Boeing to Increase 737 Production Rate to 52 per Month in 2018
October 3, 2014
Global demand for single-aisle airplanes remains strong
RENTON, Wash., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced today that it will increase production on the 737 program to 52 airplanes per month in 2018 in response to strong market demand from customers worldwide. Once the increase is implemented, the 737 program is expected to build more than 620 airplanes per year, the highest rate ever for the world’s best-selling commercial airplane.
“The 737 Next-Generation and 737 MAX airplanes offer our customers unparalleled efficiency and reliability,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “Whether for fleet growth or for replacement needs, the 737 enables market success for carriers due to lower operating economics and by providing a better passenger experience.”
Boeing currently produces 42 airplanes per month at its Renton, Wash., factory, and the company previously announced plans to increase the production rate to 47 airplanes per month in 2017.
“This increase is a recognition of the teamwork that achieved record level production rates while improving safety, productivity and quality,” said Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager, 737 Program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Strong efforts by Boeing employees, our suppliers and community support allow us to continue to build these fabulous airplanes in Renton for years to come.”
The 2014 Current Market Outlook, Boeing’s long-term forecast of air traffic volumes and commercial airplane demand, projects a need for more than 25,000 single-aisle airplanes over the next 20 years, worth $2.56 trillion total market value.
“For over a decade we have seen resilient demand for the 737 and a rate increase to 52 per month reflects the appetite for airplanes like the 737 MAX and Next-Generation 737,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Our thorough analysis tells us the single-aisle market continues to expand and is the fastest growing, most dynamic segment of the market.”
Boeing’s highly efficient and reliable 737 family is the proven market leader. To date, 266 customers worldwide have placed more than 12,100 orders for the single-aisle airplane – including more than 6,800 orders for the Next-Generation 737 and more than 2,200 orders for the 737 MAX. Boeing currently has more than 4,000 unfilled orders across the 737 family.
The production rate increase announced today is not expected to have a significant impact on 2014 financial results.
First A320neo takes off for its first flight
September 25, 2014
The first A320neo to fly has lifted off at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport France at 12 noon local time. The aircraft is flown by Airbus Experimental Test Pilots Philippe Pellerin and Etienne Miche de Malleray. Accompanying them in the cockpit are Test-Flight Engineer Jean-Paul Lambert. Monitoring the progress of the flight profile are the Flight-Test Engineers Manfred Birnfeld and Sandra Bour-Schaeffer.
This aircraft, MSN6101 with registration F-WNEO, started assembly in March of this year, followed by roll-out in July. Since then, it has undergone various checks and ground tests in preparation for the first flight today.
ALTA Member Airlines Passenger Traffic Increases 2.4% in July
September 15, 2014
Miami, September 12, 2014 – The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced that its member airlines carried 16.0 million passengers in July, up 2.4% from the previous year.
Traffic (RPK) grew 3.2% and capacity (ASK) increased 1.8%, bringing up the load factor to 82.2%, 1.1 percentage points higher than in July 2013.
The number of passengers carried year-to-date increased 5.8% versus the same period of the previous year, reaching 102.3 million passengers. During the aforementioned period, traffic (RPK) rose 6.0%, capacity (ASK) increased 2.7%, and the passenger load factor reached 79.3%, 2.5 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Freight ton kilometers increased 2.3% in July and 0.3% year-to-date.
LATAM Airlines Group reports preliminary monthly statistics for August 2014
September 8, 2014
Santiago, Chile, September 8, 2014– LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries, (“LATAM Airlines Group” or “the Company”) (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN / Bovespa: LATM33), the leading airline group in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for August 2014 compared to August 2013.
System passenger traffic increased by 5.5% while capacity increased by 1.0%. As a result, the Company’s load factor for the month increased 3.6 points to 84.5%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 52% of the month’s total passenger traffic.
Domestic passenger traffic in LATAM Airlines Group’s Spanish speaking operations (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) rose 9.2%, while capacity increased by 1.6%. As a consequence, the domestic passenger load factor increased 5.8 points to 82.8%.
Domestic passenger traffic in Brazil increased by 2.9%, while capacity increased by 0.4%. As a consequence, the domestic Brazil passenger load factor increased 2.0 points to 80.7%.
International passenger traffic increased by 6.0%, while capacity increased by 1.2%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 4.0 points to 87.6%. International traffic includes international operations of both LAN and TAM on regional and long haul routes.
Cargo traffic for LATAM decreased 1.9% as capacity decreased 5.6%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor increased 2.2 points to 59.0%. The decrease in cargo capacity is a result of a reduced freighter operation in addition to decreased availability in the bellies of passenger aircraft. Cargo traffic decrease was driven by weaker imports into Latin America.
LATAM AIRLINES GROUP REPORTS CONSOLIDATED OPERATING INCOME OF US$15 MILLION FOR SECOND QUARTER 2014
August 13, 2014
Santiago, Chile, August 12, 2014 – LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (NYSE: LFL; IPSA: LAN; BOVESPA: LATM33), the leading airline group in Latin America, announced today its consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014. “LATAM” or “the Company” makes reference to the consolidated entity, which includes passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. All figures were prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and are expressed in U.S. dollars. The Brazilian real / US dollar average exchange rate for the quarter was BRL 2.23 per USD.
HIGHLIGHTS
· LATAM Airlines Group reported operating income of US$15.4 million with an operating margin of 0.5% for second quarter 2014, representing a decrease of 0.8 percentage points as compared to the second quarter 2013. Results this quarter were negatively affected by reduced passenger and cargo demand during the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament held in Brazil, as well as by very week seed exports in the cargo business.
· The Company was highly successful in managing the extremely complex operations during the World Cup in Brazil. We are very satisfied with our performance during this challenging period, where we transported almost 3 million passengers in the domestic markets with more than 1.100 extra domestic and international flights, maintaining excellent service standards for our customers, which resulted in an on-time performance of 95%.
· In advance of the World Cup, TAM reduced capacity by 5.1% for the month of June, period during which most of the soccer tournament was held. This allowed us to operate with high load factors during a month in which traffic decreased by 5.2% as compared to the same period in 2013. Decreased traffic during the World Cup period was a result of reduced corporate travel due to 12 holidays in Brazil, as well as a reduction in domestic and international leisure demand during the winter holidays, which are usually a period of high seasonal demand. We estimate the impact of the World Cup on LATAM’S operating margin – in both domestic and international operations – to be approximately between US$ 140 million and US$160 million during June and July, of which approximately US$30 million impacted the month of June, with a higher impact during the month of July.
· “The significant infrastructure investments in Brazil prior to the World Cup, especially in airports, will have a lasting and very positive impact on the continued development of the airline industry in Brazil,” said Enrique Cueto, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group. “TAM’s move to Terminal 3 at Guarulhos Airport and to Pier 2 at the Brasilia airport will enable us to continue improving connectivity through our hubs, and increasing on time performance.”
· LATAM continues to rationalize capacity in both passenger and cargo operations with reductions of 1.5% and 7.5%, respectively during the second quarter 2014 as compared to the same period of the previous year. Passenger load factors continue to increase in all markets, reaching record levels at 82.4% and driving higher RASK.
· During the second quarter 2014, LATAM adjusted the exchange rate for its cash held in Bolivares in Venezuela to the “SICAD I” exchange rate, recognizing a one-time non-operating charge of US$56.3 million. In order to continue serving Venezuela, the Company has been adjusting the number of frequencies since the first quarter of 2014, resulting in a decrease of 44% in ASKs in the second quarter of 2014 as compared to the same period 2013.
· LATAM Airlines Group’s net loss reached US$58.9 million for second quarter 2014, compared to a net loss of US$329.8 million for the same period 2013.
· LATAM has successfully restructured its balance sheet and has a solid financial position, having reduced its net debt by US$1.8 billion in the last twelve months. Additionally, LATAM has continued to reduce its exposure to the Brazilian real on TAM’s balance sheet from US$2.0 billion on December 31, 2013 to US$1.0 billion on June 30, 2014, and expects to reduce this exposure to approximately US$0.5 billion by September 2014.
· LAN and TAM Airlines, members of LATAM Airlines Group, have been recognized as the “Best Airlines in South America” in first and second places respectively by the SkyTrax World Airline Awards. The awards are considered the global barometer for customer satisfaction within the industry, thanks to their exclusive reliance on the opinion of passengers. We are very proud that LAN and TAM have once more been recognized as the best airlines in our region.
ALTA Member Airlines Passenger Traffic Increases 1.8% in June
August 11, 2014
Miami, August 8, 2014- The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced that its member airlines carried 13.6 million passengers in June, up 1.8% from the previous year.
Traffic (RPK) grew 4.6% and capacity (ASK) increased 3.0%, bringing up the load factor to 78.8%, 1.2 percentage points higher than in June 2013.
The number of passengers carried year-to-date increased 6.4% versus the same period of the previous year, reaching 85.0 million passengers. During the aforementioned period, traffic (RPK) rose 6.6%, capacity (ASK) increased 2.9%, and the passenger load factor reached 78.8%, 2.8 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Freight ton kilometers declined 4.3% in June and 0.7% year-to-date.
LATAM Airlines Group reports preliminary monthly statistics for July 2014
August 11, 2014
Santiago, Chile, August 8, 2014– LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiaries, (“LATAM Airlines Group” or “the Company”) (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN / Bovespa: LATM33), the leading airline group in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for July 2014 compared to July 2013.
System passenger traffic decreased by 1.4% while capacity decreased by 3.2%. As a result, the Company’s load factor for the month increased 1.6 points to 84.7%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 51% of the month’s total passenger traffic.
Domestic passenger traffic in LATAM Airlines Group’s Spanish speaking operations (Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia) rose 5.0%, while capacity increased by 2.1%. As a consequence, the domestic passenger load factor increased 2.2 points to 80.9%.
Domestic passenger traffic in Brazil decreased by 7.8%, while capacity decreased by 7.0%. As a consequence, the domestic Brazil passenger load factor decreased 0.7 points to 83.8%.
International passenger traffic increased by 1.3%, while capacity decreased by 2.2%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 3.0 points to 86.6%. International traffic includes international operations of both LAN and TAM on regional and long haul routes.
Cargo traffic for LATAM decreased 0.4% as capacity decreased 5.3%. As a consequence, the cargo load factor increased 2.8 points to 57.4%. The decrease in cargo capacity is a result of a decreased availability in the bellies of passenger aircraft in addition to a reduced freighter operation. Cargo traffic decrease was driven by weaker imports into Latin America.
ANA Holdings firms up order for A320neo Family
July 31, 2014
ANA to become first A320neo operator in Japan
ANA Holdings has firmed up an order for 30 A320neo Family aircraft (seven A320neo and 23 A321neo). The initial agreement was announced in March 2014. The aircraft will be part of ANA Holdings fleet development and modernisation strategy to replace its existing single-aisle fleet in the coming years. Deliveries will start from 2016.
Shinichiro Ito, President and CEO of ANA HD said: “The aircraft we have selected will enable us to modernize and expand our fleet further as we seek to become one of the world’s leading airline groups. These new aircraft will give us maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.”
“I’m delighted to welcome ANA as the A320neo’s first Japanese customer, and see the growing relationship between our two companies”, said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO. “In addition to ANA taking full benefit from the A320neo’s efficiency and reliability, the deal also accelerates Airbus’s expansion in Japan – one of our main ambitions for the next decade”.
In selecting the A320neo, ANA is investing in the best in class, ensuring excellent cabin comfort as well as operational efficiencies. ANA’s A320neo Family will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines.
Japanese Aero Engines Corporation (JAEC) is a 23% collaboration partner in PW1100G-JM program. JAEC is responsible for development, manufacturing and engineering support of the fan, low-pressure compressor, combustor, and low-pressure shafts. JAEC is a consortium, consisting of three Japanese companies: IHI (65%), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (25%), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (10%).
The assembly of Airbus’ first A320neo has been completed following painting of the aircraft and the mounting of PW1100G-JM engines. It will soon start ground tests to prepare for first flight. The flight test campaign for the A320neo will kick-off in Q3 2014, paving the way for Entry Into Service in Q4 2015.
The A320neo – for “new engine option” – incorporates many innovations, including latest generation engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which together deliver 15 percent in fuel savings and a reduction of 3,600 tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year. With a total of more than 3,000 orders received from more than 50 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured over 60 percent of the market, clearly demonstrating its leadership.
Boeing, All Nippon Airways Finalize Order for 40 Widebody Airplanes
July 31, 2014
ANA renews long-haul fleet with 777X, 787-9, 777-300ER
Airline becomes world’s largest 787 Dreamliner customer
TOKYO, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing [NYSE:BA] and All Nippon Airways (ANA) today finalized an order for 40 widebody airplanes – 20 777-9Xs, 14 787-9 Dreamliners and six 777-300ERs (Extended Range) – as part of the airline’s strategic long-haul fleet renewal plan. The order, valued at approximately $13 billion at list prices, was originally announced as a commitment in March.
“The aircraft we have selected will enable us to modernize and expand our fleet further as we seek to become one of the world’s leading airline groups,” said Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO, ANA Holdings. “These new aircraft will give us maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency, and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.”
ANA, the launch customer of the 787, becomes the world’s largest customer for the Dreamliner with a total of 80 airplanes ordered. The airline currently operates 29 787s with 51 more to deliver, including 43 787-9s.
“This order from ANA demonstrates the strength of our 50-year partnership and we are proud to make history with ANA once again,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “We are honored that ANA has decided to continue operating an all-Boeing widebody fleet that consists of 767s, 787s, 777s and now the new 777X family of airplanes.”
Boeing’s 777X has accumulated 300 orders and commitments from six customers worldwide.
LAN and Qantas strengthen their codeshare agreement and add destinations in Australia and South America
July 31, 2014
· As of today, the agreement will allow LAN passengers to buy tickets to fly from Sydney (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand) to 8 cities located in different corners of the island continent, through Qantas.
· Likewise, the agreement will enable Qantas passengers to buy tickets to fly from Santiago (Chile) to Lima (Peru), Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and to Antofagasta, La Serena, and Punta Arenas (Chile), through LAN.
Santiago, July 30, 2014 -. LAN, member of LATAM Airlines Group, and Qantas, both members of the oneworld airline alliance, reinforced their codeshare agreement and will begin offering flights within Oceania and South America.
Passengers flying with LAN from Santiago, Chile to Sydney, Australia, will have access via Qantas to a broad network of cities in Australia: Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth, Darwin, Hobart and Alice Springs, on outbound and inbound flights starting August 9*. These can be purchased starting on August 3, 2014.
Also from Auckland, New Zealand, round trip flights to Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in Australia, are available on Qantas aircraft.
In the case of Qantas passengers traveling to Chile, they can fly with LAN from Santiago to Antofagasta, La Serena and Punta Arenas starting August 5. They can also fly to other countries in the region: from Santiago to Lima (Peru) starting 20 August, and to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (both in Brazil) on round-trip flights starting October 8 *.
“We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Qantas and to add 8 Australian cities to our network of destinations, which are located in key points of the island continent and allow access to the most attractive tourist destinations in Australia.” said Damian Scokin, CEO of International Business LAN.
Meanwhile, Qantas Executive Manager International Sales Stephen Thompson said: “This is great news for Qantas customers, with greater access to popular destinations in South America than ever before. Santiago has been a key gateway for our customers since we started flying there in 2012. This development will strengthen its prominence as hub for onward connections, offering the additional customer benefits of a codeshare service – more opportunities to earn frequent flyer points and luggage checked straight through to their final destination”.
LAN currently operates 7 weekly flights between Santiago and Sydney, which added to the 3 that Qantas operates, makes 10 available round trip flights weekly.
As members of oneworld, LAN and Qantas offer reciprocal benefits in their frequent flyer programs, allowing LANPASS and Frequent Flyer members to earn and redeem miles/kilometers on both airlines. Now, thanks to the agreement, passengers have greater benefit opportunities when traveling between South America and Oceania with these airlines.
The following codeshare flights operated by Qantas will be available for reservations on August 3 and flying starting August 9 (*):
· Auckland – Sydney
· Auckland – Melbourne
· Auckland – Brisbane
· Auckland – Perth
· Sydney – Melbourne
· Sydney – Brisbane
· Sydney – Adelaide
· Sydney – Canberra
· Sydney – Perth
· Sydney – Darwin
· Sydney – Hobart
· Sydney – Alice Springs
The codeshare flights operated by LAN will be available for booking and flying, according to the following table:
· In Chile: Santiago-La Serena, Santiago-Antofagasta and Santiago-Punta Arenas, starting August 5 (for purchase starting July 30).
· Santiago (Chile) – Lima (Peru), starting August 20 (for purchase starting August 13).
· Santiago (Chile) Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Santiago (Chile) – Sao Paulo (Brazil), starting October 8, and will be available for purchase starting October 1. (*).
(*)Subject to the approval of regulatory authorities.
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