Airbus set to overhaul A330 passenger jet
Airbus is set to launch an overhaul its popular A330 aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow as the plane maker seeks to overturn Boeing’s dominant position in the lucrative long-range passenger jet market. After months of speculation, the Toulouse-based company will announce a revamp of its wide-body A330, dubbed A330neo, with more fuel-efficient engines on Monday, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
The company is hoping to recreate the success of the re-engineered narrow-body A320. More than 2,800 A320neo planes have been sold. In June, Airbus said it could sell more than 1,000 A330neos were the plane to go ahead. Airbus needs to extend the life of the A330, which entered service in 1994, because there are just less than 250 orders remaining on the books to deliver to customers – about two years’ worth of production. The revamp is also part of its broader strategy to overtake Boeing in the lucrative wide-body jet market. The two companies sell fewer of these larger planes compared with short-range aircraft, but usually secure higher profit margins. Executives at Airbus insist that the new plane will have similar fuel efficiency to its Boeing rivals, which are chiefly the small and medium-sized versions of the Dreamliner, also known as the 787. James McNerney, Boeing’s chief executive, however, took issue with the idea that the fuel efficiency would be the same, insisting the group could maintain a clear lead over Airbus in the long-range passenger jet market. “Our experts tell us that [the A330neo] will not get close to our 787 versions in terms of fuel efficiency,” he saian interviewrview with the Financial Times. “Boeing has the strongest wide-body offering by far.”
The sophisticated Dreamliner, which has suffered serious teething problems since entering service in 2011, is mainly made from lightweight carbon composites to reduce fuel burn. It carries between 210 and 320 passengers. By contrast, the A330neo’s fuselage and wings are expected to be made from traditional aluminium, which is heavier. The existing A330 carries between 250 and 300 passengers. Airbus is planning to sell the A330neo at lower prices than the Dreamliner. If Airbus could supply as many as 1,000 aircraft to airlines and leasing companies it would broadly match the orders notched up by the 787. The A330 programme is profitable, while its A350 is expected to be loss making until the end of the decade, and the A380 superjumbo is only due to reach break-even next year. Airbus’ efforts to end Boeing’s dominance of the long-range jet market are also focused on its new A350 jet. The A350 – like the Dreamliner, mainly made from lightweight composites – is due to enter service at the end of this year with Qatar Airways as the launch customer.