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Busy Airbus not phased by Boeing
Airbus Chief Executive Gustav Humbert says his main challenge is not so much beating Boeing Co. in orders as ensuring the planemaker can increase production and develop new models fast enough to keep pace with rebounding demand. After some slower years, the airlines industry is shopping for new planes with a vengeance. Airbus is trailing archrival Boeing Co. in orders this year but combined they are close to doubling those booked in 2004, helped by hot-selling single-aisle models and airlines shopping for more fuel-efficient aircraft.
?The challenge for Airbus is not so much the marketplace, it is to keep up with production, we are really ramping up production and development at the same time,? Humbert told Reuters in an interview at the Dubai Air Show late on Monday. He said work ahead includes delivering the mammoth A380 doubledecker next year, developing a freighter version by 2008, the A400M military cargo plane due in 2009 and the company?s latest project, the mid-sized A350 due in 2010.
Asked about stretching the A380 so it could seat a staggering 1,000 passengers, Humbert said if airlines want it, Airbus will deliver. ?When we get the A380 into the marketplace and if we see the demand there, we will do it. It is for sure one of the projects we have put on the table,? he said. He said Boeing?s plans for a new, bigger version of its long-serving 747 jumbo prove Airbus?s contention that there is demand for planes bigger than the current 747. ?We are not surprised, we always said there was a market there. We?ll now be competing for some (sales) campaigns.?
Jason NEELY
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