Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Boeing signaled continuing optimism about the future of the 767 line with Wednesday’s announcement that it would increase production rates of the widebody model from 2.5 to three airplanes per month starting in 2020. The decision to build another six airplanes per year comes amid strengthening demand for cargo capacity, reflected in a healthy backlog of some sixty 767-300Fs and supported by expected first delivery of another thirty-eight 767-based KC-46 refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force by the end of this year. The latest rate hike announcement marks the third move to increase production since early 2016, when the pace of deliveries rose from 1.5 to two per month largely on the strength of a 2015 order for 50 airplanes and reservation of options of another 50 from FedEx.

 


At the time, the order raised FedEx’s order backlog to 106 and breathed new life into a program whose future seemed to hinge on the KC-46, development of which Boeing struggled to complete. Further expected “headwinds” from the introduction of the Airbus A330neo haven't materialized, while United Airlines’s lament in January 2017 about the lack of a direct replacement for its elderly 767 passenger jets raised conjecture among analysts about the possibility of a follow-on order for as many as 50 of the venerable&nbsp;widebodies. That didn’t happen, but this past February UPS placed a firm order for four more 767Fs, increasing&nbsp;the order backlog to about 100.

 


“We saw some re-strengthening [of the freighter market] last year, and we’ve seen further strengthening year-to-date,” Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg during the company’s first quarter earnings call with securities analysts Wednesday. “We’re going to maintain a very balanced approach on our production rates, but the fundamental strengthening of the cargo market is encouraging and I would say our product lineup to support that demand is a really good lineup.”

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Boeing To Raise 767 Rate Amid Firming Freighter Demand

Production to increase from 2.5 to three per month starting in 2020

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Plan is based on modifications by U.S. entrepreneur/engineer Mike Patey

Draco Set to Breathe New Life Into Polish STOL Aircraft Design

Kerry Lynch

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

PC-12 fleet logged 316,328 takeoffs in the U.S. between August 2023 and July 2024

Pilatus PC-12 Fleet Takes Top Flying Honors in U.S.

Technology is being deployed from across the European aerospace group for the program

CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL Prototype Starts Flight Testing in Germany

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

U.S. air ambulance operator looks to electrify its fleet

Aeromed Operator Metro Orders 20 Beta Alia 250 eVTOLs

Public flight took place on November 2 against the backdrop of Mount Fuji in Japan

Joby Demonstrates Its eVTOL Aircraft For the First Time Outside the U.S.

Matt Thurber

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Certified in 2019, the GB1 is an aerobatic airplane that is comfortable for flying longer distances

Game Composites Delivers 100th Aerobatic GameBird

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Thales joins a group of suppliers including BAE Systems, Safran, Moog, and Woodward

JetZero Picks Suppliers for Airliner's Flight Controls

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

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