Airbus cancels Qatar A321 order
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: I wouldn't know.
Posts: 4,497
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It might be. I know the GA avionic industry is already complaining quite a bit about the chip shortage and impending if not current delivery bottlenecks. Usually aircraft manufacturer have quite long lead times, so they should, in theory, not as much affected, but who knows?
Whow indeed .. just wondering if the consequences of the current lack of electronic semi-conductors causing havoc in the car manufacturing industry ( up to 4 years waiting time if you order specific models today) and 6-8 months delays on previously ordered cars, is entering aircraft manufacturers.
Overall, regardless of how difficult a customer Qatar might be, it's pretty hard to see this as other than a win for Boeing.
It reminds me a bit of something that happened back in the 1990s. Boeing did a deal with (IIRC) Singapore for a bunch of 777s, agreeing to take used A340s as trade-in. Airbus came out and said they would refuse product support to Airbus aircraft that had been purchased through Boeing. Boeing responding by issuing a presser that Boeing would always continue to support any Boeing aircraft, regardless of who you bought it from. This made Airbus look so bad they quickly backed down
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: I wouldn't know.
Posts: 4,497
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It will be a win for Boeing of course, as there is no real alternative in a duopoly if one supplier does not supply a customer anymore. However, that will be quite costly for Qatar in the end, as Boeing has absolutely no incentive anymore to give big discounts, after all where is Qatar to get any alternative? By the way, Boeing did pull a similar trick at one point, by openly refusing to sell aircraft to a company which was then forced to completely switch over to Airbus over time. That airline does not exist anymore, but the cause of that is quite an unrelated story.
That said, with the current state of the game (2020, 2021), Airbus can actually be quite relaxed about the whole thing. Not to mention that Boeing has no real answer to the A321 LR and XLR.
That said, with the current state of the game (2020, 2021), Airbus can actually be quite relaxed about the whole thing. Not to mention that Boeing has no real answer to the A321 LR and XLR.
Last edited by Denti; 9th Feb 2022 at 19:21.
It reminds me a bit of something that happened back in the 1990s. Boeing did a deal with (IIRC) Singapore for a bunch of 777s, agreeing to take used A340s as trade-in. Airbus came out and said they would refuse product support to Airbus aircraft that had been purchased through Boeing.
In the spirit of accuracy here, they weren't trade-ins as the term is normally understood; they were not used at all, they were brand new aircraft not even built yet. Boeing wanted Airbus to deliver then whitetail, and was looking to market such brand new aircraft off the Airbus production line in direct competition to new Airbus aircraft, to established A340-300 customers. Singapore had got a particularly good deal on their price because they were ordered in a single deal in conjunction with other Airbus aircraft. I believe that Boeing have a comparable agreement with Ryanair, that for the good deal on their 737s they must not sell them off before, or at, delivery.
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Europe
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
WHBM,
Not correct according to my memory - Boeing indeed took over used SIA A340s, only two or three came directly out of TLS Into their hands.
Example: A340 MSN 117 (a “good friend of mine”), delivered to SIA 1996, transferred to Boeing around 2002
Not correct according to my memory - Boeing indeed took over used SIA A340s, only two or three came directly out of TLS Into their hands.
Example: A340 MSN 117 (a “good friend of mine”), delivered to SIA 1996, transferred to Boeing around 2002
Yes, I am aware that Boeing bought the whole SIA A340 fleet, some had been in service for some years, others were still on order and Boeing was looking to sell these on "new, unused".
Last edited by WHBM; 20th Feb 2022 at 15:16.
Yes, I am aware that Boeing bought the whole SIA A340 fleet, some had been in service for some years, others were still on order and Boeing was looking to sell these on "new, unused".
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In other news, the British court that will hear the case has ordered Airbus not to give away Qatar's 321 NEO slots until after the hearing. Apparently Qatar is still fighting the cancelation.
I have flown in one of them. There is still a SIA logo in one of the toilets. How can a court oblige a seller to sell its products if the cancellation clauses are respected?
Presumably the point of the case is that one party is claiming that the clauses have not been respected. In such a case it would not be uncommon for that party to ask the court to place a restriction on the other party to prevent them taking significant / irrevocable actions until after the case has been heard and the issue resolved
