In just a few years, the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320NEO will be the new standard aircraft in the narrowbody market. While Boeing is still making crucial design decisions, Airbus has begun parts production for the new type.

Setting a standard for aircraft carbon dioxide emissions was never going to be easy. It requires the aviation community to agree on a single measure of fuel efficiency—a parameter at the core of competition between manufacturers.

The crash of an Air France Airbus A330 on June 1, 2009, was a major shock. But with French accident investigation agency BEA's final report released, valuable lessons can be learned, provided that conflicts between the parties involved can be overcome.

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Avic Aircraft thinks it is time that turboprop airliners are widened—if only because passengers seem to be getting wider, too. The Chinese manufacturer plans a notable jump in airframe diameter for its proposed 76-seat MA700 regional aircraft, a competitor for the established, relatively svelte ATR 72 and Bombardier Q400. MA700 entry into service is now slated for 2017, having slipped repeatedly while Avic has been preparing the technical and probably political ground for project launch. It should be followed by a version seating more than 90 passengers.

Count on the persistence of states in the U.S. South to pursue aerospace jobs, regardless of setbacks, and on the perseverance of manufacturers to oblige them.

As aerospace and defense suppliers head to this year's Farnborough air show, two of their biggest customers present a stark picture of an industry going in two directions. Boeing Commercial Airplanes is hoping to roll out big orders for its reengined 737 MAX narrowbody jet at the show, further proof of airlines' seemingly insatiable appetite for more efficient aircraft.

How large can “big fan” engines get? For almost 50 years since the genesis of the high-bypass-ratio turbofan, fan size has increased proportionately to thrust. But is that about to change?