'Absolute Mayhem': Is Saj Ahmad kidding?

Ever since Saj Ahmad begin hiding his 'analysis' behind a password, Fact Checker has ignored his rantings. His Tweets @strataero have been amusing diversions when you take the time to read them. His continuing shameless promotion of all things Boeing and rants of all things Airbus weere so over the top that how could anyone take him seriously?

His Paris Air Show post, Absolute Mayhem: 787-10, is even more over the top than his usual rantings. The 787-10 will be a good airplane, of that there is no doubt. Is the A350-1000 as bad as Saj suggests? Tell that to the airlines that are now lining up to order the airplane and the possibility that Airbus will create a production line dedicated to the demand for it.

'Absolute Mayhem'? More likely 'Absolutely Unbelievable'.

Saj Ahmad sucks up Boeing's fantasy

Is Saj kidding?

Is Boeing kidding?

"Mike Bair's words still resonate after ISTAT"?

Who are they kidding?

Boeing Marching To Put Airbus Out Of Business In The Twin Aisle Space? (Part One)

Posted on May 22, 2012

• Three-Part Overview
  
• Long Term Airbus / Boeing Positioning
• Airbus Overview
  
• Mike Bair’s Words Still Resonate After ISTAT

While the end of the decade is some time away, the next two-to-three years will ultimately define whether Airbus or Boeing has the better, revenue generating widebody airplane line-up.

Saj Ahmad to Everett: Charleston will snare all 787 production

Saj Ahmad has given another one of his "sage" predictions: he thinks Charleston, SC, will get all Boeing 787 production.

He's quoted in the Charleston newspaper on this prediction. He said:

Saj Ahmad is chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, a private aviation consulting firm operating in Europe and the Middle East. Ahmad said he thinks South Carolina could well become one of the country’s largest aerospace manufacturing hubs in the coming years. Boeing would not have invested so much in the area had it not planned on maintaining a long-term presence, and other aerospace companies will likely be drawn here as a result, he said.

While Boeing’s roots go deep in Everett, Wash., it has a spanking new production facility in Charleston and a workforce here that is trained in the latest technologies and processes. Workers here didn’t have to unlearn old ways of doing things to make this new-generation plane, he said.

That bodes well for the plant landing more and more work as Boeing expands its lines, and it could conceivably become the main assembly point for 787s in the future, he said.

“I don’t think South Carolina will be a one-trick pony,” Ahmad said. “I think there is a very real opportunity for Charleston to snare all of the 787 production.”

Fact Checker is sure IAM 751 will find this prediction of more than passing interest. Everett has the primary 787 line and the surge line, which gives Everett the ability to produce 10 787s a month. 

The "analysis" reported  by the Charleston paper is not only weird, the first part is hardly insightful--of course Boeing plans a long-term presence there.

The Everett IAM also had to fix all the problems coming out of Charleston.

Saj Ahmad and his new Strategic Aero Research still leave a lot of "analysis" behind.

Saj Ahmad is 'back,' with 'analysis' at Strategic Aero Research

After a long absence, Saj Ahmad is back with supposed "analysis" that looks more to be public relations promotions for Boeing and CFM than analysis that actually is meaningful.
Its hard to tell for sure, since he once again is using password-protected blog postings to hide what he writes, but what is in the public domain certainly lends to the conclusion that he is back to his old ways at Fleetbuzz Editorial.
His latest posting simply repeats the line promoted by Boeing that the 787 will "kill" the A330 and the claims about how much kore efficient the 787 is than the A330. From the public portion of his posting, it appears that there is no balance that would make an "analysis" meaningful.
A previous blog about CFM's win at Qantas suggests in the public portion that Pratt & Whitney is in dire shape after CFM won this competition. A blog from Aeroturbopower puts a better perspective in fewer words about what is behind the Qantas win.
Fact Checker enjoyed the time off, hoping that Ahmad might have mended bhis ways. No such luck. It looks like Fact Checker is back as well.

Boeing asks GE, RR and P&W for engine proposals on 777X

Note to "Matthew": Aspire Aviation was right all along. Boeing did ask for data from the three engine manufacturers.

Where is Saj Ahmad about Embraer 2,000nm concept?

According to Flight International and Merrill Lynch's aerospace analyst Ron Epstein, Embraer is planning on a new airplane with 2x3 seating and 2,000nm range.

These are both elements Ahmad has bleated about for two years with the CSeries (even though he constantly misrepresents the CSeries range capability).

Where is he on the Embraer concept? Silent, just like he is silent on Boeing's No Launch Operator for the 737RE.

What's that game, Where's Waldo?

Where's Saj?

Speaking of no launch operator, where's Saj Ahmad?

For the past two years, that sage "analyst" Saj Ahmad complained bitterly that Bombardier didn't have a launch operator for its CSeries.

Neither does Boeing for the 737 re-engine. American Airlines doesn't want the plane until 2018 and Boeing planes to introduce the 737RE in 2016. Boeing doesn't want to be the first to operate the 737RE.

Where's Saj? Awfully quiet, that's where. Not a peep.

Saj Ahamd twists facts, again

Saj Ahamd, the self-proclaimed aviation analyst without a C.V. that is available to see his credentials, is at it again.

In a tweet he once more tries to perpetuate that the current CSeries was launched in 2004 and 2008 is a re-launch. The 2004 version was a similar but different design using old engines and old materials. Bombardier withdrew this design from the market and in 2008 launched the current design, using advanced materials, an advanced engine and larger capacity.

And, as usual, Ahamd selectively chooses the "facts" to fit his irrational hatred of the CSeries. While he perpetuates the myth that the current CSeries does not have trans-continental US range (despite the fact that the Bombardier website clearly shows a 2,950nm range for the extended range version), while Ahmad points to the 2004 press release to bolster his "case" about short range, the headline in that very release and the text point to the CSeries trans-continental range. If this self-promoting analyst-without-C.V. is going to use the 2004 press release to perpetuate his myths, then he has to drop his myth about the range and rely on the same press release that headlines trans-continental range.

The duplicity is there for all to see.

And then there is his next Tweet, "A320 consumes 10-15% more fuel than 737", linking to an article--but neglecting to add that in the very same sentence, the reporter includes that Airbus disputes the figure.

Once more this self-proclaimed analyst-without-C.V. selectively chooses his "facts".

Saj Ahmad: the "analyst" who can't make up his mind

"...the market penetration for new A320neo’s will be high,” said Saj Ahmad Chief Analyst at FBE Aerospace London.--Khaleej Times, 24 June, 2011.


"Airbus A320neo may be scapped." Fleetbuzz Editorial, 5 April, 2011.


"The fact that a big Asian airline has decided to agree in principle to commit to the CSeries should alleviate concerns about Bombardier's ability to market and sell the airplane, particularly when Airbus and Boeing combined have over 4,000 A320s and 737s yet to be delivered," said Saj Ahmad, a chief analyst at FBE Aerospace.--Wall Street Journal, 21 June, 2011.

This is the first nice thing Ahmad has ever said about the CSeries. Who knows--maybe hell will freeze over after all.

Covertly promoting himself: Saj Ahmad does email campaign

Fact Checker learned that Saj Ahmad, the self-promoting "analyst who doesn't tell anyone what his credentials are, endlessly promotes himself by sending journalists an unending stream of long unsolicited comments on a never-ending series of topics, ranging from maintenance, repair and overall to one of his favourite bashing targets, the A350. (Fact Checker was shocked, mind you, shocked when he recently had something nice to say about the Bombardier CSeries following the order by Korean Air Lines. If there is anything Ahmad hates worse than Airbus, it is Bombardier.)


Given his long unsolicited and frequent missives, you have to wonder how he has time to be an analyst (for money, that is).

Saj Ahmad, the Airbus-basher, and his A350 predictions: are they any good?

Saj Ahmad has a multi-year history of being a basher of all things about Airbus (except when he uses the A320neo, which he also has a history of bashing, to bash the one thing he hates ever more--the Bombardier CSeries).

All you have to do is check out Airliners.net and Google searches to see his venom toward Airbus, exceeded only by his buddy, the late Doug McVitie.

Ahmad's latest comes in an article on airlineberg.com. In it, he is quoted as follows....


“With Emirates, Etihad and launch customer for all three A350 variants, Qatar Airways, hoping that Airbus can avoid the pitfalls seen by Boeing on the 787, it appears increasingly likely that a series of crippling delays are inevitable for Airbus’ latest wide-body airplane,” said Saj Ahmad, Chief Analyst at FBE Aerospace, London."

"He said it is certain that the A350XWB airplane will be at least 18-24 months late with the subsequent A350-800 and A350-1000 models also being delayed by similar timescales."

“Airbus is still coming to terms with the problems and delays faced on the A380 programme and now with the A350 poised to slide as well, the big three Arab carriers, as well as leasing companies like DAE and ALAFCO will have to seriously consider their near-term capacity options,” Ahmad said."

On a high level, these comments may appear to be reasonable. However, his predictions that "it is certain" the A350s will be "at least 18-24" months late are awfully, to use his word, "certain." Only time will tell if this is correct, but remember that this comes from the same person who steadfastly refused to believe the Boeing 787 and the 747-8 were going to be late. Ahmad made excuses for Boeing through half the 787 delays and relented in his unremitting defence only after it became too embarrassing to defend the airplane. He followed a similar patter with the 747-8, refusing to concede delays were coming to this programme.

Although  he claims to be a sage analyst and particularly well connected to the Middle East (he boasts of his dual bases in London and the Middle East), Ahmad fails to realise that DAE Capital, the leasing company, is winding up its business and has been cancelling all its new orders. DAE doesn't care when the A350 is delivered. It will have cancelled all the orders well before the delivery date.

Will the A350 be delayed? Yes. Delivery schedules already slipped from the first half of 2013 to the second half. Will they be delayed "at least" 18-24 months, as Ahmad predicts? There is little in his history on predicting the 787 and 747-8 will be on time or that Airbus won't proceed with the A320neo programme, or that airlines and leasing companies won't buy the Pratt & Whitney geared turbo fan to give confidence that this prediction is any better than those.

More myth-busting for Saj Ahmad and Fleetbuzz

It's time for some more myth-busting of Saj Ahmad and Fleetbuzz.There's so much fodder--where to begin?

In a blog posting 13 October 2010, Ahmad said,“While Airbus seems poised to push ahead with re-engining the A320 family, more likely because it has no choice or money to go with a more comprehensive update due to its cash commitments on the A380, A350 and A400M  - it is likely that Boeing will sit on the sidelines to come up with something as game-changing for the narrowbody market in the same way as the 787 has been a game-changer for the widebody market.To that end, the relationship that Boeing has with CFM International as well as the room for improvement on the current CFM56-7BE engine, Airbus could find itself saddled with a GTF engine that delivers less than 9% better fuel burn while incurring $2 billion or more for that privilege and Boeing could achieve the same without a new engine, thereby increasing commonality for operators and keeping the costs down. That is far more of an incentive for buyers than is Airbus’ proposals and it resonates because we haven’t exactly seen a queue of customers banging on Airbus’ door to get the GTF engine given that it is still laden with performance issues that Pratt & Whitney simply chooses not to want to discuss. One only looks at the pathetic sales of the CSeries to see that the GTF is as big a problem as the airplane and that’s why airlines won’t buy it.”  

Fact: Ahmad comes up with "less than 9%" out of thin air, or at least he doesn't cite any source for this claim. Airbus said over and over the A320neo uses up to 15% less fuel, with 3.5% coming from the sharlets. This means 12.5% comes from the engine.

More: EADS has a cash balance of more than 11 billion euros. That's a lot more than Boeing has, and Saj continually boosts the idea Boeing will proceed with a new airplane to replace the 737. If EADS doesn't have the cash required for a new airplane, what about his favourite company?

More: where does Ahmad come up with "Boeing could achieve the same without a new engine...."? No facts, no sources, just another thin-air claim. Even Boeing doesn't make this claim.

More: P&W "doesn't want to discuss" performance issues? P&W has frequently discussed performance issues.

More: All A320neo orders so far have been for the GTF. The fact is, Saj, that the customers aren't lining up for the Leap-X.

Performance and the GTF. In Chapter 3 of the Saj Ahmad/Fleetbuzz Comedy Show, Ahmad persistently criticises the GTF and likes to say it hasn't flown on the CSeries. At the same time, he persistently touts the performance and fuel savings of the CFM Leap-X.

Fact: What makes this so laughable is that the CFM Leap-X hasn't flown at all and it is years behind in testing vs. the GTF. The GTF has flown on the P&W test 747 and on the A340-600 test airplane. He also dismisses the positive comments of Boeing's Mike Bair about the GTF.

A320neo: Orient Aviation has a good article talking about the neo and another talking about the GTF. In it, Tom Ballentyne quotes Airbus' Tom Williams endorsing the GTF and P&W's testing methodology. Ballentyne also quotes Lufthansa's Nico Buchholz, the head of fleet planning, about the GTF engine and the A320neo. While Ahmad continues to dismiss the neo (except when he bases the Bombardier CSeries, then the neo is the cat's meow) and the GTF, Ahmad has never interviewed Airbus or Buchholz, so he chooses to ignore their information.

Saj Ahmad got it wrong (again) on Pratt & Whitney GTF

Saj Ahmad's 10 Aug 2010, "analysis" via GLG (through Google News) is so laughable it deserves to be reproduced in its entirety. Fact Checker's Fact Checks follow.


Summary
Pratt & Whitney may end up a big loser if either re-engining doesn’t happen or if it is blocked out on a new narrowbody. 

 Analysis

1. CFM International is under pressure to find another platform for the LEAP-X engine, but being aligned with the COMAC C919 means that they will have less to worry about than Pratt & Whitney.
2. Pratt & Whitney has to develop three different fan and core engines for the Mitsubishi MRJ, the Irkut MC-21 and the Bombardier CSeries. That’s three times more risk than CFM is taking on. Further, any re-engine efforts by Airbus and Boeing would mean a fourth engine needs to be developed and would not be available until at least 2016, by Pratt & Whitney’s own admission.
3. The MC-21 will struggle to sell beyond Russia and the MRJ can still be usurped by Embraer, who are rightly playing their cards close to their chest right now. The CSeries, as we all know, has been a six year long disaster yet to turn any corner (if ever). The C919, being a different animal may not sell well, if at all beyond the Chinese border, but in sheer unit terms, it will outsell and out deliver its nearest rivals in the CSeries and MC-21 combined.
4. If Boeing re-engines the 737, the fact that the LEAP-X engine can fit with less headaches (and cost) than previously thought, Pratt & Whitney would be isolated from one of the big two OEMs. It cannot hope to recoup its engine investments on the marginalised MRJ-MC-21-CSeries triumvirate. Even if Pratt & Whitney is selected by Airbus (who want the GTF engine through the IAE consortium), they will be pitted directly against the LEAP-X. There are hardcore A320 customers who will not operate anything other than CFM engines – for Pratt & Whitney to make them switch will be an arduous task if not outright miraculous since the LEAP-X exists.
5. Pratt & Whitney’s capital outlay for (potentially) four new engines against one CFM engine will be difficult to cover, especially if within a decade the move to a clean sheet replacement emerges – does Pratt & Whitney have the financial and engineering resources to partake? Probably, but that doesn’t mean they can deliver – the woeful PW4098 and PW6000 engines are proof of that.
6. And while Pratt & Whitney’s partner in the IAE consortium, Rolls-Royce, continues to deride the benefits of the (essentially four decade old) geared turbofan design, the U.K engine maker is believed to favour the airline view of going toward a new narrowbody design ahead of re-engining the current A320 and 737 families.
7. Pratt & Whitney is certainly back into the market and has made its presence felt, but the love isn’t being shared by everyone in the industry. The company is already dead in the large airplane market and its success in the narrowbody market is at the mercy of its competitors and their offerings.
8. With CFM International at relative ease knowing that the C919 will be a hot seller post-Zhuhai Air Show, Pratt & Whitney may yet be marginalised all over again because of its alignment to products whose own longevity is questionable.

Fact Checker's Fact Checks

Going down Ahmad's "analysis" point-by-point:

Summary: Airbus has more than 300 orders for the A320/321neo and so far every customer who has chosen an engine has selected the Pratt & Whitney GTF. With Boeing putting off proceeding with a new airplane for another year or two, there is little to worry about for Pratt. Boeing says it likes what it sees in the GTF.

1. CFM "has less to worry about than Pratt". This is another of Ahmad's fitting the situation to suit his purposes. As another one of Fact Checker's posts revealed, Ahmad runs hot and cold on C919 depending on his point of the day.
2. Pratt's GTF core is scalable; Ahmad completely overstates the risk. Furthermore, one needs to remember that nothing Ahamd has written suggests he has talked with any independent, knowledgeable engineers--rather, it seems his information is derived from his small circle of nay-sayers.
3. The MC-21 has sold to Malaysia and in fact has more sales than the C919. Ahmad once again gets his facts wrong on the CSeries launch date: it was launched in 2008; 2010 minus 2008 is, by anyone's math except Ahamd's, two years not six. Ahmad also wrote the C919 will sell well at least within China. Keep this thought in mind.
4. "Pratt won't make CFM customers switch to GTF because Leap-X is available." Don't count on this.
5. Sheer speculation that, in fairness to Ahmad, will takes years to provie right or wrong.
6. Considering this had been in the press for months before Ahmad wrote this "analysis", this is hardly a sage opinion.
7. This is a baffling statement that defies rationality or fact checking.
8. "The C919 will be a hot-seller post Zhuhai Air Show". See Fact Checker's previous post in which Ahmad ran down the C919 just 30 days later. Also, the C919 had disappointing sales at the Zhuhai air show in November (only 55 firm orders) and none since.
   

Saj Ahmad and Fleetbuzz: getting it wrong on airline analysis

Saj Ahmad has been a regular contributor to the Arabian Supply Chain website, and is often called by certain Middle Eastern press to provide analysis and commentary on airline matters in the Middle East.

But his track record at Arabian Supply isn't any better than his track record on matters involving Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Pratt & Whitney.

Take a look at this one example. It's typical; note the comments by readers. Another example, also ar Arabian Supply Chain, is also the subject of a "Fact Check". Or this one, in which Ahmad once more misrepresents the facts about the CSeries. The readers justifiably challenge Ahmad on this "analysis."

His column touting the COMAC C919 is another episode in the Saj Ahmad and Fleetbuzz industry comedy show. While he praises the C919 here, in other columns--including on his now-hidden Fleetbuzz Editorial--he's dismissed the C919 threat to Boeing. He can't even keep his own opinions straight.

Ahmad has this to say about the C919:


“China may well have broken the barriers to entry and emerge as a viable rival to Airbus and Boeing, but given that it has based the ARJ21 on an old design and the C919 is more than likely a rehash of a reverse-engineered Airbus A320 – China has to find a way of producing airplanes that it can sell en masse beyond its borders.

"Airbus and Boeing already have great relationships with many carriers – will these airlines really support a state producer if Airbus and Boeing already fit the bill for them?

"Unlikely. What China needs is innovation, not emulation. Right now their aerospace activities bear a striking and scary resemblance to their carmakers, who have plagiarized many cars by bigger and better automakers.” Sept. 11, 2009.

It hardly gets more harsh than that. Or more contradictory of his own opinions. He may as well be chasing his own tail.

Revealling Saj Ahmad, Part 2

A reader raised a question on another post whether Saj Ahmad is or has been paid by Boeing, given his boastful Boeing-boosterism and close relationship with Boeing executives.

Has or he hasn't he? That's a good question.

Fact Checker understands from three sources that Ahmad is not and has not been paid by Boeing. Following the exchanges on the other post, which referred to GLG, Fact Checker was provided the following Biographical information that Ahmad wrote on GLG.

As you can see, at one point in the private, members-only GLG web site, he claimed he worked "with" Boeing "to devise, formulate and execute strategies."

So has Ahmad been paid by Boeing in the past? Or is Ahmad exaggerating his qualifications and experience? Fact Checker doesn't know which is the truth.

To set the background, the information referred back to Ahmad's brief "About" on the presently off-line Fleetbuzz Editorial.

To recap, from his public blog, Fleetbuzz Editorial, Ahmad posted the following:

Dislcaimer:

Fleetbuzz Editorial  is privately run and funded. This site has no affiliation, partnerships or sponsorships with any aerospace firms, airlines or brokerages. (Emphasis added.)

From his "About" on the same blog:

Having a base of operations both within Europe and the Middle East, he has accumulated extensive and varied operational experience with various major blue chip airlines and also in the financial services sector.

Ranging from passenger operations, airside/landside operations, fleet planning & scheduling, cargo operations and logistics as well as general airport security, he has had direct experience with the industry.

But on the GLG website, he wrote:

Saj Ahmad 

Aerospace/Airline Analyst
FBE Aerospace

Saj Ahmad is the Chief Aerospace Airline Analyst at Fleetbuzz Editorial. Having a base of operations both within Europe and the Middle East, Mr. Ahmad has accumulated extensive and varied operational experience with various major blue chip airlines and also in the financial services sector. Mr. Ahmad covers major global airline and commercial aerospace news along with discussion and analysis and liaises regularly with senior executives of the Boeing Company as well as working with Boeing to devise, formulate and execute new strategies. He has direct experience ranging from passenger operations, airside and landside operations, fleet planning & scheduling, cargo operations and logistics as well as general airport security. (Emphasis added.)

The GLG  website, Dated May 29, 2009

This was altered slightly a short time later: 

Saj Ahmad is Aerospace/Airline Analyst at Fleetbuzz Editorial. Having a base of operations both within Europe and the Middle East, Mr. Ahmad has accumulated extensive and varied operational experience with various major blue chip airlines and also in the financial services sector. Mr. Ahmad covers aerospace and airline discussion, offering detailed analysis and background. He liaises regularly with senior executives of the Boeing Company. He has vast experience in both aerospace and airline sectors, ranging from passenger operations, airside and landside operations, fleet planning & scheduling, cargo operations and logistics as well as general airport security. Mr. Ahmad also assists numerous Middle East carriers on strategies for growth and provides regular consultations with an array of airlines and executives. [Emphasis added.]
GLG site, June 20, 2009

Still later, Ahmad again slightly altered his GLG Bio:

Saj Ahmad is an Aerospace/Airline Analyst at FBE Aerospace. Based within Europe and the Middle East, he has accumulated extensive and varied operational experience with various major blue chip airlines and also in the financial services sector. He liaises regularly with EADS/Airbus SAS and the Boeing Company. Mr. Ahmad has vast and extensive experience in aerospace and airline sectors, ranging from passenger operations, airside and landside operations, revenue management, fleet planning & scheduling, cargo operations and logistics as well as airport security. Mr. Ahmad offers detailed intelligence, analysis and background and strategic research in the aerospace/airline sectors. He also provides strategies for growth and regular consultations with an array of airlines as well as providing analysis for global media outlets, numerous radio stations and web-based publications, including specialist aerospace periodicals. Mr. Ahmad regularly features for the BBC and other TV media. (Emphasis added.)

GLG site, May 13, 2010

His most recent GLG Bio is once more altered slightly:

Saj Ahmad is Chief Aerospace and Airline Analyst at FBE Aerospace. Based within Europe and the Middle East, he has accumulated extensive and varied operational airline experience and has also worked in the financial services sector. He communicates regularly with EADS/Airbus and the Boeing Company. Mr. Ahmad has a wide range of experience in the aerospace and airline sectors, ranging from passenger operations, airside and landside operations, revenue management, fleet planning & scheduling, cargo operations and logistics as well as airport security. Offering detailed intelligence, analysis and strategic competitive research, he provides analysis and commentary for various media outlets, newspapers, numerous radio stations and web-based publications, including specialist aerospace periodicals. Mr. Ahmad regularly features internationally on aerospace/airline coverage, from the Middle East, US, Asia and Europe and is a frequent contributor to the likes of the BBC and others. (Emphasis added.)

GLG site, January 20, 2011

Saj Ahmad is wrong on the CSeries again and again and again

Bombardier's CSeries has been the target for years of Saj Ahmad's rants that have no bearing to reality. It's time to go down his puffery one-by-one.

The following is from Ahmad's 1 Feb 2011 column slamming the CSeries.


Ahmad wrote: Considering that Bombardier swore blind that it would have the CSeries in service by 2010 (and has failed on that score) and a dubious set of Chinese partners building core components, the recipe for disaster (and delays) is already cooking in the oven. Fact: Ahmad constantly goes back to the original CSeries concept and timeline. This concept was dropped due to poor market reaction. The current CSeries version was launched in 2008 with an EIS of 2013. Ahmad knows this (if he did even a modicum of research) and ignores the facts.

Bombardier dropping an early concept of the CSeries is no different than Boeing dropping the concepts for the Sonic Cruiser, 747-500, 747-600 and 747-X. But Ahmad never talks about the false starts at his favorite company.

Ahmad wrote: Pratt & Whitney is equally glad that its reliance on the CSeries and other poorly selling platforms like the MRJ and MC-21 have been pushed onto the backburner as they tout their GTF engine to prospective A320 customers. Fact: Where the bloody hell does Ahmad have the basis to make this statement? He certainly didn't get it from PW. He's making this up out of thin air.

Ahmad wrote: No longer do they [airlines] have to worry about the inability of the CSeries being able to emulate transcon route....Fact: The CSeries ER had 2,950nm in range, more than enough to serve US trans-continental routes. Ahmad knows this and ignores it, and this makes for a lousy "analyst." Or if he doesn't know this, it makes for a lousy "analyst." Either way, he is wrong, wrong, wrong on the facts.

Ahmad wrote: And with Lufthansa steadfastly refusing to be the first customer.... Fact: Lufthansa's Nico Buchholz, the executive vice president of fleet planning who ordered the CSeries, said he ordered deliveries when he needed the airplane (2014), not for the honour of being first. A 20-minute podcast has Nico in his own words praising the CSeries. But this doesn't fit Ahmad's biased and irrational distaste for the CSeries so he continually ignores the truth.

Ahmad also whinges on and on about how the CSeries can't be stretched because it will need a new wing (so he says). Fact:  Ahmad is no engineer and apparently doesn't bother to talk to anyone who is. The Montreal Gazette interviewed Chet Fuller of Bombardier who says the wing is capable for taking a larger airplane. Once again, Ahmad is wrong.

Fact Checker will return to this topic in the future.