Taking advantage of down market prices, United Airlines said on Tuesday it placed a $10 billion-plus order for 50 wide-bodied jetliners divided between Airbus and Boeing Co, in a bid to slash fuel costs and emissions.

United, a unit of UAL Corp, has letters of intent to order 25 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners and the same number of A350 planes from its European rival Airbus, part of EADS, following a six-month contest. The carrier also has future purchase rights for 50 of each aircraft.
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Thursday saw Singapore Airlines, the world’s second largest airline by market value, declaring a deal with Airbus in order to postpone delivery of eight A380 aircraft – the latest step in a series of order deferment by global airlines amidst a downturn in air travel. Last month, the maiden delivery of an A380 was delayed by Thai Airways by two years to 2012. (continue reading…)

Boeing said on Thursday its 787 Dreamliner would finally make its first flight by the end of this year, with initial delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Shares of the Chicago-based company rose to a five-month high as the statement helped answer questions that have surrounded the lighter, more fuel-efficient 787 aircraft, said Alex Hamilton, an analyst with Jesup & Lamont Securities. (continue reading…)

Airbus has gained parity with Boeing in commercial aviation over the last decade – a situation that is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, according to a new report by Air Insight. (continue reading…)

Turkish Airlines has firmed up a preliminary order for seven Airbus 289-seat A330-300s, worth a total of €1.4 billion ($1.97 billion) at catalog prices.

Airbus said Tuesday that Turkish Airlines has signed a contract to expand its medium-haul network after announcing its intention to buy the planes at the Paris Air Show in June.
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Airlines are replacing airspeed sensors on their Airbus A330 and A340 airliners, which have been a focus of the investigation into the June 1 crash of Air France Flight 447. The only U.S. airlines operating the planes are Northwest, with 32, and US Airways, with 11.
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Airbus executives warned over the weekend that output at their European factories could fall by as much as one-fourth over the next two years as the aircraft maker and its suppliers adjust to the sharp drop in air traffic and widening losses at the world’s airlines. But the company insisted that it could absorb those cuts without resorting to large-scale layoffs — at least for now. (continue reading…)

Ryanair has opened talks with Boeing and Airbus about ordering up to 300 more aircraft in a deal that would make the low-budget carrier more than double the size of British Airways.

Ryanair has fared better than most airlines in the recession and has managed to expand its business as passengers shun BA. The low-cost carrier aims to take 100 million customers by 2012 – three times the number flown by BA last year. (continue reading…)

As Airbus steps up its evaluation of new technologies to refresh the A320 family with new winglet flight trials, speculation is growing that Boeing is secretly working on a mid-life update for the 737.
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