The International Paris Air Show opens Monday, and industry insiders say this year’s aerospace extravaganza will be quieter than most.
The biennial show, which runs June 15-21, has a reputation for headlines about new airplanes and mega-orders. But this year the biggest aerospace companies are focused on existing programs.
For Boeing, that means the classic 777.
The company plans to tout the 20-year-old airplane program at the air show Monday, when it will have a China Airlines 777-300ER on display, and might announce new orders for the venerable twin-aisle, long-haul jetliner.
Boeing has been pushing hard to sell enough classic 777s to keep that Everett production line busy while it starts slow-rate production of the new 777X airplane, which was unveiled at the 2013 Dubai Air Show.
However, Boeing has found the classic 777 a tough sell.
The 35 new 777 orders announced so far this year are a far cry from the many orders needed to keep the assembly line busy until a couple of years after 2020, when the first 777X is to enter service.
“They’re knocking on all the doors they can, dropping prices sharply and still finding it a tough sell,” Hamilton said.
The company needs 300 orders for classic 777s to keep that line busy while it ramps up 777X production, he said. “Boeing is just not going to get there.”
Boeing executives remain optimistic. However, the company plans to lower output of the classic 777 in the next few years as it begins initial low-rate 777X production.
Performance upgrades announced earlier this year have helped bring in some new orders. They were critical to United Airlines’ decision to change 10 orders for 787s to 777-300ERs, said Elizabeth Lund, a vice president at Boeing Commercial Airplanes and director of the 777 program.
A fully upgraded 777-300ER will be 5 percent more fuel efficient per seat, according to Boeing projections.
The improved efficiency and the lower cost of jet fuel has made the classic 777 more marketable. Emirates Airline is reportedly considering ordering 10 to 15 upgraded 777-200LRs, the 777 with the longest range.
Boeing also plans to show off the 787-9 Dreamliner with a fly-by of a Vietnam Airlines airplane. On Thursday, the company released a video of a rehearsal flight, during which the airplane seems to make a nearly vertical climb after taking off.
State’s delegation
While the biggest companies are not expected to make big headlines, plenty of smaller ones are hoping to close deals or start new relationships.
The Choose Washington delegation will have a 700-square-foot exhibit called “Washington State: Soaring to New Heights. The Next 100 years in Aerospace.”
The delegation will be plenty busy, said Alex Pietsch, director of the state’s Office of Aerospace. He said he has 26 meetings planned during the three days he will be at the show.
Representatives from Paine Field, Economic Alliance Snohomish County and several Snohomish County businesses will be at the show to talk up the area’s aerospace cluster.
Airport officials in particular will be touting Paine Field’s roughly 80 acres of vacant land zoned for industrial use.
Exhibitor companies are Nova Tech Engineering of Lynnwood; Givon USA/J L Manufacturing of Everett; Pioneer Human Services of Tulalip; Seacast of Tulalip; Industrial Machine Tool of Kent; Orion Industries of Auburn; Silicon Forest Electronics of Vancouver, Washington; National Precision Bearing of Preston; and TouchBase software of Seattle.
Also signed on for the show are architecture and engineering firm BRPH in Renton; 3DX Industries in Ferndale; Chung, Malhas &Mantel in Seattle; the University of Washington William E. Boeing Department of Astronautics and Aeronautics; Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent and Kitsap County representatives Kathy Cocus and Tim Thomson; Economic Development Council of Seattle King County; Columbia River Economic Development of Clark County; the Port of Moses Lake; the Center of Excellence for Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing in Everett; Aerospace Tacoma-Pierce County; Greater Spokane, Inc.; Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance and the French-American Chamber of Commerce, Seattle.
Businesses accompanying the state delegation last year booked $35 million worth of business at last year’s Farnborough show, Pietsch said.
Airbus plans
Boeing’s European rival, Airbus Group, could announce a production rate increase for the popular single-aisle A320 family, which competes with Boeing’s Renton-built 737, according to several industry watchers.
Both airplane makers have said they plan to make single-aisle airplanes at faster rates in coming years, so any announcement would only elaborate on already planned moves.
The European planemaker also could announce customers for the regional version of the twin-aisle A330-300, said Scott Hamilton, an aerospace analyst and owner of Issaquah-based Leeham Co.
The company has struggled to find buyers for the airplane since introducing it two years ago. However, Hamilton said, new customers aren’t likely to come from the airplane’s target market: China.
Airbus CEO Thomas Enders has said the company won’t make an announcement about the future of its double-decker A380. The company’s sales campaign for the behemoth airplane has foundered. Airbus has been unable to land new orders in recent years.
Bombardier’s CSeries
Canadian planemaker Bombardier is unveiling its single-aisle CSeries. Engine problems prevented the aircraft’s debut at last year’s Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom. The Farnborough and Paris shows are held in alternating years.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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