By Mike Martin
On the back of its astonishing $45.7 billion order-winning performance on the first day of the show, Airbus president and chief executive Louis Gallois was in appropriately upbeat mood yesterday.
“I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back,” he told a packed press conference at the show. Gallois, who was flanked by his new-look management team, added: “We are in a better position than some expected only a few months ago and even a few weeks ago.”
That said, Gallois still faces a range of challenges, from driving through his Power8 reforms to the transatlantic row over subsidies with arch rival Boeing. He said the reforms at Airbus were progressing as planned, with his new-look top team “tangible evidence” of progress. He added that Airbus was on target to achieve planned cost savings for this year.
Another key area in the Power8 reforms – the signing of risk sharing partners – is moving fast, said Fabrice Bregier, Airbus chief operating officer and who partners with Gallois to form the “Airbus president’s office”.
He says site visits by prospective partners are imminent and this will be followed by contracts very soon. “We are on track and we expect to select the risk sharing partners during the summer,” he said. “53% of the (A350 XWB) aircraft will be outsourced and this is a lot for the risk sharing partners. We will change our way of working by working much earlier with these partners.”
John Leahy, Airbus’ chief operating officer, customers, fresh from the record-breaking orders bonanza on day one of the air show, is looking to another substantial orders year in 2007. Following the record orders years of 2005 (1,111 aircraft) and 2006 (824), he said Monday’s firm orders took the tally to date this year to 420 aircraft. Over the year, he says he expects around 600 orders.
He says a visit to Japan – traditionally a stronghold of Boeing – by the A380 had been very well received.
Source: Flight Daily News
