The Airbus A350 Thread

Picard said:
Not even a tiny little feeling ...???
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nope..........i felt nothing. i wasn't moved, i felt no explosion, i saw no rockets, my earth didn't move, my world didn't stand still it kept moving. :D
 
Airbus Powers Up A350 Engines in Preparation for Debut Flight

Airbus SAS said it powered up the engines on its new A350 model for the first time as it seeks to meet a target of flying the plane by the end of this month.

The Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (RR/) XWB engines are installed on MSN1, as the A350 slated to make the debut flight is designated, Airbus said in a statement today. The auxiliary power unit that provides electricity on the ground was also activated.

The A350 is Airbus’s response to Boeing Co’s. new 787 Dreamliner and larger 777. The aircraft put under power today emerged from a hangar last month and flight trials involving five planes should be completed in about 12 months with deliveries to Qatar Airways Ltd. due in the second half of next year.

The first takeoff will take place in Toulouse, France, where Airbus is based. The company has 616 firm contracts with 34 buyers for the A350, which comes in three versions.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-engines-in-preparation-for-debut-flight.html
 
Airbus, Boeing battle heats up

Cape Town - The battle between Airbus and Boeing over their next-generation of long-haul jets is heating up, with a string of major airlines flagging plans on Monday to place multi-billion dollar orders.

Germany's Lufthansa, Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines were among carriers at the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) annual general meeting to say they were sizing up Airbus's new A350 widebody jets and Boeing's rival 787 Dreamliner and revamped 777 models.

Airbus and Boeing compete for the lion's share of a jet market estimated at $100 billion a year. While recent years have seen them battling over smaller Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, interest in larger fuel-efficient planes is on the rise, suggesting airlines are betting on an upturn in the global economy and therefore their premium and long-haul markets.

IATA, the airline trade body, on Monday hiked its 2013 industry profit forecast by 20 percent to $12.7 billion, encouraged by cost cutting and lower oil prices.

Airline executives at the IATA meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, said the stage was set for a slew of orders at the Paris Airshow later this month, and a sustained campaign by Europe's Airbus and US rival Boeing to win more customers.

The executives told Reuters they had been receiving briefings on Boeing's proposed 787-10X and the 777X, the latest variants of both aircraft.

Industry sources say the 787-10X could be launched in Paris and the 777X later this year, but caution this is dependent on delicate negotiations with potential buyers and production plans. A launch of the stretched 787-10X would imply an increase in Boeing's plans to make 10 Dreamliners a month from end-2013.

Airbus, meanwhile, is pushing the A350-1000, the largest of three variants, as an alternative to the popular 777-300ER and has gained traction over the last year with several high profile buyers such as Cathay Pacific.


POWER STRUGGLE

Some of the bigger potential customers in coming months include Lufthansa for around 50 aircraft, Japan Airlines (JAL) for 40 jets, and Malaysia Airlines for around 30 aircraft.

Others include Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA), Garuda Indonesia, and Ethiopian Airlines. All are keen to assess both Airbus and Boeing aircraft for their requirements, worth tens of billions of dollars at list prices.

Among the most closely watched competitions are those held by ANA and JAL, which are considering orders for A350s.

That could mark a seismic shift in the airline world as JAL operates only Boeing aircraft and ANA, which has Airbus A320 narrowbody aircraft, operates only Boeing jets on its medium and long-haul services. Amid tough competition, analysts say Japanese airlines could pick up the Airbus aircraft.

Both airlines, however, will talk to both aircraft suppliers as they want to get the best possible deal. ANA, for example, says that it will assess the proposed 777X as well as the A350 to replace its older 777s.

Strong demand for the 787s and A350s and a large backlog mean Boeing and Airbus have sold out early delivery slots. Some airlines like Garuda Indonesia are potentially getting their aircraft from leasing companies instead.

“The slots are tight but we need the aircraft in the 2016-2017 timeframe,” said Garuda's chief executive Emirsyah Satar. “Leasing companies can be the answer for us as they can supply the aircraft when we need them.” - Reuters
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http://www.iol.co.za/business/companies/airbus-boeing-battle-heats-up-1.1526560

It will be interesting to see who gets the SAA long haul fleet renewal deal.
 
Think SAA will stick with airbus as a cost saving measure. Their fleet will soon comprise of only Airbus and the commonalities make training and maintenance easier. The only problem could be getting good delivery slots.
 
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kat06sa said:
Think SAA will stick with airbus as a cost saving measure. Their fleet will son comprise of only Airbus and the commonalities make training and maintenance easier. The only problem could be getting good delivery slots.
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I also think so...but SAA have said that they are looking at either the 787 or A350. I hope they go for the A350. (This does not mean I like SAA....just that I like the A350) :D
 
Ockie said:
I also think so...but SAA have said that they are looking at either the 787 or A350. I hope they go for the A350. (This does not mean I like SAA....just that I like the A350) :D
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Yip, more likely A350's. Friend told me that the delivery slots were prime the first time around when they were selected. But that was bumbled. Going to be a much later slot if nothing changes.

Personally, I would love the see the 777-2LR/3ER. Dat GE 115 :love:
 
kat06sa said:
Yip, more likely A350's. Friend told me that the delivery slots were prime the first time around when they were selected. But that was bumbled. Going to be a much later slot if nothing changes.

Personally, I would love the see the 777-2LR/3ER. Dat GE 115 :love:
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Unless they strike a deal with a leasing company that has earlier delivery slots. I think our A330's are leased from a company in Ireland.
 
I might be biased, but the 787 is a good plane, just have a bad battery. I had the privilege to walk the Boeing production floor in Seattle. The tech in that plane is really impressive. I'm wondering if the Airbus isn't an after thought by Airbus to try to compete with Boeing.
 
creeper said:
I'm wondering if the Airbus isn't an after thought by Airbus to try to compete with Boeing.
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Kinda like the 747-8I was a after thougth to the A380? Difference is the A350 is selling well...the 747 aint! ZING! :D:D

And now with the 787 and the 777 that might be infringing on each others segments...it is getting confusing. A350 covers both these segments with one model I would say.
 
SAA ain't getting f**kall!

There is no deal yet for SA Airways (SAA) to purchase new long-distance aircraft, a spokesperson says.

"The procurement process has not been finalised," said Tlali Tlali on Monday.

"We cannot at this stage place it on record that the SAA, as a matter of fact, is going to acquire a certain number of aircraft for a wide-body fleet."

SAA acting CEO Nico Bezuidenhout was reported as saying earlier in the day that the airline planned to spend up to R70bn on 25 to 30 new long-haul aircraft.

The report said that the airline had been looking at the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.

Bezuidenhout reportedly said deliveries of the aircraft were expected by 2017.

Tlali said Bezuidenhout was merely making reference to the need for "extra fleet acquisition" for the airline's wide-body fleet.

Wide-body aircraft are larger and used on longer flights.

Narrow-body aircraft can take fewer passengers and are typically used on short, national flights, or flights to neighbouring countries.

Tlali said fleet acquisition was important to SAA for it to become profitable.

He said a significant amount of money had been spent on fuel and SAA needed more fuel-efficient aircraft.
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http://www.fin24.com/Companies/TravelAndLeisure/SAA-not-yet-ready-to-buy-new-aircraft-20130603
 
House said:
SAA ain't getting f**kall!



http://www.fin24.com/Companies/TravelAndLeisure/SAA-not-yet-ready-to-buy-new-aircraft-20130603
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I am not sure how you read that they aint getting fck all in that article. If anything that article confirms its.....just not yet. They just dont want to give specifics etc.

Unless something concrete comes to light to disprove it......like Claire from Modern Family would say . "I dont know what to tell you House....this is happening" :)

I dont necesarily agree with it...I myself would like to see SAA privatised and left to either sink or swim.
 
kat06sa said:
Think SAA will stick with airbus as a cost saving measure. Their fleet will soon comprise of only Airbus and the commonalities make training and maintenance easier. The only problem could be getting good delivery slots.
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If I was Boeing, I would sweeten the deal by offering the Air Force a nice discount of transport planes and a new BBJ/VIP aircraft if SAA place the orders with them.

But Airbus is probably doing the same for the A400M and maybe a new ACJ thrown in.
 
sox63 said:
If I was Boeing, I would sweeten the deal by offering the Air Force a nice discount of transport planes and a new BBJ/VIP aircraft if SAA place the orders with them.

But Airbus is probably doing the same for the A400M and maybe a new ACJ thrown in.
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Makes sense. The cancellation of the A400m was a mistake, precipitated by the politicians and media. Still no legitimate reason to replace/upgrade the VVIP jet.

House said:
SAA ain't getting f**kall!

25 to 30 new long-haul aircraft
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If those numbers are added to the A330, that means a total of at least 31 wide bodies. Up from 21. Jobs, jobs, jobs.
 
After Dreamliner, ANA mulls Airbus to replace B777

CAPE TOWN (AFP) - Japan's All Nippon Airways, a top customer for Boeing's troubled Dreamliner, said Monday it was considering Airbus's A350 as it looks to replace its Boeing 777 fleet.
"We don't have any rule that we have to stick to Boeing. We don't have any preference," CEO Osamu Shinobe told AFP.
"So if the aircraft that we want is manufactured by any of the manufacturers, we will look into those aircraft and make a decision."
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Transport Association (IATA), Shinobe said the carrier had yet to start internal discussions on the replacement of the 777 fleet.

"Everything is open, nothing is decided," he said, giving no indication of when the internal talks would begin.
"The important thing is for us to make up our mind what kind of aircraft do we really want and then we can start looking at the candidates," Shinobe said.
Earlier in Tokyo, ANA spokesman Motoki Nishinaka said the A350 was a potential replacement.
"We don't deny that it is one of the possible options," he said. "We always study which model would be best suited to our needs."
ANA is the single biggest operator of Boeing's flagship 787, which has been beset by difficulties since the testing phase.
More seriously, the worldwide fleet of Dreamliners, touted for their fuel efficiency at a time airlines are desperately looking to reduce costs, was grounded in January after two next-generation lithium-ion batteries proved defective.
Regulators ordered planes everywhere to be grounded while Boeing worked to determine the cause for the overheating that in one case led to a fire on a parked plane in the United States.
A battery fix was finally approved, even though the US planemaker said it did not know exactly what had caused the malfunction.
ANA resumed full operation of its 787s on Saturday.

The airline's spokesman said the travails of the Dreamliner would be irrelevant when a new wide-body plane is considered to replace the B777.
ANA currently has about 50 777s and nearly 20 A320s.
"Regardless of the 787 issues, the company will choose the model that best suits our business strategy," he said.
Boeing is also understood to have viable replacement models.
ANA operates around a third of the 50 Dreamliners Boeing has delivered.
Airbus has said it has decided to drop lithium-ion batteries for the new A350 aircraft that is in development in favour of nickel-cadmium batteries, which are heavier.
Japan's Nikkei daily reported earlier this year that ANA's rival Japan Airlines is considering purchasing about 20 A350s after 2017 to replace its B777s.
Japanese aviation is seen as something of a fortress for Boeing, which sources a number of parts from manufacturers in the country. Airbus has only around 10 percent of the market.
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http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-...-dreamliner-ana-mulls-airbus-to-replace-b777/
 
Ockie said:
I am not sure how you read that they aint getting fck all in that article. If anything that article confirms its.....just not yet. They just dont want to give specifics etc.
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Doesn't matter Ockie, they still aint getting fck all aircraft!
 
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