The Chart:

Friday, October 3, 2014

GECAS Cancels Two Freighters

Judging by the updated Boeing orders page, two 747-8Fs were cancelled this week, and they must be from GECAS (General Electric Capital Aviation Services). Boeing shows a total backlog of 42 frames, 15 freighters and 27 passenger frames. That gives us:
  • (1) Cathay
  • (9) NCA
  • (3) Cargolux
  • (2) Korean Air Cargo
For a total of 15 freighters (ABC's order for one is still not showing on Boeing's site), and:
  • (4) Lufthansa
  • (10) Korean Air
  • (6) Air China
  • (4) Transaero
  • (2) Arik Air
  • (1) BBJ
 For 27 Intercontinentals. 

That freighter backlog is THIN! Especially considering they have four of them built and waiting for test/delivery, three unclaimed frames already built, two more claimed and two more unclaimed in the pipe. No matter how you interpret those numbers (for example, line 1437, and are the current unclaimed frames white tails or will they go to an existing customer if they can't be sold to a new one) that leaves a mere three to six frames left to allocate in the build order.

Surprisingly the Intercontinental has the stronger backlog right now. I still expect the Arik Air orders to be officially cancelled sometime in the future, and four of those frames are already built, so that leaves a backlog of about twenty frames to build.

With an official sales total of a big fat negative one frame for 2014, and about 1 1/2 years of backlog to build at the current build rate, Boeing needs to make things happen. For better or worse, there's going to have to be some substantial 747-8 news coming from them in the near term.

8 comments:

  1. Bad news huh?

    Except that, t could be due to GECAS not offering good rates. CX and CV both have a single frame on order, would it not have been easier to lease that capacity instead of buying a new one straight from Boeing, since we have so many whitetails sitting around at PAE? Also if Asiana is in contention, why not put those frames there? Silkway? ABC?

    It looks like GECAS is not offering good rates for the leases, not because there is a shortage of potential operators.

    GECAS had so many opportunities to get potential lessee's on side and after it being in the backlog for this long??

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  2. Regarding the wing-wave you mentioned in your prior post, there's a video of it at dailymail.... amazing how close the pilot does this maneuver relative to the ground (you'll have to wait through a 15 second ad first)

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2783901/Captain-dramatically-dips-wings-just-seconds-highly-skilled-stunt.html

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  3. N402KZ in Kalitta livery:
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/mzunguwamap/15448049245
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/mzunguwamap/15261485727
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/114117602@N02/15263744649

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  4. http://a380.boards.net/thread/409/boeing-747-8-firing-order?page=4

    any thoughts about Boeing being the Lessor, is this confirmed....

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    Replies
    1. I'm waiting to see what's up with that. I'd think they'd treat it like they do with BBJ's, where they list it as a delivery to BCC.

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  5. Restoration work on LN1383 N369DF. New reg will be 4X-ICA
    http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Boeing-747-4EVF/ER/SCD/2519494/L/

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  6. Looks like Delta will be retiring their 747's by 2017.... planning to use A330's to replace them

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/10/16/delta-ceo-boeing-747s-will-be-retired-by-2017/17350781/

    ReplyDelete