Airbus is about to close a new massive order in China, according to SCMP. The moment cannot be worse for Boeing

Airbus prepares to reinforce its presence in one of the most strategic markets on the planet: China. South China Morning Post says that the European manufacturer is at the gates of signing a new agreement with the Chinese authorities that would include Between 100 and 200 new airplanes. The firm could arrive this month, but what really attracts attention is not the magnitude of the order, but the moment in which it occurs. The operation would coincide with the summit between the European and China Union on July 24 and 25, As Politico has advanced. A high -level diplomatic encounter that seeks to reduce commercial tensions, redefine relationships between Brussels and Beijing, and manage an increasingly tense climate in their links with Washington. That Airbus manages to close a contract of this size just in that context is something that does not go unnoticed. A new order in Chinese heavens? China has not closed great agreements with Boeing for years. The last relevant request dates back to 2017and since then the American manufacturer has been losing ground in one of the most dynamic markets in commercial aviation. The reason is not only commercial: the cooling of relations between Washington and Beijing, The tariff war And regulatory doubts seem to be tilting the balance to the European side. As the Hongkonese medium points out, Airbus has gained weight as the main supplier. Time also plays in favor of Airbus. Many Chinese airlines are dealing with aged fleets, mostly composed of Boeing aircraft acquired more than a decade ago. In cases such as Shandong Airlines or China United Airlines, the bulk of the devices exceeds ten years of service. As the airplanes accumulate flight hours, in general, their maintenance becomes more expensive, their operational efficiency decreases and increases inactivity periods. At first glance, it may seem that an airline can compensate for the situation by combining manufacturers. However, operate A mixed fleet It implies logistics complexity and high costs. An Airinsight analysis concluded that the expenses derived from managing two types of fleet – parties, training, documentation, crew ratio – are amortized in just 12–15 months and then favor significant savings in the useful life of the fleet. Operating a mixed fleet implies logistics complexity and high costs The standardization – arrest by a single supplier such as Airbus or Boeing – reduces operational costs, simplifies the training of personnel and speeds up the management of spare parts. In contrast, changing manufacturer forces to reorganize supply chains, train pilots and technicians in new models and adapt maintenance infrastructure. The latter implies from updating the hangars and workshops to the physical requirements of the new plane, to acquire specific tools. For many airlines, that entrance barrier seems to explain why they continue to depend on boeing fleets even when Airbus gains ground. China is also betting on developing its own alternative. The three large state airlines – Air China, China Eastern and China Southern – have already committed the purchase of more than 100 units of the Comac C919the passenger plane developed by the Chinese aeronautical industry. Political support is evident, but so are its limits: Production is still reducedinternational certifications are in the initial phase and the technical support network does not have maturity or the Airbus or Boeing scale. For now, C919 is a medium -term promise, but not an immediate solution to meet the enormous demand of the domestic market. Nevertheless, Boeing is not totally out of the game. In April 2025, several 737 Max prepared for Chinese airlines They returned to the United States After Beijing ordered to suspend deliveries, as part of their response to new tariffs against US products. Although this measure points to a protective impulse of the national industry and the geopolitical strategy, Boeing could still regain land if commercial tension is reduced and access to the Chinese market is resumed. But, for now, Airbus is emerging as a favorite. Airbus knows well the potential of the Chinese market. According to their own forecaststhe country will need more than 9,500 new commercial airplanes in the next 20 years. Boeing handles a similar figure: Around 8,830 to 9,740 units, depending on the economic and regulatory scenario. In any case, we are talking about a gigantic demand. And at this time, with the orders to Boeing frozen and Comac still consolidating, Airbus has a clear advantage. If the new contract is confirmed, it will not be an isolated case: it will be the reflection of a trend that can mark the distribution of power in commercial aviation during the next decades. Images | FASYAH HALIM | Takashi Miyazaki In Xataka | The C919 Comac In Xataka | The United Kingdom was waiting for an invincible hunt. Today, the F-35 flies little and cannot shoot its own weapons

Naples Airport has rejected a Boeing 787 with 200 passengers on board for a single reason: two meters long

Two meters. Not one more, not one less. Those have been the culprit that Naples airport had to reject a flight with origin in Philadelphia. Everything seemed to work without shocks on the morning of June 3. Until the passengers who had to land in Naples received the unpleasant surprise that they would land in Rome. The reason: the plane was too big for the airport. Six meters. That is the distance that differentiates a Boeing 787-8 from a Boeing 787-9. Both They are part of the Dreamliner family (which is also part of the Boeing 787-10) and are common on transatlantic flights since their autonomy widely exceeds 10,000 kilometers and have more than 200 places for passengers. The size in all cases is 60 meters but its length grows as the last name number increases. Thus, the Boeing 787-8 measures 57 meters long but the 787-9 already extends to 63 meters long. The 787-10 reaches 68 meters long. A small (big) difference. Those six meters long suppose a problem that is called 8 RFFS category airport (Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, for its acronym in English). This name refers to the aircraft that an airport can manage, according to the emergency and fire extinction services that it has at your disposal. In this case, the 8 RFFS category allows aircraft to be operated with a maximum size of 61 meters long. That is, it can handle the Boeing 787-8 but not the Boeing 787-9, which exceeds in two meters the dimensions established by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). In order to manage the landing of a Boeing 787-9 it is necessary for the airport to have a 9 RFFS category where airplanes are allowed to land up to 76 meters long. Better to Rome. This scenario did not contemplate in American Airlines when they decided that, for operational reasons, a Boeing 787-9 had to operate the Philadelphia-Naples route that the airline keeps open. Usually, this journey is made by a Boeing 787-8 (smaller) since They open the route last summer. In fact, in the press release of the Naples airport it is specified that the plane used will be the smallest of the Dreamliner line. But, as we said, last week American Airlines decided to send Naples a Boeing 787-9. When the plane It was 70 miles of his destiny he had to turn around and deviate to Rome. The problem was evident, from Naples they reported that they could not host the flight because their category prevents it. The plane was too big. Specifically, the two meters that exceeds an airport with 8 RFFS category can operate it. By bus. They explain in Business Insider that passengers had to cover the distance between both airports by bus, on a trip that took them from two to three hours, or by plane, in Routes operated by Ita Airways. The company apologized and alleged the American media that “operational limitations” had occurred that had prevented the plane in southern Italy. In CBS They point out that 231 passengers and 11 crew members who received, for any response from the company “apologies for the interruption of the trip” were traveling on board the aircraft, in a statement rescued by the media. Photo | Dominic Bieri and Flightware In Xataka |

In 2015, Catar’s ex-emir fractured a leg in Morocco. So his nine Boeing 747 private set for Switzerland

In December 2015, an incident starring the ex-emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, exposed to what extent the deployment of Media of a real family. What began with a fall in the mountains of Morocco ended up collapsing the Zurich airport with the arrival of nine Private Boeing 747 In the middle of the night they needed a special permit of the Swiss airport authority to land. This episode, beyond the anecdotal, reveals how protocols and infrastructure that surrounds large fortunes can Mobilize resources on a difficult scale to imagine to The common of mortals. As in THE THEORY OF CHAOSthe effect of a fall in Morocco put a serious squeeze to Swiss air controllers. A real accident in Morocco During the December 2015 vacationsSheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was Emir from Qatar since 1995 and father of the country’s current leader, suffered an accident in the Atlas mountains, in Morocco. The 63 -year -old millionaire at that time fractured a leg while enjoying a snow vacation, As reported In your day Morocco World News. However, the severity of the injury that caused the fall led the EMIR personal medical team to recommend its immediate transfer to Switzerland to be operated there. The ex -president was evacuated to a Swiss hospital where he could receive medical attention more advanced and specialized for recovery. The evacuation was carried out aboard one of the Boeing 747 that the Catarí royal family uses as a private jet. The problem is that the emir never travels alone. Eight Boeing 747 more were needed. That is, one delegation formed by nine aircraftif we have the one that transported the former Hamad Bin Khalifa to the Thani. In Zurich they did not believe it As Everything that happens Around the Catarí royal family, the transfer of the former emir was not a simple private flight. Six of the airplanes took away immediately from Doha to Zurich destination, to support the transfer of the president, while the other three remaining were part of the personal entourage of the patriarch of the Al Thani clan. According to public The GuardianZurich-Kloten airport controllers were quickly overwhelmed at the presence of nine aircraft asking to land in the middle of the night due to the medical emergency of their most illustrious passenger. In just a few hours, a total of nine Boeing 747 operated by Qatar Amiri Flight, the family’s exclusive airline Al thani requested to take land at the Swiss airport. The situation was so exceptional That the Swiss authorities had to grant a special permit for airplanes to land outside the allowed schedule, since Zurich-Kloten airport prohibits night air traffic so as not to disturb local residents. The simultaneous arrival of so many private jets for a medical emergency was an unprecedented event in the Swiss city. Obviously, as they counted in Luxurylaunchesthis aerial deployment not only responded to the need to transfer the patient, but to mobilize all his entourage. Among the passengers of the nine Boeing 747 the private medical team of the Sheikh, the family security personnel, personal, family assistants, etc. was traveling etc. Each plane had a specific purpose, from transporting medical equipment to guaranteeing the comfort and safety of all companions of the ex-emir during their stay in Switzerland. The private fleet of the Thani family: more than a luxury Beyond the anecdotal of mobilizing nine aircraft that in their commercial configuration are able to transport 400 people, the private fleet of the family to Thani is part of an infrastructure designed to guarantee the mobility and well -being of its members in any circumstance. These nine Boeing 747 are not simple private jets: inside they have medical suites, private rooms and, in some cases, gyroestabilized hospital beds that keep the patient stable during the flight. The luxury and sophistication level of these aircraft exceeds any usual standard. All this, adorned and splashed with the most exclusive luxuries, which makes these planes authentic flying palaces capable of responding to any emergency or need of the Catarí royal family. In Xataka | A single millionaire spent on his luxury vacation in Mallorca the equivalent of 10,000 tourists: the Emir de Catar In Xataka | Mark Zuckerberg has sent his two supereyates at 8,500 km only for one reason: climb to a helicopter and lower it skiing Image | Wikimedia Commons (Mehmet Mustafa çelik), Flickr (ITU PICTURES, Alan Wilson)

Boeing, trapped in the commercial war. China paralyzes the deliveries of its airplanes and Airbus gains ground, according to Bloomberg

Commercial tension between United States and China It does not give signs of decreasing. And everything indicates that commercial aviation will be one of the great victims. According to Bloombergthe Chinese government has ordered its airlines to stop the reception of aircraft manufactured by Boeing. The measure also includes the suspension of purchase of aeronautical equipment and components from US companies. This new blow is part of a tariff offensive that has reached unpublished levels. After declaring a commercial emergency, Washington raised up to 145% Tariffs in response to what he considers a threat to their economic and national security. China soon react, raising their own levies above 100% to US imports and making it clear that the climb was far from finishing. China’s latest reprisals hit Boeing Although the details of the last retaliation of the Asian giant are unknown, the suspension affects the Boeing 737 Maxone of the best -selling unique corridor aircraft in the world, of which the American firm has delivered 13 units in China, along with Tres Boeing 787 double corridor. In their hangars they still expect 28 Max and a 787 destined for the Chinese market. It is not just a political dispute: economic implications are huge. China is one of the main strategic markets for Boeing. According to their latest 20 -year forecast reportthe country would demand 8,830 new aircraft until 2043. 60% to accompany the growth of air traffic, and the remaining 40% to renew fleets with more efficient models. The country’s commercial fleet would go from 4,345 to 9,740 aircraft in that period, with an annual expansion of 4.1%. However, part of these forecasts are now questioned by the commercial war. The measure not only puts the commercial balance between the two countries. It also threatens to alter the internal functioning of Chinese airlines, which depend largely on fleets already delivered. Thousands of airplanes of the American company They currently operate in the country, and their maintenance requires foreign technical pieces and support. Boeing has been doing business in China for decades, but those doors begin to close. Boeing has been doing business in China for decades, but those doors begin to close. With Boeing temporarily out of the scene, two alternatives arise: The Airbus A320 family and the Comac C919. Airbus starts with advantage, since, although some of its components come from the United States or use Chinese raw materials, it can continue to operate normally in the country. The problem is capacity: the European manufacturer would have to increase its production rate to take advantage, and that is not immediate. The other great bet is local. Comac C919, designed and assembled in China, is designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320. It offers capacity for between 158 and 192 passengers and a maximum autonomy of 4,075 to 5,555 km. Today, its deployment is limited, but the current context could accelerate its adoption on regional routes. The uncertainty reigns on both sides of the Pacific. From the United States, Trump has affirmed that “China wants to reach an agreement. The problem is that they are not clear how to do it.” From Beijing, on the other hand, they show no intention of backing. They claim to raise tariffs beyond 125% would be “a joke”implying that greater punishment would not be an additional damage. As we have seen, the conflict continues to climb, and the aeronautical industry is trapped in the crossfire of two powers that more and more use their supply chains as a negotiation weapon. Although the long -term effects are about to be seen, the immediate impact begins to feel. Touch to wait to know if we will witness some kind of agreement capable of relieving, or at least reduce, these new international barriers. Images | Andrew Dawes | Kua Yue | David Syphers In Xataka | Boeing, in the line of fire of the tariff war: Airbus is emerging as the winner of the pulse between China and the USA In Xataka | While the US is obsessed with tariffs, China has a weapon that is going unnoticed: the bureaucracy

Boeing, in the line of fire of the tariff war. Airbus is emerging as the winner of the pulse between China and the USA

We are witnessing a Commercial War Unprecedented while we try, as far as possible, understand how far you can go. Trump administration maneuvers are being as drastic as unpredictable: in just one week, It has gone from imposing reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries —Without distinction between allies or competitors— to suspend them to open a negotiation period. That turn has given some oxygen to the global economy, qEU was already noticing the consequences. But the case of China is different. There is no truce there. Beijing has seen how levies to their exports to the United States shot. And in the midst of this new scenario, the question is inevitable: what sectors are in the line of fire? We have already talked about the technological, with Apple to the head. The company has begun to send thousands of iPhone from India to the United States to dodge part of the tariff impact. There are also indications that this situation could be translated In an increase in the price of the device in some markets. But there is another actor who enters the scene: Boeing. Despite the setbacks of recent years –marked especially by the accidents of 737 Max-, Boeing is still one of the United States industrial emblems. A heavyweight of the aerospace sector, whose airplanes are not only fundamental for global transport, but also a reflection of the technological and economic muscle of their country. Now, the trade war threatens to erode part of its competitiveness and could give An advantage to its great European rival: Airbus. To better understand the scenario, it is convenient to review, in general, some tariffs between the United States and China. We start with the measures applied by the White House since the return of Donald Trump. United States tariffs to China products The sum of the aforementioned tariffs gives us 145% to imports from China. It should be noted that, as with the European Union, other tariffs have also been imposed over time. Let’s see. China tariffs to United States products April 4, 2025: 34% of tariffs in response to the “reciprocal tariffs” of the United States to all American imported goods. April 8, 2025: 50% of tariffs in response to the increase in the “reciprocal tariffs” of the United States to all American imported goods. In this case, the sum of both tariffs results in 84% of tariffs that exist at this time. Tariffs will make the manufacture of airplanes As we have seen, tariff barriers are high on both sides of the board. If we focus on the aviation industry, the impact on supply chains It can be significant. Although most of Boeing’s production is concentrated in the United States, many of the components and materials they use come from suppliers distributed throughout the world. That’s where companies like Shandong Nanshan Aluminumthat supplies aluminum to aerospace firms such as Spirit Aerosystems. The latter, based in Wichita, produces fuselage sections for both Airbus and Boeing, including more than 70% of the structure of 737. In that context, tariffs can make aluminum more expensive from China. Although both Boeing and Airbus began to diversify their supply chain after the outbreak of the first tariff war during Trump’s initial mandate, A recent analysis of Leeham firm and Official Public Documentation suggest that Chinese aluminum is still present in the manufacture of some parts. That puts on the table the possibility of a price increase. Airbus’s case – a European manufacturer based in Blagnac, France – makes clear to what extent the supply chains are interconnected. Spirit Aerosystems not only works with Boeing, he also collaborates with his great European rival. And it is not the only example: Boeing also imports high -tech components made in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Airbus tactical advantage From the point of view of the supply chain, the manufacturer that depends most on raw materials or components affected by tariffs will be, logically, The most harmed. With the available data, it is not easy to determine which of the two large manufacturers is at a greater disadvantage, but if we take the case of aluminum as a reference, the advantage will be those who manage to import it at the best price and with the lowest tariff load. The scenario, however, is more complex than it seems. Changing supplier not only implies a logistic and operational reconfiguration, but also the global context is so volatile that it is difficult to make structural decisions. Not only China is subject to tariffs: dozens of countries are still reached by a base tax of 10%, although the White House has granted a 90 -day extension to the toughest tariffs. Where does Airbus’s supposed advantage come here? According to Reutersthe European manufacturer could benefit in the Chinese market by not being subject to 84% tariffs that affect US planes. Although China drives its own models, such as Comac C919it is still one of the largest aircraft buyers in the world. And both Airbus and Boeing have many deliveries committed. Chinese airlines could bow up by Airbus if their airplanes are cheaper than those of Boeing. Although the American manufacturer could try to absorb part of the impact by reducing margins, current tariffs – and the possibility of rising again – make that option hardly sustainable. Airbus, meanwhile, would face a challenge nothing less: increase its production capacity and comply with delivery deadlines. Images | FASYAH HALIM | Sven Piper | Lukas Souza In Xataka | The European Union reacts after the unexpected US turn: suspends its tariffs, although it keeps its finger in the trigger

Boeing came from difficult years. The US has just given air with the contract that can mark his return: that of the new F-47

Boeing is going through one of the most complex periods in its recent history. The reputation of the aerospace giant has been harmed by a series of operational and financial problems that have accumulated in recent years. Its commercial aviation division, responsible for the development and manufacture of airplanes such as 737 Max, has been especially hit: The 2018 and 2019 accidents marked a turning pointto which new foci of concern have been added, Like delays in production or strikes in their plants. Its defense and space division has not been left out either. Starlliner ship’s setbacks have not only revealed the technical difficulties of the program, They have become a public humiliation for the company. To this are added other deficit projects that have drained resources, further deepening the crisis. In the midst of this panorama, Boeing has just received a new opportunity to recover prestige and demonstrate that it is up to its own name: The contract to develop F-47. An airplane that can mark a before and after for the US (and for Boeing) The Air Force defines the F-47 as the first sixth generation hunting of the United States. Only that already places it in the center of all eyes. Integrated in the program Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD)is called to replace F-22 Raptor with improvements in stealth, communication and fire power. In addition, it is designed to operate next to the next fleet of pentagon drones, known as collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), conceived to carry the missions not manned to the next level. Although so far there has been little of the project, the budgetary figures published last year reveal that the Air Force plans to allocate up to 20,000 million dollars in research and development of the NGAD until 2029. But everything seems to indicate that this figure will be only the beginning. If we take as reference to Lockheed Martin F-35, The most expensive combat plane in historyit is reasonable to think that the new sixth generation hunting will require an even greater investment throughout its useful life. But the F-47 is not a plane that Donald Trump’s administration has taken from the sleeve from one moment to another. It is an initiative that, as we suggest above, has been circling for some time, although in a very discreet way. The NGAD combat aircraft program evolved from the plans for what was originally called a penetrating counterattack platform (PCA), which publicly emerged publicly mid -decade of 2010. Unlike other programs, the Air Force has decided to maintain a very low profile. The great defense contractors of the United States, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, participated in the bidding process. Northrop retired in 2023, leaving the contest between Boeing and Lockheed. Now he is official: Boeing has been the great winner. The data is not less, since Lockheed was the one who developed the F-22 Raptor, the hunt that this new model seeks to replace. In addition, Boeing will put the firm on this plane: its most successful models, the F-15, the F/A-18 and the EA-18, were inheritance of McDonnell Douglas. As we said, there are few confirmed data on the technical specifications of the future F-47. However, A Congress report stressed The urgency of developing a sixth generation hunt to maintain aerial superiority Facing China’s military advancewhich already has the J-20 and J-35and work in an even more advanced model. The new American plane should not only be overcome in weapons systems, but also in scope, a key capacity to operate in the Pacific Ocean, where F-22 Raptor shows limitations. Conceptual images | United States Air Force In Xataka | Boeing’s last development is not a plane: it is called GLSDB and it is an improved bomb that is on its way to Ukraine

Astronauts launched by Boeing are returning to Earth nine months later, in a Spacex ship

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are returning to Earth after nine months at the International Space Station. It is not an unusually long stay for an astronaut (the Russians They have come to spend three times longer in orbit), but Wilmore and Williams originally rose for a test mission just over a week. What followed was one of the most controversial decisions that NASA has taken in recent years. Express rotation Although How Elon Musk and Donald Trump tell himNASA’s two astronauts have not been really abandoned. The Boeing Starliner ship, with which they went up to the ISS in June, returned empty to Earth for a failure in the propulsion system that caused NASA managers to lose confidence in a safe return for their astronauts. Wilmore and Williams were reassigned, first, to the CREW-8 mission of Spacex. If there had been an emergency in the ISS between August and September, they would have returned in that ship under the seats of the other four crew, without the right suit. In September, the CREW-9 mission reached the ISS with two empty seats and two costumes for both, which regularized its situation. Since then, Wilmore and Williams have had a firm return plan: as soon as the four relay astronauts (the Spacex Crew-10 mission), they would return to Earth together with their two companions of the CREW-9 mission. There were some delays for technical issues (the Crew Dragon ship initially assigned to the CREW-10 mission was not ready and had to be replaced), but political tensions ended up accelerating things. Crew-10 arrived at the ISS during the early hours of Monday. 24 hours later, in the early hours of Tuesday, the CREW-9 mission was decoupling to enter the atmosphere and return to the earth. Normally astronauts spend more time together to catch up on the details of the orbital station, but this time it has been an express rotation. The return flight Dressed in their Spacex costumes, very different from those of the Boeing Starliner ship with those who were thrown into space, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said goodbye to their peers and entered the Crew Dragon ship with Nick Hague of NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos, the other two crew of the CREW-9 mission. At 5:05 UTC, the Spacex ship decoupled from the ISS autonomously and quickly moved away from the laboratory in orbit using its propellants. The Crew Dragon has been maneuvering to reduce its altitude. It is expected that Amerize near the Coast of Florida at 9:57 p.m. UTC, 17 hours after its departure. The most delicate maneuver will occur 12 minutes before shocking. The ship will detach from its trunk and turn on its engines to exorbitar. Then he will perform his atmospheric reentry, being surrounded by plasma by the speed at which he will cross the gases of the Earth’s atmosphere. When it reaches 5,500 meters of altitude, the two pilot parachutes will open to stop the ship, followed by four main parachutes to 1,950 meters to cushion the shocking. The Dragon ship will play the Atlantic Ocean at a speed of 7.6 meters per second, detaching from its parachutes and bringing back to Butch and Suni after nine months of scientific work and maintenance aboard the ISS. The soap opera will have finished. Images | POT In Xataka | “Stranded” astronauts in space say goodbye to the ISS with a script turn: supporting Elon Musk’s version

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