A deal between Boeing and its machinists last week will boost confidence among Arabian Gulf carriers, who are big buyers of the company’s newest jetliner – the 777X, analysts say.
After months of negotiations, Boeing reached an agreement with the International Association of Machinists (IAM) to manufacture the aircraft in Everett, Washington.
If the deal had fallen through, Boeing would have had to consider moving to another location, recruit new machinists and engineers, costing it billions of dollars.
“In short the contract agreement between Boeing and IAM allows a smoother transition from the 777 to the 777X. And with GCC airlines among the biggest buyers, that will instil confidence in them that Boeing has de-risked the 777X development so as not to screw up like they did with the 787 [Dreamliner],” said Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
Boeing chose the Dubai Airshow last November to unveil the 777X aircraft, securing a total of 259 orders and commitments worth US$95 billion. The orders were mainly from Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways.
Previously, Boeing’s flagship 787 development programme was delayed by more than three years because of challenges with engineering, supply chain glitches and a labour strike in 2008.
Will Horton, an analyst at the Centre for Aviation (Capa), said that Emirates had been vocal about wanting the 777X to be assembled in Washington.
For all airline customers and prospective ones, the Boeing-IAM agreement brings stability and a clear outlook to the 777X”.
“New aircraft have proven complex enough for airframers without the need of resources and time to be spent on new assembly lines and their workers. Boeing’s South Carolina assembly plant has proven challenging,” said Mr Horton.
News reports higlighted the challenges facing the South Carolina plant such as delayed production quotas along with finding skilled workers in the state.
“Boeing will leverage the strength of its experienced workforce and robust supply chain in and around Everett to ensure the 777X kicks off as strongly as sales have and as the current 777 is today,” said Mr Ahmad.
“It’s a good result especially for Boeing. They’ve effectively broken the union backs in getting this contract approved by the smallest of margins,” he added.
But despite the union’s deal success, Boeing still faces some challenges.
“The Boeing-IAM agreement does not mean airlines will take their eye off the 777X project. They will want performance specifications to be met or extended and the aircraft delivered on time. This is a large enough challenge,” said Mr Horton.
Asked for its reaction to the Boeing-IAM deal, Emirates said in an email that it did not feel it appropriate to comment on a supplier’s internal issue.
Etihad and Qatar Airways were not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, Boeing said that it closed 2013 with deliveries of 648 planes, marking a company record. It also booked 1,531 gross commercial orders for the year. According to a Reuters report, Boeing beat Airbus for the second year in a row.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
SPECS
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