Philippine carrier considers order for 12 Boeing twinjets that would give a much-needed boost for flagging line
Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific could throw a lifeline to the Boeing 717 programme later this year by placing an order for 12 aircraft.
Cebu, which came close to completing a deal for 10 717s in 2000, claims it will finally end its long-delayed search for a replacement for its fleet of 12 McDonnell Douglas DC-9s within the next few months. The 717 remains the favourite over the Airbus A319 and the Embraer 175/195 - the latter being a newcomer to the competition.
Boeing considers the campaign a must-win because it needs new orders to keep the 717 programme going. Other campaigns that were considered critical (including those at Air Canada, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa), have recently excluded the 717, adding urgency to the campaign at Cebu.
The 717 backlog now stands at just over 30 aircraft, and production of the twinjet is running at fewer than one a month.
But even if Cebu selects the 717, it could opt for used aircraft being returned by Qantas to fill some or all of its requirement.
Cebu aims to place the first new aircraft into service before April 2005, when its first DC-9 is scheduled for a D check, and to phase out all its DC-9s by early 2007.
"This will happen," insists vice- president of corporate planning Peggy Perez Vera. "Some of our DC-9s are scheduled for major checks and we don't want to do heavy maintenance any more."
The ambitious delivery schedule, if it holds, favours Boeing because Embraer may not have aircraft available in time. Cebu, which was given a demonstration flight on the 170 last month, is now reviewing technical information on the 175 and 195.
The carrier is also still evaluating the A319, but this aircraft is possibly a little too big for its domestic network and the A318 has been excluded as uneconomical.
Boeing sounds a note of optimism for the beleagured programme. The manufacturer says: "While we cannot comment on specific potential customers, we are pursuing several near-term campaigns and we hope to announce new orders by or prior to the Farnborough air show."
Although Austrian has meanwhile opted for secondhand Fokker 100s as a short-term solution, sources at Boeing say the company has "not specifically been told that we're out".
Similarly with Lufthansa, Boeing says it "understands they may be shifting from a regional-size aircraft and we are working with them to understand and satisfy their requirements".
BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
