A slow month on the 747 production front. No deliveries, two first flights, and a couple new engine-less frames to sit around the KPAE tower. At least we had a couple new firm orders.
In August, we should see two deliveries: line 1433 for Cathay and line 1480 for Lufthansa. After that there might not be any deliveries until October. Through the end of the year we will probably see Nippon Cargo take three frames, Cathay should take three more (after 1433), and Cargolux might take one or two. That would put us around 20-22 deliveries for the year. There might be a few more (ABC? Korean Air Cargo? Line 1437?) but they'd be surprises at this point.
I caught line 1433 (RC553) B-LJC for Cathay returning from a B3 flight this afternoon.
A Cathay VP recently said he sees no need for passenger VLA (very large aircraft). Cathay, a large 747-8F customer, is a potential 747-8I customer, but that flame is looking dim after his comments.
In August, we should see two deliveries: line 1433 for Cathay and line 1480 for Lufthansa. After that there might not be any deliveries until October. Through the end of the year we will probably see Nippon Cargo take three frames, Cathay should take three more (after 1433), and Cargolux might take one or two. That would put us around 20-22 deliveries for the year. There might be a few more (ABC? Korean Air Cargo? Line 1437?) but they'd be surprises at this point.
I caught line 1433 (RC553) B-LJC for Cathay returning from a B3 flight this afternoon.
A Cathay VP recently said he sees no need for passenger VLA (very large aircraft). Cathay, a large 747-8F customer, is a potential 747-8I customer, but that flame is looking dim after his comments.
They (CX) have been saying things about evaluating if there is a need or not for years, so it is hard to tell what exactly their direction may be. What their COO just said recently seems to go against what their CEO said just a couple of months ago, so that should be factored into all the other information that we've gleaned.
ReplyDeleteIn the long run however, it is their actions that will speak the loudest, and to date, they have done nothing other than continually say they are evaluating.
RC604 scheduled for return to PAE:
ReplyDeletehttp://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE604/history/20130807/1600Z/KMZJ/KPAE