Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Boeing, Airbus stand firm on planned airliner production rate increases, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing supplier woes.

CPI Aerostructures CEO and President Douglas McCrosson is leaving, the embattled Tier 1-2 defense supplier announced March 9, and outside industry veteran Dorith Hakim has been hired as successor CEO.

Bombardier has suspended all activities with Russian clients, including all forms of technical assistance as the war in Ukraine continues, according to the Montreal-based OEM.

Spirit AeroSystems’ acquisition of the assets of Bombardier’s Short Brothers operation in Northern Ireland in 2020 has accelerated the company’s goal to diversify so it is less reliant on the commercial sector.

Ethiopian Airlines has added another five 777 freighters to its existing nine strong fleet with an MoU signed with Boeing. The deal for the five 777-8 variants will enable Ethiopian to meet expanding global cargo demand from its hub in Addis Ababa and position the carrier for long-term sustainable growth, the OEM said.

The aerospace and defense recovery after the pandemic is expected to continue, but the industry faces several headwinds and not everyone will benefit equally. Listen in to hear why Tier 2 in the supply chain warrants close scrutiny as a point of concern in coming years.

Russia’s invasion has reawakened Western democracies and shown the limits of brute force.

Aircraft Industries, the Czech manufacturer of the Let family of turboprop transport aircraft, says in an open letter that its ownership by Russian holding group Ural Mining Metallurgical Company (UGMK) “is likely to change a lot for us as a company, but we ourselves do not know what the consequences will be.”

Sanctions may have a fast and sweeping effect on Russian air transport, which cannot rely on local production or services.

Turkish Aerospace eyes “aggressive price policy” for international sales of indigenous Gokbey twin-engine medium rotorcraft.

GKN Aerospace has tested an advanced turbine rear structure (TRS) design which demonstrated a potential weight reduction of up to 14% compared to current commercial engine configurations.

Airbus Ventures, L3Harris Technologies and Heico have joined a group of venture capitalists to invest $60 million in CesiumAstro, a four-year-old active-phased-array startup, the companies announced March 2.

Beyond removing passenger and routine air cargo links between Russia and the U.S., the ban will have aerospace supply-chain implications.

Qatar Airways said it has welcomed the decision of the High Court on Friday 18 February 2022 which issued an injunction against Airbus.

Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine adding to a panoply of issues facing the aerospace industry, executives from Boeing and Airbus told the Aviation Week Raw Materials and Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference that the OEMs were standing firm on planned airliner production rate ramps.

In the first two months of 2022, the industry has reverberated with sudden departures or surprising leadership changes.

The FAA will inspect each 787 aircraft before clearing it for delivery, mirroring its process on the 737 MAX.

India’s Rossell Techsys has won a contract from Boeing to manufacture and supply wire harnesses for the global aerospace company’s T-7A Red Hawk.

Embraer has to weigh multiple considerations in deciding the future of E175-E2 and new-generation turboprop programs.

Airbus and CFM will use A380 testbed to answer crucial questions about hydrogen propulsion.

A fierce battle has erupted around the flight test center for Antonov aircraft company near Kyiv, with a Russian air assault fighting a brigade of Ukrainian national guard troops for control of the airport, Ukraine’s Ministry of the Interior says.

Safran's CEO says the supply chain has been “extremely fragilized” and the situation in the U.S. is “extremely acute.”

The plant is projected to grow to 1 gigawatt-a-year production capacity by 2028 to fulfill conditional pre-orders for 600 aircraft systems from ZeroAvia and Piasecki Aircraft as well as Airbus.

Flydubai has signed a multi-year agreement for parts provisioning and Quick Engine Change (QEC) kits to support the all-Boeing flydubai fleet.

Airbus, Safran and private equity firm Tikehau Ace Capital signed a memorandum of understanding to buy aerospace materials supplier Aubert & Duval from French mining firm Eramet on Feb. 22.