Commercial Aircraft Sales

For its part, Airbus is reported to be still suspicious of Boeing’s motives for working closely with the European partners.

The next stage of the study involves refining the market forecasts, closely examining technical issues and looking at ways to develop a joint business ar rangement. Current market predictions see a demand for 450-500 aircraft. in the VLCT class (more than 500 seats) by 2010, of which more than. half would be from the Asia-Pacific region.

The airlines seem to have differing opinions on what’s required, British Airways is looking for a long range aircraft, Cathay Pacific a shorter range one and American Airlines saying smaller long range airliners are the way to go.

 French Industry Suffering:

The French aerospace industry sufered another bad year in 1993, with at 20% drop in orders compared with the previous year, itself a relatively poor one.

Preliminary figures show the intake of new business fell to $US15bn in 1993, a $US3. 75bn drop on 1992 which was boosted by the sale of 60 Mirages to Taiwan. The industry continued to shed jobs, 6000 workers losing their jobs during the year to bring the total workforce down to 105,300.

The chairman of GIFAS, the French industry association, Serge Dassault, puts a large part of the blame for the performance on the fact that the industry has been . . . subjected to a very aggressive attitude from the Americans on all civil and military markets” and has called on the French government to increase political backing and research funding. Dassault also criticised US attempts to trap European industry with rigid rules on direct launch aid while at the same time funding its own industry with indirect funding and political support.

Trunkliner Project Moves Ahead:

With the original coproduction agreement between McDonnell Douglas and Chinese industry on the MD 80 airliner winding down with the 35th and final example on the assembly line at Shanghai, its successor Trunkliner programme involving the MD-80 and MD-90 is moving ahead.

The Trunkliner programme involves 40 aircraft with 65% Chinese airframe participation initially and 80% by 2001. This compares with about 20% local airframe content in the MD-80. Chinese Industry has also produced some 2500 assemblies for use on MD-80s now flying throughout the world.

Forty firm orders are in place for the Trunkliner, evenly divided between the MD-80 and MD-90 and sufficient to keep the line open until 2001. By then, the Chinese production rate will be 10 aircraft per year. The deal includes options on a further 130 aircraft.

Four major Chinese manufacturing facilities are involved in the programme: Shanghai (final assembly and components), Shenyang (tail assemblies and other parts), Xian (forward and aft fuselage sections, wing parts initially and ultimately complete MD 95 A wings), and Chengdu (nose section, doors and airstair).

 Embraer Float Goes Ahead:

The Brazilian government has set the final date for the privatisation of air- craft manufacturer Embraer, and it is scheduled to take place during the course of this issue.

Originally set for March this year, the float was delayed for two months to allow the Brazilian government time to assume part of the company’s $US700m debt. An estimated 60% of Embraer’s shares will be sold at auc tion and then held at the Sao Paulo stock exchange. Their value is set at a minimum $US295m and buyers will have to assume the remaining debt of $US215m.

There is no limit on foreign ownership. However, the government will retain 20% of the company’s shares, 10% are reserved for sale to Embraer em- ployees and 10% are on offer to the public.

 First Fokker 70 Executive Sales:

Fokker has sold the first examples of its Executive Jet 70, a corporate version of its Fokker 70 regional jet. M4695

One example has been ordered by the Netherlands government to replace a Fokker F28 which has been in service since 1972, and another has been selected by an as yet undisclosed industrial corporation in North America. An option for a second aircraft has been placed by the same customer.

The Netherlands government aircraft will seat 26 passengers in three compartments and will have satellite communications equipment installed. The North American aircraft will be used for transporting company personnel between factories and will have a four abreast 48 seat business class layout.

The Executive Jet 70 costs less than top of the range dedicated bizjets such as the Gulfstream IV and Falcon 900, offering greater carrying capacity for those who don’t need long range capability.

 Dornier 328 Visits Australia:

The success of the recent demonstration tour of the Dornier 328 has enlivened the German manufacturer’s enthusiasm about Australasia as a potentially strong market for the high speed twin turboprop, reports Julian Green.

Visiting Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane after a hectic schedule at Asian Aerospace in Singapore, the 328 was viewed by nearly all of Australia’s regional operators.

“The interest (in the aircraft) has been much better than we first expected”, Heinz Weber vice president sales said. “If we’d had some aircraft available now, I’m sure we would have sold some while we were in Australia. ” Dornier, a member of the Deutsche Aerospace Group, hopes to add to its 44 firm orders and 53 options for the 33 seat Dornier 328 from Australian re- gional operators. Though Dornier did not comment on the interest of any particular airline in the aircraft, it is possible that growing carriers such as Impulse (formerly Oxley Airlines) may view the aircraft’s 30 to 33 seat capac ity and high speed cruise/short field capability as appropriate for its future expansion plans.

The 328 is competing with a wide range of European aircraft all vying for an increasing number of orders from regional operators as the economic climate gradually improves. Competitors such as the Jetstream 41, Saab 340 and Brasilia pose an immediate threat to the Dornier’s sales, however, Heinz Weber also admits that competition extends beyond these types to include the overlap of aircraft such as the ATR 42.

However, the superior performance of the 328, Domier suggests, could be a winning edge. The aircraft is typi- cally 60 knots (110kmh) faster than the 340, 70 knots (130kmh) faster than the Dash 8 and even some 20 knots (37kmh) faster than the Brasilia’s revered cruise speed.

“The design philosophy of the aircraft is also important. It is possible to put larger and more powerful engines on an aircraft to give it a speed advantage, but the extra fuel consumption of these engines costs money for operators. We have tried to combine fuel efficient engines with a very low drag design”, Weber said.

The design of the 328 makes full use of composite materials. Some 21% of the aircraft is constructed with carbon fibre materials, notably in the tail section and various non structural areas.

The interior of the aircraft is noise rated at 78dbA, with extra sound proofing applied around the propeller and exhaust areas of the cabin. When combined with prop synchronization the cabin is noticeably quieter than competing aircraft in this category at

ght, a fact that was unanimously applauded on a demonstration flight from Sydney last month. The three-abreast seating plan with 79cm (31″) pitch in the 30 seat configuration, and 76cm (30″) pitch in the 33 seating plan, provide comfort equal to many jets due to the design of the new generation of commuter seats. The standard seat width is identical to that of the Airbus A320. Dornier has also worked with airlines and their technical and flight staff to arrive at cabin features and layouts that maximise the use of the unusual elliptical fuselage section, including generous overhead storage facilities, galley space and a toilet capable of catering for disabled access. The need for a high speed 30-33 seat aircraft was detennined by market research undertaken by Dornier principally in the United States. The largest customer for the 328 is Portland-based Air with an order for 20 units, with two already in service. Dornier foresees that a 48 seat version of the aircraft is quite possible depending on market demand though how this fits into the new strategic environment at DASA is now unclear considering the presence of the Fokker 50.