Aviation News Item: 09559

11th Jun 2010

Source: kansas.com

BERLIN - Airbus pushed back the planned introduction of a new single-aisle plane by as many as three years, saying new materials and engine technologies won't be ready before then.

The France-based planemaker is still studying whether it has engineering resources to commit to offering existing models with new engines to help airlines cut fuel costs. The time needed to perfect the next generation of turbines means a new plane for short- and medium-haul routes may be delayed until as late as 2027, chief operating officer John Leahy said.

"The real game-changing technologies in airframes, systems and engines will come around 2025, 2027," Leahy said at the Berlin Air Show. A replacement for the A320 before then "doesn't make any sense, because the technology's not there."

Single-aisle passenger jets are the workhorses of low-cost airline fleets and are widely used by carriers. Airbus and rival Boeing had initially considered introducing successors to the A320 and 737 series by 2018. Airbus later moved the target to 2024.

Global airlines flying both jets are keen to see manufacturers bring out new planes with advanced engines that provide savings on fuel, airlines' No. 1 cost. Fuel prices of about $75 a barrel make the need less critical, yet airlines want to prepare for higher prices later on.

For now, both manufacturers have been looking at whether to offer their existing planes with new engines that would at least increase fuel efficiency by about 15 percent. Both are promising decisions by the end of the year.

Boeing said last week that the timetable for developing a new narrow-body jet is the "No. 1 thing" in the planemaker's decision on whether to offer other engines for its best-selling 737 airliner.

While Airbus and Boeing single-aisle models dominate the commercial aerospace market today, they are facing the prospect of that duopoly disappearing as they face threats from smaller rivals including Bombardier and China's state- owned company, Comac. Bombardier's CSeries and Comac's C919 would offer engines that may boost fuel efficiency 15 percent.

Between them, Boeing and Airbus have a backlog of 4,500 narrow-body jets.

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