Airbus A350

Airbus A350 is a speculative name that has been attached to Airbus Industrie's next airliner project.

It has been rumored to be a stretched version of the A330-200Lite concept, incorporating some A380 technology. It has been suggested as a competitor to the Boeing 7E7 project. Though Airbus is adamant that this aircraft can be developed for $2 billion, many industry and financial analysts are skeptical that an aluminum-skinned, bleed-air design would be able to achieve the cost savings and range that the composite (and therefore lighter), bleedless-engine technology 7E7 would achieve. In addition, Airbus is currently in the middle of the A380 rollout (which has weight issues of its own, with estimates of between 4 and 20 tons overage) and is strapped for both design resources and cash. Some attribute the A350 rumor to a fear, uncertainty, and doubt campaign by Airbus in light of what appears to be strong preliminary sales of the 7E7.

There is precedent for updating an older airliner to compete with a newer offering. Boeing updated their 737 product as the Next Generation 737 (737NG), and it was able to achieve similar operating costs as compared to Airbus' A320 Series. However, the A320 did not represent the vast technological leap that the 7E7 does, with substantially different materials and methods of construction being involved. In addition, the 737NG was essentially a new aircraft, with the exception of the fuselage frames. The design costs were correspondingly high.

In a potential attempt to prevent Airbus from borrowing government funds in order to be able to pay for both the A380 and rumored A350 projects, Boeing and the U.S. Government have been conducting a diplomatic offensive to ensure that Airbus does not violate a 1992 agreement covering government aid.

On September 16, 2004, Airbus president and CEO Noël Forgeard confirmed that a new project was under consideration, but did not name it, and would not state whether it would be an entirely new design or a modification of an existing product. Forgeard indicated that Airbus would finalise its concept by the end of 2004, begin consulting with airlines in early 2005, and aim to launch the new development programme at the end of that year.

External link

• [1] (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/189862_air08.html)