The View From Above for Airbus

UK launch customer Thomson Airway

787 airliner – once called '

BLAGNAC, France (AP) — Airbus said it was confident its planes would not encounter the same technical problems afflicting archrival Boeing's 787s, even though they use the same kind of batteries that have this week raised security concerns.

By Benzinga: Airbus continues to lead Boeing (BA) with a 53% market share after delivering 534 passenger jets in 2011. The results mean that Airbus exceeded its target of 520 to 530 aircraft. The European company overtook Boeing in 2003 and has maintained its lead since then. However, Boeing has benefited from an expansion in global air travel alongside its European competitor.

Ryanair Holdings Plc agreed to buy 175 Boeing Co. 737 jets worth US$15.6 billion at list price to add discount flights in markets vacated by full-service rivals, and said it may opt to add 200 more by the end of the year. Ryanair will initially take the existing 737-800 version of the single-aisle plane, and could become a “lead customer” for the re-engined Max model for the follow-on requirement, Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary said on a conference call.

MONTREAL — Bombardier retained its position as the world’s largest business jet manufacturer in 2012 despite an 11% drop in the value of its global deliveries in the fourth quarter, an industry association reported Tuesday. The Montreal-based aerospace company delivered 179 business aircraft valued at US$5.8-billion last year, compared to 182 valued at nearly US$5.9-billion in 2011, said the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. The general aviation segment is poised for resurgence in the next few years

Designing a new airplane is an incredibly expensive, complicated, and long process, one that can prove wasteful if not executed properly — as Boeing's troubled Dreamliner jet has proven in recent months.

Air Canada is considering purchases of mid-sized jets amid growing confidence the country’s biggest carrier will be profitable next year after an anticipated fifth straight loss. Talks are under way with Boeing Co., Airbus SAS and Bombardier Inc. for more than 100 aircraft, Chief Commercial Officer Ben Smith said in a telephone interview. A decision to buy planes may come “in the short term,” Smith said last week, sooner than the one-year timeline the airline gave on Nov. 8.