Airbus reveals plans for all-new narrow-body, re-engined A350

Airbus is hiring staff to help develop a proposed new narrow-body jet and a revamped version of its latest A350 wide-body, both due to be powered by a new generation of engine from the middle of next decade. The company is recruiting designers and engineers in Toulouse and Madrid to work on the short-haul model, as well as a “new engine option” or Neo version of the A350, according to job postings seen by Bloomberg. The short-range jet would be the first entirely new narrow-body that Airbus has brought to market since the A320 was offered to airlines in 1984, and the first clean-paper model of any kind from the planemaker since the A350 was proposed in 2006. When asked about the job notices, Airbus said the projects described aren’t guaranteed to be launched or to enter production. “As a leading aircraft manufacturer we are looking at many ways to advance our product line,” it said. “There are many studies, but not all see the light of day.” Airbus has in the past advertised jobs on a Neo version of the A380 superjumbo -- an upgrade that in 2016 was taken off the drawing board.<br/>