If you're a Boeing (NYSE: BA ) shareholder, and feeling a little nervous that Boeing "went to zero" net new plane orders last week -- then perhaps a bit of schadenfreude will ease your pain:
Boeing's not the only airplane maker losing orders.
According to a report just out of Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Boeing's archrival Airbus is having an even tougher time of things. We all recall Airbus' troubles getting its flying barn -- the gargantuan A380 super-jumbo jet -- built. Turns out, though, Airbus is having nearly as much trouble getting customers to buy the thing.
One of the A380's biggest opportunities out there, a order for 10 planes from AIG (NYSE: AIG ) subsidiary and aircraft leasing giant International Lease Finance Corp., could soon go "poof." In an interview with ILFC boss Steven Udvar-Hazy, the CEO mused aloud that: "We can pull out between January and June 2010 without paying penalties" -- suggesting the company may cancel its order. (And while 10 planes may not sound like a big loss, it would mean 5% of total orders outstanding for the A380.)
Watch your six, Boeing
So far, Airbus has managed to deliver 15 A380s to its customers -- putting that plane in the lead over Boeing's response, the 787 Dreamliner (which has yet to fly). But while Airbus leads Boeing in one respect, a cancellation by AIG could put the European plane builder perilously close to following in Boeing's wake in another manner.
To date, Airbus has booked 32 "gross" orders for various aircraft models through the end of May. Subtract out the official cancellations, though, and Airbus' "net" order book was showing just 11 orders through early May of this year. You get the math. Subtract another 10 orders from ILFC and ...
Ugh! Gross!
Exactly. But before you set to cheering the woes of Boeing's foe, let's also have a moment of silence for the U.S.-based suppliers that a big A380 cancellation could affect. I'm talking composites supplier DuPont (NYSE: DD ) , aluminum sheet maker Alcoa (NYSE: AA ) , and Precision Castparts (NYSE: PCP ) , which makes the fasteners that keep the composites and aluminum from falling apart.
And that's not to mention General Electric (NYSE: GE ) , which makes many of the A380's actuators, Honeywell (NYSE: HON ) , the air purification system, and Northrop, and Eaton, and on and on and on.
Foolish takeaway
As a Boeing shareholder, I admit I get a little thrill to see a competitor stumble. But as a U.S. investor, I'd much rather see both Boeing, and Airbus, doing well. When either of these goliaths gets a cold, a lot of smaller companies will sneeze.
What's worse than losing a sale? Losing a labor dispute. Read all about it in:
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