Airbus CEO says 'not unlikely' it will take some Spirit Aero plants
The head of Airbus, CEO Guillaume Faury told the news agency Reuters it is "not unlikely" that the European planemaker takes control of two U.S. and UK plants run by Spirit Aerosystems if Boeing goes ahead with plans to buy one of the industry's key suppliers. But Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said it was up to Boeing to fine-tune its intentions - having changed the status quo with a surprise plan to buy back its former unit - and Airbus would have a "word to say" about where the two factories ended up.
The fate of the plants and their combined 4,000 workers - in Kinston in North Carolina and Belfast, Northern Ireland - has been swept up in the latest crisis at Boeing, which aims to buy its supplier to ease the fallout from a 737 MAX panel blowout.
"There are not many companies in the world that could be good owners for these activities," Faury said in an interview, when asked whether Airbus expected to have to acquire them. Reuters reported last week that Boeing, Spirit and Airbus were working directly or indirectly towards a potential “framework” that could lead to Spirit's break-up, with each planemaker taking some operations. www.reuters.com
Bombardier to publicly disclose environmental impact of its aircrafts
Bombardier made a significant stride in environmental transparency by becoming the first business jet manufacturer to disclose the scientifically analyzed environmental impact of its entire product lineup. The company released an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its Challenger 650 business jet, marking a crucial step in Bombardier’s commitment to developing and publishing EPDs for all its in-production aircraft by 2025. All of Bombardier’s business jets EPDs are publicly available on the company’s website and display, amongst other information, the aircraft CO2 emissions generated at each of the steps of the value chain: from raw material extraction until aircraft end-of-life.
“For clients, these reports can be easily consulted like any other spec document. The same way we provide factual information about the unmatched width of the Challenger 650 aircraft’s cabin in its category or its leading dispatch reliability, Bombardier publicly provides factual information on the environmental impact of its business jets”, said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Bombardier Defense, Bombardier. The publicly available EPDs for all its business jets in-production distinguishes Bombardier’s legacy of authenticity and forward-thinking in defining business aviation, and embodies the openness Bombardier cultivates with its clientele, the company stated.
SAS to leave Star Alliance on 31st August
SAS has confirmed that it will leave Star Alliance on 31st August. This follows the sale of the airline to a consortium which includes SkyTeam stalwarts Air France-KLM, who have a pre-agreed deal to take full control of the carrier over a number of years. SAS states that passengers will be able to obtain benefits with “most” SkyTeam airlines from 1 September. The Scandinavian operator was a founding member of Star Alliance in 1997 but the airline’s restructuring under US Chapter 11 has resulted in the change of allegiance. Air France-KLM is part of a consortium providing new equity to SAS and it will hold a minority share in the carrier. Star Alliance will still comprise 25 member airlines. www.flysas.com
People: Cédric Eloy takes charge of the Industrial Services Division at Daher
Cédric Eloy has been appointed to lead the Industrial Services Division at Daher and will take a seat on the Daher Executive Committee.
Graduated with a master’s degree in chemistry from the ENSCM (l’école nationale supérieure de chimie de Montpellier) in 2007 and with an MBA in marketing and innovation from the EM Lyon business school in 2008, Cédric Eloy began his career as a strategy consultant at D&Consultants in 2009. He joined Daher in 2011, initially serving as Marketing Manager through 2015, then becoming the Director of Innovation until 2017, followed by his appointment as the Vice President of Innovation Strategy based in San Francisco through 2020. He continued his development within Daher as the Deputy General Manager of Technology from 2020. In 2023, Cédric Eloy became the Managing Director of France’s AAA (Assistance Aéronautique et Aérospatiale) following Daher’s acquisition of this company. Drawing on his expertise acquired within Daher, he is leading the strategic “services” axis of the company’s “Take Off 2027” plan. www.daher.com