Singapore Airshow will get the A350's full debut on the ground and in the air display.

Airbus will present the A350 XWB at the Singapore Airshow in February, marking the first full display of the aircraft at an international air show. The flight test aircraft participating in Singapore will be MSN 003, which will be on static display 11th – 12th February and will also take part in the flying display on both days.

This prototype is the same that has been in Bolivia and Martinique last week and will spend this week in Canada.

The aircraft’s participation at Singapore will enable visitors to get a close-up look at the aircraft both on the ground and in the air, with a flying display that will demonstrate its manoeuvrability, sleek design and exceptionally low noise levels.

“I am very pleased to announce that we will bring the A350 XWB to Singapore,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer. “The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for the air transport industry and will drive future demand for widebody aircraft in all seat categories. The A350 XWB will set new standards in the mid-size category and will consolidate our position as the provider of the world’s most modern, comprehensive and efficient widebody product line.”

Carriers from the region that have already ordered the aircraft include AirAsia X, Air China, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways International and Vietnam Airlines.

To date, firm orders from the region for the aircraft already total 244, representing 30% of total A350 XWB sales.

Based on the press release “A350 XWB to take centre stage at Singapore Airshow”

The A350-800 is too small and it has more range than required by most of the market. Larger A350-800 to be considered.

Airbus is quietly moving away from the current design of the A350-800 and is considering changes that would make the aircraft larger and likely more economical to operate.

There is a “distinct possibility” that Airbus might make the smallest of the three A350 versions larger than currently planned, according to Chief Operating Officer Customers John Leahy. The change would lead the aircraft to “sit right on top of the Boeing 787-9.”

Many in the industry have doubted that Airbus will ever build the -800. If the plans are firmed up, the aircraft maker will not build the currently conceived version, but a yet-to-be fully defined aircraft.

Leahy argues that “we are production constrained until beyond 2020” and Airbus wants to use the available slots for the larger versions, which are generating higher revenues.

However, since the last of several fundamental design changes in the A350 program, the -800 has become a shrunken version of the -900, at a size that is not economically optimal. The aircraft also has more range than required by most of the market. Some of its disadvantages could be addressed by shrinking the -800 less.

Airbus is not saying when the current version of the -800 would be available, but Leahy wants to deliver the -1000 before the -800. The -1000 is to enter service in 2017.

The -800, as currently planned, has space for 276 passengers in typical three class layout. It is 60.54m long and has a range of 8,250 nm. By comparison, the A350-900 is 6.3m longer and seats 315 passengers. The baseline A350 has a range of 7,750 nm, according to Airbus.

Leahy makes clear that even if changes are decided, Airbus will not go for an all-new design of the -800 and that it will still be a shrunken version of the -900. The redesigned -800 would likely move close to just under 300 seats while its range would be below the current target, but still above the -900, if no other changes are incorporated. Leahy says that since talks with customers are continuing it has not yet been decided how many rows of seats would be added.

Based on the article “Airbus Considers Larger A350-800” published in Aviation Week

Airbus thanks the British government´s support … while there is no news from the “new” German government concerning the pending payment of a loan of 623 million € for the A350 XWB development.

The French president of Airbus, Fabrice Brégier has only praise for the British government’s support of the aviation industry.

“The A350 program is progressing well,” he said. “We are on track with our ambitions.”

While the first delivery is on schedule, Brégier maintains a hint of caution and says 2014 will be a “very big challenge” and a “very intense year for the program”.

The president and chief executive of Airbus, Fabrice Brégier actually goes one step further and hails the British government’s support of industry. “I must say the UK has an approach which is to support industry, to support the economy and to be very pragmatic,” he said.

“We would like at times for other parts of Europe to have the same pragmatism and support.”

In fact, so happy is he with the British government, that when asked if there was more the UK could be doing for Airbus, he replies: “No. I’m happy with the support. I have no specific requests.”

“The transformation of our company into a simpler, more agile and faster one is clearly taking shape,” Brégier said.

Airbus is an important employer in the UK; Airbus employs 6,000 people at its factory at Broughton in North Wales and 4,000 people at Filton, near Bristol.

As well as using the cash on its balance sheet to expand its fleet on offer, Airbus is also a key player in investing and developing the aerospace industry and it works closely with the Government in the UK to do this. Brégier explains that the British government “brings very good support to innovation”, in particular noting the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), which he describes as a “recipe for future success”.

The ATI was a key outcome of an unprecedented £2bn, 7-year investment program into UK aerospace, announced by Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, last August. The money is provided equally by the industry and the Government.

Last December, it opened a £70m state-of-the-art Airbus Aerospace Park at Filton, which focuses on design and manufacturing, as well as support roles such as finance and customer services.

The 700-acre Broughton site, where the wings for all Airbus planes are manufactured, including the ones of the A350, has also been heavily invested in, with nearly £2bn spent on the Welsh facility over the past decade.

The UK is just one of the 4 countries where Airbus has a manufacturing base, the others being Germany, France and Spain.

“One of Airbus’s greatest strengths is the partnership we have from our 4 home countries and other partners in Europe – and the UK is a key part of this partnership,” he says.

“And Airbus is the most successful example of European industrial collaboration and a stronghold for employment.”

What he wants to focus on, he says, is winning the “battle of competitiveness in Europe against the rest of the world”. “This battle is very tough, in particular with Boeing,” he explains.

“But in our market there are also newcomers to watch out for, like the Canadians, the Chinese and the Russians. “So we need to continue to be more innovative and more competitive.”

Meanwhile there is no news from the German government concerning the pending payment of a loan of 623 million € for the A350 XWB development that was discussed one year ago and the French government has lowered its Airbus shares by 1% with 451 million-euro sale.

Based on the article “How Britain lifts Airbus to record sales high” published in The Telegraph

Airbus studies higher A350 monthly-rate deliveries. “The market would easily justify over 14 a month on the A350,” Leahy said.

Airbus is exploring higher output of A350 wide-body aircraft, following a similar move by Boeing to help shorten the wait time for customers following its highest order intake ever last year.

The 10-a-month rate targeted for A350s in 2018 could go to 14 thereafter, as per information from Airbus mentioned by Bloomberg.

Airbus and Boeing, the biggest makers of commercial jetliners, have order books stretching out years, making it harder for some customers to upgrade their fleets with more fuel-efficient aircraft like the composite-material A350. Airbus’s net order intake last year was 1,503, topping the 1,355 for Boeing, which kept the crown for the deliveries tally.

“We have some homework to do, but we believe there is potential to go higher,” Airbus Chief Executive Officer Fabrice Bregier said in the annual press conference in Toulouse, where the planemaker and its parent company are based. “My problem is to find production slots.”

Output will increase further in 2015 as A350 production ramps up and again in 2016 if Airbus decides to increase A320 build-rates, Tom Williams, Airbus EVP for programs said.

Airbus may trim A330 production around 2016 as more A350s, although Bregier said he doesn’t expect “a sharp drop.”

With Boeing boosting output of 787 Dreamliners to 14 a month by decade’s end, Airbus is considering keeping pace with its A350, which is now undertaking test flights. Airbus is sticking to its goal of delivering at least one A350 before year-end, according to Bregier.

“The market would easily justify over 14 a month on the A350,” Leahy said.

Airbus’s success so far in keeping the A350 on schedule contributed to last year’s 88%increase in the value of the parent company shares. Airbus Group, formerly called EADS, now has a market of 43 billion euros ($59 billion).

“The risks on the A350 are coming down each day,” Bregier said.

Based on the article “Airbus Studies Higher Output to Follow Boeing in Order Glut” published in Bloomberg

Airbus to decide which aircraft is better to counter the 787 in the 250- to 300-seat sector; A330-300, A330 Neo or A350-800.

The crucial 250- to 300-seat sector is currently being addressed by the A330-300, and COO-Customers Leahy revealed some weeks ago that Airbus is looking at potential modification to the A350-800’s baseline specification.

This includes the “distinct possibility” of enlarging the aircraft, perhaps enough to accommodate an extra couple of seat rows, “to sit on top of the 787-9”, said Leahy. The 787-9, at 63m, is about the same length as the A330-300.

Leahy suggests that the critical battleground is leaning towards the 300-seat sector, rather than the 250-seat category of the smaller 787-8. 

Airbus is still playing down the possibility of re-engining the A330 to compete in the field, although CEO Fabrice Bregier said that re-engining is “always an option for our aircraft”.

He said that Airbus has not put a proposal to airlines to re-engine the type – effectively following the A320neo strategy, to create an A330neo – but acknowledged that “some customers” had put the idea to Airbus.

“That doesn’t mean we implant every idea from our customers,” he said. Bregier added that part of the A330’s attraction is its availability, and that a re-engined version would not be available in the same timeframe.

Leahy added that General Electric, whose GEnx engine could potentially be used to re-engine the A330, was being “very aggressive” in putting proposals to Airbus, but suggested this is because the engine manufacturer is “surprised” that the A330 is “still going” even after the A350’s launch.

GE had been poised to power the original A350 – effectively a re-engined A330, before it was revamped as the current A350 XWB– but has not offered a powerplant for the current A350 range, leaving Rolls-Royce as the only engine option on the family.

Based on the article “Airbus considers stretching A350-800” published in Flight International

Airbus updates the list-prices for all aircraft; A350-900´s price is 295 million $ and A350-1000´s price is 340 million $, more expensive than their competitors.

As usual, Airbus has updated the list prices of its aircraft effective from 1st of January 2014.

Airbus has increased the average list prices of its aircraft by 2.6% across the product line as per  Airbus’ standard escalation formula over the January/2013 to January/2014 period.

“Our new 2014 pricing reaffirms the unbeatable value of Airbus’ modern, fuel-efficient aircraft family,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We see continuing strong demand in all aircraft size categories as our reliable, efficient product line enables customers to grow their businesses profitably as well as pleasing passengers who will always favour the most comfortable cabin.”

Boeing updated the list prices last September/2013.

model (million $)                       Boeing                       Airbus                  Airbus (price in 2013)      
767-300ER                              185.8 USD
A330-200                                                                   221.7 USD                    216.1 USD
787-8                                       211.8 USD
A350-800                                                                   260,9 USD                    254.3 USD
787-9                                        249.5 USD
A350-900                                                                   295,2 USD                    287.7 USD
A350-1000                                                                 340,7 USD                    332.1 USD

Price, while important, is only part of the equation, given that the airlines will get substantial discounts off the list price. Timing may prove to be the deciding factor in many negotiations.

 

Based on the press release “New Airbus aircraft list prices for 2014”

5 aircraft less in the A350-800 order-book as India’s Kingfisher Airlines is no longer operating.

 

 Airbus has removed 5 A350-800s (and 5 A380s) originally destined for India’s Kingfisher Airlines from its order book.

Kingfisher placed the order for the 5 A350-800s at the June/2005 Paris Air Show, but as the airline is no longer operating, Airbus decided to remove the aircraft from its backlog.

“Kingfisher founder and chairman Vijay Mallya is still determined to sell his airline. He still has an air operator’s certificate. If he does sell the airline, we took the decision internally here that he probably doesn’t need A380s just right now, so we’re taking them out of the order book, along with the A350s,” Airbus COO-customers John Leahy said.

Current A350 XWB family order-book has 812 orders.

Based on the article “Airbus axes Kingfisher Airlines' A350s, A380s from its backlog” published in ATW