Airbus may delay new A320 until 2027
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Airbus SAS may need until 2027 to introduce its new single-aisle plane, because new materials and engine technologies won’t be ready before then. According to a Bloomberg report, the planemaker is instead looking to offer offering existing A320 models with new engines to help airlines cut fuel costs. “The real game-changing technologies in airframes, systems and engines will come around 2025, 2027,” Leahy was reported saying in an interview. “A replacement for the A320 before then doesn’t make any sense, because the technology’s not there.” Both Airbus and Boeing had initially considered introducing successors to the A320 and 737 series by 2018. Airbus later moved the target to 2024. The companies are coming under increasing pressure however, from major airline customers that want a more fuel-efficient short-range plane. To that end, many are now looking to Canadian planemaker Bombardier, and its new CSeries, and even China’s COMAC C919 short-range jet. Boeing recently said that even installing more fuel-efficient engines on its existing 737 models would not be easy, as it would add weight to the plane, negating any cost-savings the new engines might offer. Airbus too is yet to make a final decision on fitting new engines to its A320s. “We’re looking at our resources,” Leahy was quoted saying. “We’ve got a lot on our plate and we want to make sure we manage the risk correctly and the business case is very strong before doing the re-engining.” Boeing and Airbus have a combined backlog of approximately 4,500 narrow-body planes.
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