Airbus is considering increasing production rates for its best-selling single-aisle A320 jetliners, as airlines around the world place orders for hundreds of planes to meet surging demand for air travel. “The success of the products is forcing us to look at any opportunities we can have to improve the rate,” Eric Schulz, Airbus’s new sales chief, said Tuesday. “We have not come to any conclusion yet. But this is something we are looking at very, very closely.” Airlines, particularly in Asia, are scrambling to secure aircraft to support the rapid expansion in emerging markets including China and India, where more and more people are taking to the skies for the first time. The demand has boosted orders for both Airbus’s A320 family of single aisles as well as Boeing’s 737-- models that form the backbone for short-haul travel. <br/>
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Bombardier Inc. has regained momentum on sales campaigns with its customers, after a US trade ruling last month blocked a proposed import duty on its planes, removing an uncertainty for a jet it spent US$6b developing. “It’s been a big relief for the industry, it’s a great victory for competition, for innovation, for the rule of law,” Colin Bole, senior VP of Bombardier’s commercial aircraft unit, said Tuesday. “We’re seeing very positive momentum from our customers.” The US International Trade Commission ruled last month that sale of Bombardier’s C Series isn’t harming the American industry, blocking a Commerce Department decision last year to impose duties of almost 300% after a complaint by Boeing. That has enabled Bombardier to deliver the aircraft to Delta Air Lines, which ordered at least 75 CS100 planes in 2016. <br/>
Passengers numbers at Europe's airports grew at the fastest pace in 13 years during 2017, but growth looks set to slow with rising oil prices, airline consolidation and Britain's exit from the EU all presenting challenges this year. Passenger traffic across Europe rose 8.5% in 2017, airport association ACI Europe said Tuesday, the fastest level since 2004, when traffic was boosted by the accession of 10 new countries to the EU. "This might be as good as it gets and while we anticipate continued growth in the coming months, it will most certainly come at a slower pace," ACI Europe head Olivier Jankovec said. ACI Europe said that passenger growth had slowed at the end of last year - to 5% in December - due to the insolvencies of carriers Air Berlin and Monarch, plus Ryanair's decision to slow growth. <br/>
Dubai International maintained its position as the busiest airport in 2017 for international passenger numbers, with a 5.5% increase from the previous year. Despite a slowing of growth, with December showing just a 1.9% increase year-on-year, for the full year DXB added almost 4.6m passengers to reach a total of 88,242,099. The most popular destination/origin city was London with 4,011,598 passengers, followed by Mumbai on 2,477,771 and Jeddah with 2,113,820 passengers. India was by far the largest country market for the airport with a 13.7% share of passenger numbers. The UK was in second spot with 6,466,404 passengers, overtaking Saudi Arabia on 6,364,598. Markets showing the biggest growth were Russia with a 28% increase in passenger numbers. <br/>
Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC appears to be prepared for another delay in first delivery of the C919 airliner, saying it could be in 2021. The target represents a 1-year slip from an unannounced target of 2020, also with wiggle room, that COMAC set in 2017. First delivery has remained 3 years away with each annual prediction—in 2016 for 2019, 2017 for 2020 and 2018 for 2021. However, COMAC’s renewed willingness to state a target does suggest rising confidence in the schedule. The new prediction is the first public statement of a delivery target since 2014, when the company said it would hand over the first unit to a customer in 2018. A 2021 first delivery, 13 years after the beginning of full-scale development, would mean the program will be running 5 years late. <br/>