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Re: Airbus’ A330neo gets better and better.

I have two comments to make:

1. The latest iteration of the Trent 7000 powered A330-900 takes the MTOW to 253 tons, yet has the same engine thrust as the Trent 700 powered A330-200 that entered service with a 230 tons MTOW. Even if the A330neo has a few tweaks here and there (modified wing, aggressive use of bleed off or packs on APU for takeoff, soon to be delivered ETOC and ALGDO) did the APCM consider takeoff performance limitations like 2nd segment and obstacle clearance? From colleagues flying the A330neo I gather that even the 251 ton MTOW is only achievable under benign conditions, let alone a 42ºC and a 992 hPa day (typical summer conditions for Dubai and Abu Dhabi).

2. You may have addressed that in one of the four parts of the article, but hidden behind a paywall I cannot tell.

Would you consider making individual articles available for a fee for those inside (and sometimes outside) the aviation industry that cannot justify an $1632 individual annual subscription?

Kind regards,

Kurt Koerfgen

We sell the individual articles for $100 each. Email info (at) leeham.net for instructions.

Once the OA cost reduction plan kicks in, I will have a lot of spare cash and can afford that easily.

Like the proverbial carrots in front of the donkey, it never closes the distance sadly!

I’m curious:

Dubai handles most long-haul flights in the evening/overnight

Can’t vouch for it. Interested if someone knows better.

Anything leaving Europe in the late morning or afternoon arrives in Dubai in the evening or late evening.

And the Asia flights departing in the late evening arrive in Dubai in the late night.

I have never arrived into Dubai or Qatar — from any direction — during the morning or afternoon.

I also have never arrived in the ME during the Morning or afternoon.

Keep in mind I am not an international jet setter so I have never arrived evening or night either!

Pedro

DXB international arrivals, M-Thurs, Average of last 30 days.

12am……22

1…………..28

2…………..32

3…………..26

4…………..18

5…………..12

6…………..14

7…………..20

8…………..28

9…………..34

10………….30

11………….22

12pm…….18

1…………..16

2…………..20

3…………..26

4…………..32

5…………..36

6…………..34

7…………..30

8…………..28

9…………..32

10………….36

11………….30

The hub system that the local incumbents operate depends to a large extent on night arrivals from the east to depart to Europe and the Americas in the morning, as well as night arrivals from Europe to depart to the Indian Subcontinent/Far East/Australia/New Zealand in the morning (‘first wave’). In particular departures to Australia/New Zealand are prevented from departing earlier due to strict nighttime curfews in Australia (e.g Sydney). Secondary waves from the hub operate at other times. Gulf carriers depend heavily on transit traffic through their respective hubs as their local bases alone do not support their extensive networks.

With respect to my original question regarding aircraft performance, even night temperature lows hover around 30ºC/86ºF.

NYTimes @X:

Tom Homan, President Trump’s chief border official, confirmed that ICE agents will be deployed to U.S. airports on Monday, casting the operation as an effort to ease TSA lines during a partial government shutdown.

I didn’t get it how it should work. TSA as well as ICE are unfunded right now. TSA have to work but do ICE agents also have to work unpaid? How long will it take to get the security clearance to work inside an airport?

WaPo @bsky:

ICE agents have arrived at airports to assist with staff shortages, a day after President Trump threatened he would do so unless congressional Democrats agreed to a GOP-backed funding deal to end a partial government shutdown.

It turns out that Sen Majority Leader Thune went to Trump that Republicans agreed to fully fund DHS (TSA included) excluding ICE, which would be taken up separately–and Trump refused.

Trump is also holding out for passage of the election reform bill (“Save America Act”) before agreeing to DHS shutdown deal. So if anyone is causing this TSA funding issue, it ain’t the Democrats.

I must admit that I thought the airlines would have more success lobbying the current administration than they have had. I wonder wny they have so little leverage.

“2 pilots killed after Air Canada plane collides with vehicle at New York’s LaGuardia Airport”

“Air traffic audio indicates the fire truck was cleared to cross the runway before the collision. ‘I messed up,’ a controller can be heard saying afterward.”

“We went down for a regular landing, we came in pretty hard. We immediately hit something and it was just chaos in there. About five seconds later, we had come to a stop … everybody was screaming pretty quickly. We didn’t have any directions because the pilot’s cabin had been kind of destroyed”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/livestory/air-canada-crash-la-guardia-airport-9.7138217

CBC video clip

Who controls the runway? A retired air traffic controller explains

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7138289

A video of what happened

https://x.com/BNONews/status/2036119859260531059

Is this the second time a commercial aviation accident with fatality in the US this year?

I think Pedro is conflating the Jan 2025 DCA midair and/or the Nov 2025 UPS accidents.

Sorry.

Interesting when Scott calls them on an item, its sorry.

Anyone else and its denial.

PNWgeeek needs to change his name to Scott!

@TW: PNWGeek’s first name is Scott.

Hamilton

Trans really wants to reopen that can of worms: once and for all, you have the opportunity to prove your point.

A flight attendant on the Air Canada Jazz flight that collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Sunday survived in what her daughter called a “complete miracle”, when she was ejected more than 100 metres from the plane while still strapped to her seat.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/23/canadian-flight-attendant-survives-new-york-plane-crash-laguardia

#########

LaGuardia pilots raised safety alarms months before deadly runway crash

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/24/laguardia-airplane-pilots-safety-concerns-crash

It’s like we are becoming a third world nation right before our eyes. The linked guardian article states what the conditions are truly like and absolutely nothing is done about it.

Homendy adds that the firetruck did not have a transponder, a key surveillance tool that could help surface awareness technology generate alerts

>> NTSB CHAIR JenniferHomendy: INITIAL ANALYSIS SAYS CRITICAL SURFACE AWARENESS TECH IN ATC TOWER DID NOT GENERATE AN ALERT BEFORE FATAL CRASH B/W AIR CANADA JET AND FIRETRUCK

https://x.com/willguisbond/status/2036511239346483360

NTSB says there were other vehicles at LGA behind the firetruck that did NOT begin crossing the runway when the accident vehicle did

https://x.com/willguisbond/status/2036508789885612263

Video

NTSB Senior Aviation Accident Investigator Doug Brazy delivers preliminary findings on leadup to deadly LaGuardia Airport plane crash.

https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2036516451461325229

from Simple Flying

“An Emirates Airbus A380 was among two commercial aircraft damaged during Iran’s initial drone attacks on Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the early stages of the ongoing 2026 Iran Crisis. The superjumbo suffered an unspecified level of damage while parked at DXB, while a Saudia Airbus A321 was also reportedly damaged around the same period”

The Australian: End of line: Australia’s ability to pay high oil prices may not secure supply

Australia should expect further cancelations and diversions of refined oil shipments from key Asian suppliers as the fuel shortage deepens…

Australia sources more than 80 per cent of its petrol, diesel and jet fuel from Asia, mostly from South Korean, Singaporean, Malaysian and…

UA plans a media event for tomorrow? Some new seats, or a new interior?

The wisdom of betting the farm on premium seats.

#########

Can we talk about just how unusual it is to have the DOT Secretary and FAA Administrator holding the first presser on a crash? NTSB normally leads all communications.

https://bsky.app/profile/byerussell.com/post/3mhqkqdq2lo2y

1) United unveils the CRJ450: a modified CRJ200 with just 41 seats, including 7 in first class, to serve “smaller cities” from Chicago and Denver.

The move is part of the larger premiumization of the airline but high fuel costs raise questions of the economics of a 41-seat RJ.

https://bsky.app/profile/byerussell.com/post/3mhsp2v3pzo2a

PEDRO ET ALL.

The reason the RJ450 is happening is due to UALs scope clause capping their 76 seat aircraft count. In order to sustain viability of the 50 seat aircraft, they have been forced to go to premium seating to keep the airplane competitive in the markets they serve. They are installing starlink in addition to the seat changes.

This actially works on the RJ550s which are based on the RJ700. In the RJ space, the RJ550 is at the top of the list customer satisfaction wise and the premiumization has worked well with these aircraft generating better per flight revenue.

The RJ450 or RJ550 are both products of tight scope clause at UAL and are probably best viewed as the best poor choice available for the airplane

Does/doesn’t the CRJ550 count as 50 seat aircraft?

Also for how much longer can these CRJ450 (CRJ200) fly? They aren’t getting any younger.

Why don’t airlines convert Embraer for similar applications??

Pedro

1. The CRJ-550 counts as a 50-seat aircraft under UAL’s scope clause, not a 76-seat aircraft — which is exactly why it was created. It’s a CRJ-700 (a plane physically capable of carrying 70–76 seats) that has been reconfigured to carry only 50 seats (10 First, 20 Economy Plus, 20 Economy). Because the plane has 50 seats or fewer, it falls outside the 76-seat cap — and per United’s contract, up to 90% of United’s narrowbody fleet can be flown by 50-seat regional jets. United’s scope clause limits it to 255 large regional aircraft (aircraft with up to 76 seats), and United was already up against that 255 figure. UAL being unable to add more 76-seaters, they needed a creative workaround so United is taking a CRJ-700 that could have 70 seats and converting it into the CRJ-550 capped at 50 seats — it’s the same airplane, just reclassified. It’ll be more expensive RPK wise to fly a CRJ-700 with only 50 seats onboard, but United doesn’t have another good option to get three-cabin airplanes into smaller markets to generate premium revenue. The bet is that premiumization will increase total revenue for flight. So far it appears to be working as the customer satisfaction surveys are best in class.

2. Ask an MRO expert.

3. Ask Embraer

2) United Coastliner & A321XLR

Both Coastliner and the A321XLR will feature 20 Polaris mini-suites and 12 Premium Plus seats on board, a very premium configuration, but also in line with others in the market lately.

The new A321s will have a relatively spacious economy class cabin and a snack bar in the back. Coastliner cabin is 20J/12W/36E+/93Y while the A321XLR is 20J/12W/34E+/84Y.

https://bsky.app/profile/wandrme.paxex.aero/post/3mhsjrce7sc2l

Media blackout is over

Bloomberg

CEO Scott Kirby has made bold bets about sustained consumer demand, even as some analysts question the longevity of the premium trend if geopolitical or economic risks deal major shocks to the industry.

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/797218

United said the first Coastliners will begin flying this summer and it will have 40 of them by the start of 2028.

[Delta] said last month that starting in May, the first of seven of its new Airbus A321neos will have 44 seats in first class, more than double the 20 it usually has.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/24/united-airlines-premium-seats.html

Hey who said the A321XLR has to make do with fewer seats?

Wizz Air A321XLR 239 seats

#########

The chairwoman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the agency investigating the crash, says the full team is still not yet on scene.

In a news conference here at LaGuardia airport, Jennifer Homendy said some of their investigators were delayed getting to New York because of ongoing security delays at airports around the country.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/livestory/air-canada-crash-la-guardia-airport-9.7138217?ts=1774305816002

Wizz Air;

Are we talking the same airline who slashed their A321 XLR order from 47 to just 11 units?

I’m sure that’s working out just swell for them .☺️

Wizz Air executives also stated the XLR is heavier and much more expensive to operate on short to medium haul routes than the standard 321 neo on their existing route network.

Unless their planned network expansion doesn’t come to fuition, look for XLR to be nothing but an afterthought for the carrier’s needs.

ICYMI:

Qantas flies the A321XLR in domestic service.

United can’t get the A321XLR fast enough, what does that tell you?

BTW just curious where is the 737-10 United ordered almost a decade ago?? Kirby must be glad that United has ordered the A321XLR and A321neo back in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

As Airbus continues to deliver aircraft ordered by its customers, it can start to deliver aircraft from more recent contracts that better reflect today’s higher cost environment while the prior contracts are fulfilled — unlike the other major airframer!

United can’t get the XLR fast enough!!

Should be plenty of openings with JetBlue deferring to 2030 at the earliest for their eagerly anticipated XLR debut.

Or the 10 airframes American quietly removed from their backlog earlier this year.

Or just cancel them outright like Aegean did this month.

Air India converts 15 order to A321XLR

“Single product criticism!”

That was because Wizz’s plan to operate a longhaul hub in Abu Dhabi was impeded by UAE authorities. No hub means no longhaul network, which attendantly removes the need for XLRs.

Wizz’s subsequent efforts to open a hub in Tel Aviv haven’t been fruitful, either.

According to the former NYT reporter in one of his books, Chris Hedges states the fabric of society is being altered. I paraphrase: “As the middle class or lower class shrinks or is stress, there is more resources in the upper classes.”

Hence, if the major airlines increase cabin seats for first class passengers, and reduce seats for lower paying passengers, then they know exactly what they are doing. They see the trend and are responding to it.

Agreed.

Absolutely on point

It’s Kirby again:

United CEO skeptical of eVTOL airport shuttle operating model

I’m curious has UAL written off its investment(s) in eVTOL(s) and canceled its order of Archer and Eve?

Its because for airport shuttle its payload of pilot and 4 passengers doesnt include luggage.

Maybe another decade down the road they have better numbers

Another C-130 crash:

“Colombian military plane with 125 on board crashes after takeoff, sources say 71 rescued”

“Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on X the accident happened as the Lockheed Martin-built (LMT.N), opens new tab Hercules C-130 was taking off from Puerto Leguizamo on the border with Peru, as it transported troops.”

“Hercules C-130 planes were first launched in the 1950s and Colombia acquired its first models in the late 1960s. It has more recently modernized some older C-130s with newer models sent from the U.S. under a law that allows for the transfer of used or surplus military equipment.

“At the end of February, another Hercules C-130 belonging to the Bolivian Air Force crashed in the populous city of El Alto, barely missing a residential block.”

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/colombian-military-plane-involved-accident-had-110-soldiers-onboard-media-2026-03-23/

Last I checked, the C-130 is a military transport built by LM which is a military defense company. Not that I am against discussing them, very interesting area of aviation much closer related to Civie Aviation than fighter jets!

A-400 is actually a Civilian Project out of Airbus not their defense side (not that it helped the ensuing over cost debacle).

Its also interesting that modern military transports go with Jet Engines vs those old school Turbo Props the A-400 and C-130 have stuck to.

Note Japan has a fine Military Transport (C-2?) that is Jet engine powe4rd.

Of course the fine C-17 is not just jet powered, its got 4! (Happy P&W!)

I think Russia and China tend to Jet powered as well but I don’t follow them that much.

The first run for F117 or PW2000 on C-17 was in 1981 while first run for TP400 on A400M was in 2005. I also can’t see a big difference between a TP400 and a propfan. CF6 engines on the Kawasaki C-2 had their first run in 1971. The A400M is certified according to civil aviation standards (EASA). What does make an aircraft modern?

The plane involved in the crash was a C-130H Hercules, an older variant of the C-130 series. This particular airframe first entered service in March 1965, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin. It had been donated to the Colombian Air Force by the US Air Force in September 2020. Its Colombian military designation was FAC 1016. Lots of these are being passed on to second operators

This looks like a normal attrition event.

“American Aviation Is Near Collapse”

“Fatal crashes, overstressed controllers, and endless security lines reveal a system teetering on the brink of failure.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/03/aviation-failures-tsa-dhs-shutdown/686505/

“United Airlines will reduce its summer flight schedule to offset an estimated $11 billion in additional fuel costs.”

Finnair will renew its European fleet with an order for 18 E195-E2 narrow-body aircraft from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer it said on Monday, as it moved away from its current supplier Airbus

The order – the Finnish flag carrier’s largest investment in over two decades – deals a further blow to France’s Airbus, after Embraer’s E2 outsold the Airbus A220 three to one last year. Finnair said it also plans to acquire up to 12 Airbus A320 or A321 from the used aircraft market.

NTSB Chair Homendy says that the DHS shutdown, which has slowed many TSA security lines at U.S. airports, has complicated the arrival of her board’s investigators to LGA to complete their work.

BBC: Slovenia becomes first EU country to introduce fuel rationing

JUST IN: Explosion reported at Valero refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. Nearby residents told to shelter in place

That news about the Valero Port Arthur explosion is interesting: although we have no information yet as to the cause, experts have been warning that it’s only a matter of time before Iran brings the war to the US. It’s actually relatively easy to do something like this, e.g. using a simple quadcopter drone and a small package of high explosives, launched over a perimeter fence and on target within seconds. A skillful software hack can also be used.

One way or another: the Port Arthur refinery has a capacity of 380,000 bpd, whereas the US imports about 7 million bpd of crude and petroleum products. So Port Arthur has a significant effect. The price of WTI cude has gone up relatively sharply in response.

Its not an issue. They just have to as DHS for one of the Noemes luxury jets, She is not allowed to fly Cheat Air anymore.

A deadly crash could accelerate the MD-11’s retirement, leaving an unexpected hole in the cargo market that Boeing may struggle to fill.

“It was the McDonnell Douglas way of cheaply doing another airplane, … and it never lived up to its promises,” Hamilton said.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/could-the-ups-crash-mean-the-end-of-the-boeing-maintained-md-11/#comments

PEDRO WROTE

March 24, 2026. A deadly crash could accelerate the MD-11’s retirement, leaving an unexpected hole in the cargo market that Boeing may struggle to fill.

MORE SINGLE PRODUCT CRITICISM EASILY CORRECTED

Pedro, by inferring that Boeing has an unexpected hole to fill in the market, deflects away from Airbuses’ complete inability to successfully deliver a high tonnage freighter of any kind. History Clearly shows that Airbus has had its ass kicked in the High Tonnage Freighter market. Let’s look at the numbers.

Airbus Freighters

Aircraft………..Pallets…Payload

A321F…………….14……~27 tonnes

A330-200F…….22…….70 tonnes

A330-300P2F…26…….~62 tonnes

Boeing Freighters

Aircraft……….Pallet……Payload

737-800BCF…11/12…..~23.9 tonnes

DC-10/30F……23………~50.8 tonnes

767-300F………24………~52/58 tonnes

MD-11F…………26……….~90.8 tonnes

777F……………..27……….~103.9 tonnes

747-400F………30……….~124 tonnes

747-8F…………..34……….~140 tonnes

It sure looks like Airbus ALSO has an opportunity to plug the hole in the freighter market made by the MD11 grounding but lacks anything close to being usable. Perhaps Pedro could speak why he fails to acknowledge the market opportunity this presents Airbus.to the numbers completely

That only applies to UPS which was massively downsizing anyway – as it was “”gliding down”” on its previous reliance of Amazon package freight.

2024 12,000 job cuts, 2026 a further 30,000 job cuts.

New 767F are the new UPS mid size cargo plane

Fedex is keeping on flying its MD11s, as its not doing the major downsizing, when changes come through

from your link

Boeing must be convinced to continue supporting the plane. The last thing it wants is another MD11 accident. It’s Boeing’s name on the side of the airplane now, and Boeing doesn’t need another accident that raises questions about its safety.

Mr Hamilton is on point.

This is a very accurate assessment of the MD-11 program.

They did 2 big things that worked great in the tunnel, but not so much in real life. Everybody knows that Tail Volume Coefficient of the MD11 is low because they made the Horizontal Tail smaller than the DC-10 and it has a disconcerting handling quality when landing with a forward cg. This results in a condition where an aircraft in a stabilized approach has insufficient pitch margin to flare. If you understand the issue its perfectly flyable, if you get caught napping, you make a 3 wire pass. If you get behind the airplane and establish a PIO with insufficient pitch margin to flare you can actually hurt the airplane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih9CwilLIaM

The second issue not normally seen in print is the Wedge Fix. Early MD11 flights showed a huge performance shortfall. The root cause was aerodynamic. The MD-11’s wing, derived from the DC-10, suffered from boundary layer separation near the trailing edge — a problem sometimes described as the “failed” blunt trailing edge wedge, where the upper surface flow was detaching prematurely and creating a large wake drag penalty. The wedge worked in the tunnel and was cleaning up flow, but was a complete failure in real life, The WEDGE FIX was a thin composite strip — the t angle was added to the trailing edge of the wing along almost the entire blunt trailing edge span, extending beyond the original blunt edge and creating a slightly faired in profile rather than the paper-thin trailing edge typical of most airliners. They got almost all of the big flow drag penalty back and it was installed on all airplanes. I can’t find a decent photo but I worked flight line planning at the time and we installed many shipsets. they were held on with screws engaging rivnuts and glued in with Loctite. They were also bonded with IIRC EA934 adhesive and were not safety wired. They were vulnerable to fingerprint loads. I really liked the MD11, it’s a lot more capable than the DC-10 and IIRC, every one ever built went to the fly cargo.

“It was the McDonnell Douglas way of cheaply doing another airplane, … and it never lived up to its promises,” Hamilton said.

Quite right, and that cheaply doing extended not only into payload/range guarantees, but into cabin interiors as well.

When trying to demonstrate the MD-11 to one of the Gulf carriers (essentially only one at that time, you guess which one…), which traditionally are big on fancy cabin interiors, MD told them when they inquired about cabin interiors to just imagine a bigger DC-10.

The competition had more imagination and got the contract…

With respect to MD-11 replacements, if a carrier can live with a reduced 60 ton payload (and maybe shuffle their 777F fleet around a bit), A330-200 in particular may have fallen out of favour with passenger airlines but are available and make reliable A330-200P2F workhorses.

US Treasurys no longer considered a safe haven:

“2-year Treasury yields surge after poor U.S. bond auction”

“Analysts noted that conflicting headlines have reinforced uncertainty, keeping both energy and rates markets sensitive to developments. Easing tensions and lower oil prices had briefly supported Treasurys earlier in the week, but renewed uncertainty is once again weighing on sentiment.

““Headline risk remains particularly elevated as the war continues without a clear off-ramp,” BMO’s head of U.S. rates strategy, Ian Lyngen, wrote, adding that U.S. rates are likely to take their primary cue from swings in energy prices until there is greater clarity on the conflict.

“Meanwhile, an auction on the 2-year Treasury also disappointed investors. Yields surged following the event, with those on the 2-year and 10-year reaching their highest levels since July.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/24/treasury-yields-oil-price-middle-east-risks.html

Rick Santelli on CNBC gave today’s auction a “D” grade…and said he was actually being generous.

Easy to imagine that foreign appetite for US bonds — particularly in the Middle East — has weakened significantly.

Look at the chart:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HEMUDYdaAAAcHza?format=jpg&name=large

“Today’s 2 yr auction was terrible:” @pboockvar The bid-to-cover ratio was the weakest since May 2024 and dealers got stuck with the largest amount since October 2022. Traders are having a hard time pricing Fed policy as oil prices swing higher.

https://x.com/lisaabramowicz1/status/2036493743499649349

Interesting!

While most increases in maximum take-off weight (MTOW) typically require (or already include) structural reinforcements to the airframe, Airbus achieved an interesting exception in 2008 with the A320ceo.

Through a simple software upgrade to the aircraft’s existing Load Alleviation Function (LAF) in the flight control system, Airbus raised the A320’s MTOW to 78 tonnes – an increase of roughly 1 tonne. This provided operators with approximately 150 nautical miles of additional range without any hardware or structural modifications.

The upgrade reactivated and refined the LAF, which uses the ailerons and outer spoilers to reduce wing loads during manoeuvres and gusts. This demonstrated just how sophisticated and capable the A320’s fly-by-wire computer systems already were, allowing meaningful performance gains purely through software.

https://x.com/chainsawrocks/status/2036364337770799224

Remind me if an aircraft from the 1960s can do the same??

PEDRO.

It is another SINGLE PRODUCT CRITISCISM to infer that Aircraft designed or made in the 1960s should be compared Heads Up against the Airbus A320 that first flew in 1988. The A300 was first delivered in 1971, without gust alleviation or FBW controls. That would be a more logical comparison.

But to directly answer your question, The B-47E was the first aircraft to incorporate a “fly-by-wire” primary flight control system in which the pilot’s command controls are transmitted to the control surfaces by electrical wires rather than by cables and mechanical linkages. It used programming to reduce wing flex, It first flew in 1947 and the E models in the 1950s. So that actually is the answer to your question.

B737 max has FBW spoilers…checkmate

Improved Load Management: The system facilitates smoother, more rapid, and precise deployment of spoilers, which inherently assists in mitigating unexpected lift surges during turbulent, gusty conditions (a form of active load alleviation).

Reduced Wing Bending: During high-speed flight, the system optimizes spoiler deployment to minimize the stress on the wing structure

Its oftern forgotten that the 737 in its NG clothes had a completely new wing design with changed profile and greater fuel volume than the other plane which has had no wing profile or fuel volume change except to wing flaps- where theres is now 3 types

“Chinese Publication Claims U.S. Has Two Months of Rare Earths Left”

“Reports from the South China Morning Post and Reuters indicate Washington could have only weeks or months of certain rare-earth inventories available for defense manufacturing if supply disruptions deepen.

“Rare earth elements are embedded throughout modern military systems—from missile guidance and drone propulsion to radar systems and fighter aircraft electronics.”

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Chinese-Publication-Claims-US-Has-Two-Months-of-Rare-Earths-Left.html

Also of critical use in commercial aviation.

A330neo High-Altitude airport flight test campaign in Mexico and Bolivia

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxL2s1o2Nc

Airbus flight test team flew Airbus’ #A330-900 to Toluca in Mexico, and then to La Paz in Bolivia where they conducted a fortnight long ‘Hot and High’ flight test campaign

Been there;done that .

A right of passage for any widebody test aircraft..

Routine nowadays..

The 787 tested there like 15 years ago..

BTW;

Your link is a bit dated !!!

Starting to see a 737 delivery pace picking up..

As of the 24th ..

16 – 737’s

21 – 320-321’s.

6 – B787

2 – B 777

1 – B767 (USAF)

8 – A350

2 – A330neo

4 – A220

“Boeing advances first 777-8 Freighter assembly in Everett”

“Boeing has reached a key production milestone on the first 777-8 Freighter, with the aircraft entering final assembly at its Everett facility in Washington state.

“The company confirmed that the wing-body join has been completed, bringing together the composite wings and the mid-fuselage section of the aircraft. At the same time, teams have begun installing systems and wiring in the forward and aft fuselage sections, marking the transition from structural assembly to systems integration.

“The 777-8F is the cargo variant of the 777X family and is intended to succeed the current 777 Freighter. Boeing has secured 68 orders for the model to date, positioning it as its next-generation widebody freighter offering.”

“Boeing has not disclosed a firm entry-into-service date for the 777-8F, but the program is expected to follow the certification of the passenger 777-9, which remains delayed.”

https://www.airdatanews.com/boeing-advances-first-777-8-freighter-assembly-in-everett/

===

That big Atlas defection to the A350F last week seems to have prompted the BA PR department to try some damage control…

“China signs $15.8B deal with Airbus to procure aircraft”

“China Eastern Airlines to get 101 A320NEO series aircraft with delivery to be completed in 2032”

“According to the airliner, the aircraft are scheduled for delivery in batches between 2028 and 2032,…”

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/china-signs-158b-deal-with-airbus-to-procure-aircraft/3878661

This brings the total number of AB narrowbodies ordered by China in the past 3 months to 249.

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338237/airbus-scores-major-win-china-orders-145-a320-aircraft