MAX and neo

Extraordinary because in the late eighties John McDonnell, then chairman of McDonnell Douglas turned his back on a merger with Airbus because he wanted any new joint single-aisle aircraft to be based on the MD-80/MD-90.

The two aircraft have defied every prediction for their demise and today both Boeing and Airbus are setting record after record with these timeless twin-jets, with production rates only dreamed of just 10 years ago.

In late October Boeing started production of the first 737 MAX fuselage stringers at Boeing Fabrication Integrated AeroStructures in Auburn, Washington.
Next stop for the stringers is Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita where they will be incorporated into the first 737 MAX fuselage.

The program, says Boeing, is on track to begin final assembly in 2015 and test flights will begin in 2016.

Virgin Australia will get its first of 23 737 MAX aircraft with CFM International LEAP-1B engines and advanced winglets in 2018.

According to Boeing the MAX will be 14 percent more fuel-efficient than today’s most efficient Next-Generation 737s – and 20 per cent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they first entered service.

And those numbers better be right for Airbus has its A320neo up and flying and it too claims a 20 per cent fuel burn improvement which will put the two aircraft equal on fuel burn for the first time, eliminating a minor advantage Boeing had enjoyed for some time.

The first Airbus A320neo flew on September 25 from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport France and the flight lasted two and a half hours.

The aircraft – registration F-WNEO – was flown by Airbus experimental test pilots Philippe Pellerin and Etienne Miche de Malleray with test flight engineer Jean-Paul Lambert in the cockpit.

The development of the A320neo has been quick and flawless.

Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier was understandably lyrical about the first flight.

“I congratulate the whole A320neo development team, ground crew and aircrew.
The A320neo which has taken to the air builds on the outstanding success of the A320 Family.
”
For its first flight the A320neo was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines.
The flight test program will involve eight aircraft encompassing all models and both new engine options – the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM and the CFM LEAP-1A turbofans.
Overall, the eight aircraft will perform around 3,000 hours of flight testing.

The first A320neo into service will be a Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft for Qatar Airways in the fourth quarter of 2015.

The A320neo family encompasses the A319neo, A320neo and A321neo, seating up to 160, 189 and 240 passengers respectively.

At Virgin Australia’s recent results announcement CEO John Borghetti said the airline was putting a lot of faith on the MAX in its ongoing bitter battle with Qantas, revealing it has brought forward first deliveries to 2018.

“The Boeing 737 has formed a critical part of the Virgin Australia fleet over the past decade thanks to its reliability, comfort and fuel efficiency,” he told media.
“And the 737 MAX will build on this, enabling us to maintain our lower cost base.
”
However over at the Qantas Group its plans for the A320neo and for the 737 MAX are less clear.

On August 16 2011 the Qantas Group placed orders for 32 A320ceos and 78 A320neos with 194 rights and options for further purchases.
These were earmarked for its Jetstar branded airlines.

However, in August Qantas announced that it had converted 21 Airbus A320ceos to neos and deferred delivery of these aircraft by four years.
This leaves the Qantas Group with commitments to 99 A320neos, with first deliveries from 2016.

The Group also sold off the production line five A320ceos on order for Jetstar Airways that were to be delivered next year.

The future of the A320neo is far from clear at the Qantas Group.
How many will come to Australia and how many will go to the various offshore Jetstar airlines? Will they find a home at Qantas itself replacing 737NGs – the last of which on order will be delivered this month (November) – and can the Qantas Group afford them at all?
This will be an absorbing saga with twists and turns yet to be announced.

Stay tuned.