American aerospace giant Boeing eclipsed its French rival Airbus after four days of deals at the 2023 Dubai Air Show, underlining strong demand for wide-body jets in particular and making a strong comeback after several years of underperformance following major safety scandals. Boeing chalked up 295 aircraft orders in comparison to Airbus’ 86 orders by Day 4 of the Middle East’s largest aviation event, according to company updates and tallies from industry experts. The French manufacturer grappled with publicly aired concerns over the cost and performance of the Rolls-Royce engines on its planes. Boeing kicked off the first day of the show with a massive order for 90 of its 777 wide-body jets from Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates Airline at list prices of $52b, followed by an $11b order from Emirates subsidiary and low-cost carrier FlyDubai for 30 of its first-ever-ordered 787 Boeing Dreamliners. The robust appetite for wide-body jets highlighted both Dubai’s optimistic outlook for long-haul air travel as well as the importance of the Middle East market to the aircraft model’s demand. The purchases showed Dubai flexing its muscles as a leading East-West transit hub, looking keen to defend and increase its market share amid rising competition or expansion from carriers in Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia. The Emirates order was made up of 55 additional Boeing 777-9s and 35 of its 777-8s, bringing the airline’s total orders for the 777X wide-body jets to 205 units. Emirates also updated its order of Boeing 787 Dreamliners from 30 to 35. The significant proportion of wide-body jets at the Dubai show “reflects the surge in international travel in 2023; and it favors BA (Boeing), which is stronger than Airbus in widebodies and has snared ~50% of the Dubai dollar order value,” analysts at TD Cowen wrote in a note Wednesday. Turkish-German airline SunExpress made the second-largest Boeing order after Emirates, comprised of 56 of its narrow-body 737-8s and 34 737-10s. Ethiopian Airlines followed with up to 41 737-8s and 26 787-9s, then FlyDubai with 30 787-9s, Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines with seven 737-8s, and Royal Jordanian and Royal Air Maroc with orders of four and two 787-9s, respectively.<br/>
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Business as usual at the FAA isn’t enough to dig out of the national air traffic controller shortage affecting flights across the US. A new report from the FAA found that at current hiring and training levels, the agency will only have roughly 200 more air traffic controllers in 2032 than it does today. Hiring targets call for 1,500 new controllers this year and another 1,800 in 2024. But that will barely make for retirements and others leaving the job. It “does not adequately satisfy system needs with regard to complexity, growth, and trajectory,” the report found. The shortage contribute to aviation safety concerns, as does increases in absenteeism and fatigue related to additional overtime among certified controllers. That’s all bad news for airlines and air travelers. The shortage, which the report found has been building for years, came to a head this past summer when the FAA admitted that it was short roughly 3,000 controllers nationally. The situation was more pronounced in the New York area where staffing was roughly 54% of target levels. The agency was forced to allow airlines to cut the number of flights through JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports by up to 10%. But even with the flight reductions, there were numerous flight delays and cancellations at the three New York airports. United Airlines suffered a significant disruption at Newark airport that rippled out across its national network in the weeks leading up to the July Fourth holiday, and forced it to shrink its hub there. And JetBlue Airways faced more than 30 straight days of disruptions at its JFK hub in June and July.<br/>
Flights will be cancelled at multiple airports across France on Monday after French air traffic control unions called for a walk out on Monday November 20th. France's Civil Aviation Authority, the DGAC, announced on Thursday that it had asked airlines to cancel 25% of flights at Paris-Orly, France's second largest airport, and Toulouse-Blagnac, due to strike action. Similarly, the airports of Bordeaux-Mérignac and Marseille-Provence will see 20% of flights cancelled, French media Franceinfo reported. Unions have called on air traffic controllers to walk out in protest of a new law, approved on Wednesday by the Assemblée Nationale, that would require them to individually declare 48 hours in advance whether or not they plan to strike. At present, air traffic control unions must give notice of strike action five days in advance, but striking workers do not have to declare their personal participation, unlike other employees in the sector, according to Le Figaro.<br/>
Boeing said Thursday it will partner with the US government in a project aimed at addressing challenges faced by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries in developing and scaling use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel, made out of waste such as cooking oils, municipal waste and agricultural residues, is seen as key in helping the aviation industry cut its carbon emissions. However, SAF is currently only made in small volumes and costs between three to five times the regular jet fuel. Airlines' current use of SAF represents 0.1% of global jet fuel demand. Boeing said it will work with the US Department of Transportation and the FAA to address challenges APEC economies face including identifying availability of feedstocks for SAF and optimizing production. "Industry studies and data tell us that SAF is essential to meet aviation's net zero commitment, but we need more of it," Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond said in a statement. Boeing has purchased 7.6m gallons of SAF for its US commercial airplane operations since 2022, the company said.<br/>
Clark International Airport Corp. said it will build a $152m agriculture trading hub inside the Clark civil aviation complex, and expects it to become the largest food hub in the Philippines. The project, to be known as Clark National Food Terminal, will be structured as a joint venture, the CIAC said Thursday. CIAC President Arrey Ancheta Perez said a feasibility study will be launched soon. “Then we will start exploratory talks with prospective investors for a joint venture partnership. We’re looking forward to project completion in two years’ time,” Perez said. “This is a huge infrastructure investment but will serve as a major support pillar to the National Government’s efforts to boost the agricultural economy,” he added. According to Perez, the food trading hub will rise on a 64-hectare site near Clark International Airport. It is also near the sites of cargo companies FedEx and UPS and will be linked to the railway to Subic seaport. The hub will offer services such as research and quality control, warehousing, food processing, international shipping, marketing services, and domestic and international trading. “It is aligned with the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to place food security at the forefront of the national agenda,” Mr. Perez said.<br/>
Australian airlines are acting like a “mafia of the sky” in continuing to strategically cancel flights they never intended to operate, an MP has claimed, arguing for the urgent introduction of compensation laws so carriers are deterred by immediate penalties. Monique Ryan, the independent member for Kooyong in Melbourne, has ramped up her calls for a mandatory compensation scheme for airline passengers, saying allegations levelled by Sydney airport this week showed such laws were needed as a matter of urgency and could not wait until the government’s aviation white paper, which is due by the middle of next year. On Wednesday, Sydney airport’s outgoing CEO, Geoff Culbert, accused Qantas – among other airlines – of continuing to strategically cancel flights out of the airport to block competition as he warned the embattled airline is making it difficult for Australians to “fall in love with Qantas again”. Ryan, who has called for a scheme similar to those in place in the United Kingdom and the EU, believes the issue must now be addressed as a matter of urgency. “Airlines like Qantas are acting less like national treasures and more like the mafia of the sky,” she said. Ryan said she was “appalled to read the outgoing Sydney Airport CEO’s allegations that Qantas deliberately cancels flights to block competition”.<br/>
Melrose Industries Plc sees a stretched supply chain holding back even stronger growth at the UK aerospace firm and challenging plane manufacturers in their push to meet delivery targets. Peter Dilnot, who takes over as CEO in March, said that while the supply hitches are boosting after-market demand, they’re limiting planemakers’ ability to build jets. “The world’s got back onto aircraft much faster than anyone expected,” Dilnot said in an interview after Melrose reported earnings on Thursday. “Against that backdrop, you’ve got supply chain issues where frankly the airframers can’t keep up with the demand. You’ve got a combination of a gap in supply, increasing demand and the industry having supply-chain issues.” The biggest supply snags concern engines, and particularly forgings and castings, said Dilnot, who’s currently COO. Melrose became a pure aerospace company with the spinoff of its auto division earlier this year and a pivot away from a model of acquiring other companies. Supply chain hiccups are plaguing both major aircraft manufacturers, with Boeing Co. battling quality lapses at supplier Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. while Airbus SE contends with potentially flawed components on Pratt & Whitney engines powering its A320neo aircraft. Melrose joins other industry participant to highlight the challenge facing the planemakers and their full-year delivery targets. Airbus said last week that it’s confident of meeting its delivery target for 2023, and plans to raise output next year. It’s targeting 720 deliveries this year, and handovers stood at 559 at the end of October. Boeing recently lowered its projection and now plans to ship at least 375 of its 737 narrowbodies in 2023. It was 70 shy of the target at the end of last month. Whether or not the manufacturers meet those goals shouldn’t affect Melrose’s own results, Dilnot said, as parts like wings are attached well before an aircraft is shipped. Melrose raised its guidance Thursday, saying it expects full-year revenue of GBP3.3 to 3.4b.<br/>