The Sukhoi Superjet is the first regional jet to be unveiled in the 21st century, and is claimed to be the most efficient and most environmentally friendly jet in its category on the market (78-98 passengers).
As Reuters reported, while targeting the world market, the Superjet will replace Russia’s fast ageing Soviet-made fleet of Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 planes on domestic routes with a longer range of 4,550 km (2800 miles).
Ultimately it aims to sell 1,000 planes with 700 of them going to global export markets and it hopes to get European and U.S. certification during 2008. That would put Sukhoi in direct competition with Brazil’s Embraer and Bombardier of Canada, which dominate the 70-100 seat aircraft market today. The maiden flight is expected before the end of the year, Sukhoi said and so far they have been on schedule, unlike Airbus’ A380 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. It says the Superjet will have 10-15 percent lower operating costs than either Bombardier or Embraer models.
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Superjet 100 First Flight in Airline World June 2008
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MD-80 Era Winding Down as Fuel Costs Rise
The MD-80, according to Alaska, consumes around 1,050 gallons per hour. But the newer and bigger 737-800 burns about 850 gallons per hour.
On a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles, which takes about 2 1/2 hours, the 737-800 would burn about 500 fewer gallons of fuel than the MD-80. With the price of jet fuel around $4 a gallon, the fuel bill for the 737-800 flight to Los Angeles would be about $2,000 less than for the MD-80. But the economics of the 737-800 are even better based on fuel burn per seat because it is configured by Alaska with 157 seats vs. 140 seats for its MD-80s.
Other U.S. airlines that operate the MD-80 are also slowly phasing out the plane, but it will take years to eventually replace the nearly 1,000 that are still flying today.
American Airlines has the world’s largest fleet of MD-80s — 300 were in service as of Tuesday. American recently announced it will park 20 of its MD-80s in a cost-cutting move. It is also taking delivery of 70 more 737-800s over the next two years to replace the McDonnell Douglas jets and is considering whether to speed up the pace of those replacements.
Boeing Bonuses Cut as Shares Plummet
80,000 current and past regional employees lose out
“Today, everybody was pretty mad about it,” said Richard McCabe, who works at Boeing’s Renton plant and is a union steward. “Our stock price was hovering in the mid-$80s, but we haven’t gotten anything but good news and suddenly our stock price is in the $60s.”
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“At a time when Boeing is posting record profits, backlogs and orders, why does the stock drop dramatically just as tens of thousands of employees are scheduled to get a Share Value payout based on the stock? Coincidence? One has to wonder,” the International Association of Machinists’ negotiating committee wrote Monday in its weekly message to members. “The simple fact that the stock is tanking is reason enough in this round of bargaining to negotiate a different type of ‘Share Value’ system that gives our members more money and control of the triggers for the payout.”
30 Percent of Airbus and Boeing Orders Cancelled or Postponed
The combined value of the orders for Airbus and Boeing planes exceeds $500 billion at list prices, so large-scale cancellations and deferrals could easily amount to tens of billions of dollars and affect suppliers of engines and other parts in addition to the jet makers.
But carriers in the United States do not seem to be embracing the concept. While United Airlines has Economy Plus seating, it offers a few more inches of legroom than economy, but not the upgraded seat.
While acknowledging the financial challenges that American carriers face, Mr. Harteveldt attributed their absence in this arena to lack of interest in passengers outside the expensive cabins.
“People will pay an above-average price for something that’s tangibly better, so kudos to the airlines that recognize this,” he said. “The ones that don’t are going to wonder, ‘Where did my profitable customers go?’ ”
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