Airbus upbeat on freighter sales, plays down supply chain fears

Airbus voiced optimism on Monday about sales of a new A350 freighter after Boeing launched a competing cargo version of its future 777X jetliner and said it was doing everything possible to shore up fragile global supply chains. Airbus launched the freighter version of its A350 wide-body jet last year to address rising air cargo demand and penetrate a profitable part of the jet market dominated by Boeing, which hit back with a 777X freighter launch order from Qatar Airways. "Yes, you can expect to see more orders for the A350 freighter," Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer said ahead of the Singapore Airshow which runs from Feb. 15-18, but declined to elaborate. Provisional customers for the A350 freighter include Singapore Airlines which could confirm a provisional order to coincide with this week's air show, delegates said. The airline signed a tentative deal in December to buy seven A350 freighters and become its first major airline operator. But the deal also involves dropping previous orders for 15 A320neo jets and two A350-900 passenger versions. Both Airbus and Boeing have agreed to convert some passenger plane orders in order to secure wins for their new twin-engined freighters. Scherer declined comment on a dispute with Qatar Airways which has led the Gulf carrier to refuse to consider buying the A350 freighter and back Boeing's 777X cargo version.<br/>