Fri, May 18, 2007
Announcement Expected In Paris Next Month
A vigil of sorts is underway in the commercial aircraft
industry, as rivals Boeing and Airbus await an announcement by US
Airways of who will get an order for as many as 90 new widebody
jets.
US Airways Senior VP of Planning Andrew Nocella added to the
intrigue, in a recent interview with the Seattle Post
Intelligencer.
"The analysis continues," Nocella said. "It has turned out to be
far more complicated than we had thought going into this."
Airbus desperately needs some
good news to rally shareholders and employees, and is thought to be
the favorite to get an order for the A350 WXB. But it may also have
to make deep concessions to hold the order, after a scrapping of
the plane's original design has put it years behind the competition
from Boeing.
"The Dreamliner is a plane we can see and touch very, very
soon," Nocella said. "The A350 is a fresh design that will have a
few advantages because of the five years of extra development
time."
Adding to the speculation is the carrier's past history with
Airbus. As Aero-News reported, Airbus
provided some $250 million in financing for US Airways' 2005
acquisition by America West. Shortly after the funding was
announced, US Airways announced a 20-plane order for the original,
non-XWB A350.
The purchase is thought to be an influential one within the
industry. Nocella says US Airways won't announce its decision until
the paperwork is complete, but hopes that will happen by the Paris
airshow in mid-June.
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