BAE Systems chief operating officer Mike Turner says the competition between Airbus and Boeing to win Singapore Airlines' (SIA) large aircraft order has "become very, very aggressive" as the Asian carrier closes on a fleet update which includes the choice between the A3XX and 747X.
"SIA is a key airline for us," Turner says. "If they order the A3XX and put it on key routes, then other key airlines - British Airways and Qantas for example - will have no alternative but to go down that road. Boeing realises this and has become very, very aggressive. There's quite a competition going on in Singapore at this time."
In suggesting an SIA A3XX order could force rivals to follow suit, Turner echoes Airbus senior vice president commercial, John Leahy, who claims the A3XX could render rival aircraft redundant, "as the 747 did with the 707 and DC-8".
Source: Flight International
