Top executive expects 2013 profits to be higher than last year

Airframe manufacturers face an uphill climb to capture consistent revenues from the aftermarket, but hold several advantages over traditional maintenance suppliers that—if leveraged correctly—could lead to market-share gains, a PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) analysis concludes.

The world’s jetliner fleet should top 39,500 aircraft in 10 year

As the only all-new engine developed for one of the most ambitious aircraft models built in the jet age, General Electric’s GE90 family has more than held its own.

The much-delayed maintenance, repair and overhaul facility jointly established by Air India and Boeing in India will be operational by mid-2014, the U.S. aircraft maker says. “The handover of the facility will be done by the end of this quarter or the next,” says Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president-sales, Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Aircraft.

Inefficient certification processes are delaying hundreds of new applications for aircraft operations and repair stations, says Jeffrey Guzzetti, assistant inspector general for aviation audits for the U.S. Transportation Department.

JetBlue Airways is targeting high-density markets as part of an effort to control costs, and has initiated a significant fleet revamp and a major retrofit program to reach its goal. The fleet plan, which upgauges and expands the airline’s Airbus narrowbody order book and defers 24 Embraer 190s, dominated the conversation during JetBlue’s Oct. 29 third-quarter earnings call, both in its scope and its financial implications.

BAE Systems, making quick inroads into commercial aircraft maintenance, will support certain electronics on Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800s, 767s, and 777s. The three-year deal—the second commercial aftermarket win in a month for the defense- and security-focused company—includes repairs, spares and modifications. On Oct. 1, BAE Systems started a base maintenance support deal for Tigerair Australia. BAE is supporting the carrier’s Airbus A320 fleet from its Melbourne International Airport hangar.