There's a recession?

[Stalins Organ]

A couple of articles in aviation news recently - Boeing are increasing production of 737s to 42/month (41 civil & 1 P-8A Poseidon) -

Officials have inspected the land around its Renton, Washington 737 production plant to consider expansion, CAO understands. The facility, with some rejigging of the internal footprint, can accommodate 42 airplanes a month, although ramp space for the finished product will be challenging.

& they're trying to figure out how to get up to 50/month.....

and 777's to over 8 per month by 2013 - currently 5/month, increasing to 7 next year.

[JonS]

Huh. For some reason I thought 737 production was winding down/end-of-life.

[Affentitten]

SO:

Are the orders for smaller civil aircraft increasing because companies maybe can't afford larger ones?

Are the orders for the next generation of the 737 increasing because the older versions of the 737 and 757 are ageing out of the fleet en masse at the moment?

[Stalins Organ]

777 orders are increasing because 747-400's are nearing the end of their life, and, as I understand it, the twin jet 777 is considerably more efficient than the 4 jet 747......which is why the airbus 340 hasn't really "taken off", and possibly why the 380 will never reach the production numbers of the 747 - 4 engines is jsut a lot more machinery to pay for over the years.

In general terms passenger numbers are increasing - so if they have smaller jets they need to have more of them

Both Boeing and Airbus are forecasting roughly a doubling of the civil fleet some time in the 2020's to about 28,000 airliners (the year & exact number depend upon which you read) - China to double by 2015, even Africa to need somewhere betwen 600-900 new airliners in he next 20 years (its current fleet is 660).

and the number of seats is not decreasing - 777's replacing 747's, A380's and 787's all have more seats than "equivalent" aircraft - 767's, A300's, 737 "Classics" that are being phased out.

And they are more economical - they are really wring the last fractions of a % of aerodynamic and fuel performance - no doubt the operators will continue to push for improvements in those with new technology in the future.

for all the discussion about the gap between rich and poor, the ability of the world to travel by air continues to increase.....I think it is simply a combination of the world is getting richer (remember that BC video from a couple of weeks ago), and travel is geting cheaper.

[dieseltaylor]

I have to own to being unconvinced that cheap travel by air is a good thing. I do wryly consider whether these projected future numbers account for many people refusing to fly because of the pat-downs etc, and cattle class conditions that now go with flying.

Of course getting diseases around the world quicker is probably beneficial. The benefits to the countries like Dominica where the natives can see the massive number of tourists through the gates/fences of the holiday compounds is doubly educational.

And flying will save having to video conference* or have agents overseas. *Provided you do not mind being eavesdropped on by national security agencies. Kraft have moved the HQ of a recently acquired major brand to Switzerland to save some significant tax - previously paid to HM government. I have no doubt we will see a future were all HQ's will be domiciled in Switzerland, the Cayman Islans or Wyoming with executives jetting in and out.

[Stalins Organ]

I never said it was good - I am pretty neutral about it - although New Zealand can use all the tourist $$'s we can get!

But the world is getting richer...and the previously poor wanna go travel and see exotic places. The old middle classes may not like cattle class, but the neuvo middle class haven't heard all the stories and aren't going to care for decades yet!

Chemtrailers will tell you that it is an excuse to poison us too..

[hoolaman]

Aerosol chemical poison dispensers come as standard off the production line of course.

[Michael Emrys]

Aerosol chemical poison dispensers come as standard off the production line of course.

Michael