THE A350 COULD ATTACK BOEING´S 7E7 FROM 2009

By Sebastian Steinke

Following the delivery of an A300-600F to Air Hong Kong, Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard let out a secret to a French news agency in Toulouse: “We are already talking to airlines and engine manufacturers about possible future projects. I expect us to issue a commercial proposal for a possible programme launch at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Given that the maiden flight of the A380 is fast approaching, we can expect to soon have the free capacity needed to think about new projects. Airbus is dying to get started on some new projects. The plan looks something like this: if we unveil the project at the beginning 2005, we could launch it officially as an industrial programme in 2006. But,” Forgeard added meaningfully, “it could also happen more quickly.” However, he avoided giving any more details about the size or number of seats that the new aircraft would have.

In response to a question from FLUG REVUE, the manufacture denied that any decision had yet been made on the subject. Airbus spokesman David Voskuhl put things in perspective by adding, “The A380 is not quite finished. But once we are over the peak as regards work on its development, we shall naturally evaluate a number of scenarios for our next big project. This fledgling aircraft does not yet have a name.” Apparently, the plans are independent of work on the A440M.

However, the French magazine “Air & Cosmos” claims to have found out that the “A350” is most likely to have a three-class capacity with 280 passenger seats, a cruise speed of Mach 0.84 and a range of 14,800km and to be powered by either the GEnx or Trent 1000 engine; it would compete directly with the 7E7-9.

So far the European manufacturer has always denied having any plans in the short-term to respond to the Boeing 7E7. Instead, Airbus managers have pointed out that the 7E7 for its part is viewed as a response to the highly successful A330, and that, after the costly development of the A380, A380F and A400M, the company's preference would be to upgrade it only in the long-term. On the other hand, they have conceded that ongoing project and comparative studies were under way.

In the medium market segment, Airbus faces the task of designing successor models for its older types, the A310 and A300-600, whose key data, for example the fuselage cross-section, in turn has far-reaching strategic significance as far as the entire company is concerned for later projects.

With the A380, the European manufacturer is gaining the technological capability to series produce fuselages from sophisticated combinations of composite material sections and new alloys. On top of this, the future A400M will have a state-of-the-art carbon fibre wing for the first time. By combining the latest generation cockpit electronics developed for the A380 and A400M and, not least, the new engines planned for the 7E7, Airbus could produce a technologically highly promising, extremely economical, new widebody aircraft aimed at the middle of the market.

On the cost aside, the choice lies between an A330 that would be significantly lighter and could be ready very quickly, requiring “only” a new wing and new engines, and which would probably entail around two billion dollars of development costs, and a big solution involving a largely new design for around eight billion dollars. These development cost figures were outlined by Forgeard in an interview with an American financial news agency.

Given that the present A330 is state-of-the-art, Airbus can afford to take its time over a strategic design. Hence, disclosure of the plans for the first time could partly be intended just to throw a spanner in the works directed at the Boeing 7E7, which is still in the delicate market launch phase. Although Boeing announced some 7E7 orders at the beginning of the year, the manufacturer had no new 7E7 orders to make public at the Farnborough Air Show and has still not won any orders from the big leasing companies.

Moreover, Boeing's major customer, Singapore Airlines, has also not placed its expected order for the 7E7, despite its recent decision in favour of the 777-300ER. Instead, the airline, which is highly regarded in the industry, is even dropping hints about a counter-offer from Airbus.

Meanwhile Airbus has confirmed that it met with potential suppliers of a new type based on the A330 in Bremen in September. With new engines and greater use of composite materials, it is claimed that the “A350” will have greater range than the 7E7. The suppliers were told that the first subassemblies would need to be available in July 2007, with a view to a maiden flight in mid-2008. Also significant, Snecma chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Bechat have admitted to being in discussions with Airbus over a new model. This comes after Snecma recently turned down an offer of collaboration on General Electric's GEnx-engine for the 7E7.

From page 26 of FLUG REVUE 11/2004