Airbus director of customer affairs John Leahy talks with Mike Martin about the imminent birth of the A3XX and about the large civil market which is performing surprisingly well.
Q EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company) and your majority shareholder says categorically that A3XX will go ahead. What do you say?
A I would always agree with the CEO! What EADS is saying is that the market clearly wants the aircraft. We went to the market with a proposal and customers are voting with their orders. It has been an unprecedented experience. This is the first time in the history of aviation that even before the Authorisation to Offer, major airlines have announced their intention to proceed and buy it. We have had 52 expressions of interest and 22 have been turned into orders.
Q What are the next steps in the programme?
A Launch is at the end of the year. I expect progress to be seen in the next 30 to 60 days (in firming up orders) and so we would see announcements in September or October for orders in excess of 50 aircraft from airlines in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. We are on track for launch at the end of the year. That was programmed and we are on track to achieve that.
Q But not the USA?
A Perhaps even North America. In reality, there are only two airlines operating 747 aircraft. If you see your market as building on that aircraft that limits you at first. I believe that eventually both of these airlines will have the A3XX even if they are not in the launch base for the aircraft.
Q With three firm commitments this week, was the decision by International Leasing Finance (ILFC) to order A3XX of particular significance?
A ILFC and I believe GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) because we are in serious discussions with them too. I would be very surprised if GECAS was not a launch customer. ILFC and GECAS are important in that they are not end users. They are financial inter-mediaries and there you are looking at somebody who has bet billions of dollars in the belief that a particular airplane will be a success. Mr Hazy [Steve Hazy, ILFC chief executive] has an uncanny ability to pick successful airplanes.
Q Airbus and Boeing have had a long-standing disagreement over the size of the future market for very large aircraft. Does the level of interest shown in your product this week suggest the balance is swinging your way?
A I am very glad that our colleagues in Seattle seem to be taking such an interest in our financial health, but they understand the size of the market as well as we do.
Q People have claimed Airbus will struggle to carry through the A3XX programme and other programmes as well. How do you respond?
A Again, it is nice to know that our colleagues in Seattle take such an interest in us. But just look at what we have been doing, working on a whole range of programmes from the A318 to the A340-500/600 programme. We already have a track record of being able to do multiple programmes at the same time.
Source: Flight Daily News
