GENEVA, Switzerland, 22 Feb. 2009. Jetliner manufacturing giants Airbus and Boeing will deliver fewer than half the passenger aircraft they manufacture in 2009 because airlines are having trouble getting financing for their aircraft deliveries, says an international air transport expert.
This reduction could hurt long-term demand for aerospace electronic systems such as aerospace communications, aviation navigation and guidance, and commercial aircraft avionics.
For many airlines, taking delivery of additional aircraft no longer makes commercial sense in the current economy, said Giovanni Bisignani, director and chief executive officer of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bisignani made his comments at the Wings Club in New York, and was reported on Flightglobal.com.
Meanwhile, officials of regional passenger aircraft maker Embraer in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, say their company will deliver only 115 commercial aircraft in 2009, down from 162 in 2008.
Bisignani says his dire prediction for commercial aircraft deliveries in 2009 could change, however, could change if the global economy improves. So far, however, there are no signs of any improvement or an indication the bottom is approaching.
Bisignani's aircraft delivery prediction for 2009 comes soon after Airbus announced it would cut Airbus A320 family production by two aircraft per month and not increase Airbus A330/A340 production.
