in France, European and French policymakers need to implement measures capable of minimising air traffic management disruption’s impact on travellers. More than 250 strike days since 2004 are enough,” A4E MD Thomas Reynaert said. <br/>
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Tuesday approved the use of special powers to handle 4 major issues, including 2 involving airlines. The first seeks to pave the way for the revocation of substandard airlines that are registered in Thailand, the second discontinues Thais’ use of departure and arrival cards. A govt spokesman said the NCPO exercised Article 44 of the interim constitution to empower the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand to revoke the permits of between 10 and 12 Thai-registered airlines that failed to meet safety and related requirements of the ICAO. The NCPO also exercised the power to revoke arrival and departure cards, known as TM6, for Thai travellers. The move is to solve problems of delaying the arrival and departure of Thais, to facilitate travel for Thai nationals. <br/>