Airbus works on next generation jets with Boeing stuck in crisis
Airbus SE said it wants to replace its bestselling A320 family by the mid-2030s, embarking on an all-new program that seeks to replicate the success of the model that put the European manufacturer on the map three decades ago and eventually eclipsed Boeing Co.’s 737. The planemaker is engaged in two distinct projects: one for a smaller plane capable of flying about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and powered by hydrogen, and a short- to medium-range A320 successor that will use so-called sustainable aviation fuel, CEO Guillaume Faury said at Airbus’s annual earnings conference in Toulouse. “We’re in the test phase,” Faury said. “We’re testing wings with a bigger span, with certain characteristics in terms of adaptability in the air. We’re testing the propulsion systems.” The single-aisle market is by far the most important segment of commercial aviation, accounting for the bulk of aircraft and the biggest profit contributors for Airbus and Boeing. The two manufacturers have been locked in duopoly for decades, but the balance has tilted in Airbus’s favor in recent years, hastened most recently by Boeing’s woes with its 737 Max model that competes with the A320 type. With the hydrogen-powered aircraft, Airbus plans to start at the smaller end — carrying broadly 100 passengers — then scale up depending on “success in time,” Faury said. The next important milestone is selection of the propulsion system, with final details like size and target market locked down around 2025 or 2026, with an official launch in the 2027-28 timeframe, he said. The successor to the A320 series will be a new platform and is set for entry into service in the second half of the next decade, he said. Seating capacity for those models range from about 140 to 240 people, depending on subtype and configuration. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-02-19/general/airbus-works-on-next-generation-jets-with-boeing-stuck-in-crisis
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Airbus works on next generation jets with Boeing stuck in crisis
Airbus SE said it wants to replace its bestselling A320 family by the mid-2030s, embarking on an all-new program that seeks to replicate the success of the model that put the European manufacturer on the map three decades ago and eventually eclipsed Boeing Co.’s 737. The planemaker is engaged in two distinct projects: one for a smaller plane capable of flying about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) and powered by hydrogen, and a short- to medium-range A320 successor that will use so-called sustainable aviation fuel, CEO Guillaume Faury said at Airbus’s annual earnings conference in Toulouse. “We’re in the test phase,” Faury said. “We’re testing wings with a bigger span, with certain characteristics in terms of adaptability in the air. We’re testing the propulsion systems.” The single-aisle market is by far the most important segment of commercial aviation, accounting for the bulk of aircraft and the biggest profit contributors for Airbus and Boeing. The two manufacturers have been locked in duopoly for decades, but the balance has tilted in Airbus’s favor in recent years, hastened most recently by Boeing’s woes with its 737 Max model that competes with the A320 type. With the hydrogen-powered aircraft, Airbus plans to start at the smaller end — carrying broadly 100 passengers — then scale up depending on “success in time,” Faury said. The next important milestone is selection of the propulsion system, with final details like size and target market locked down around 2025 or 2026, with an official launch in the 2027-28 timeframe, he said. The successor to the A320 series will be a new platform and is set for entry into service in the second half of the next decade, he said. Seating capacity for those models range from about 140 to 240 people, depending on subtype and configuration. <br/>
