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Tuesday, Sep. 8, 1998
Airbus plans a 650-seat super-jumbo jet
Plane, which cost $9 billion to develop, part of ongoing attempt to challenge Boeing
Associated Press
TOULOUSE, France - With recent strategic sales coups under its belt, aircraft maker Airbus Industrie is launching its greatest gamble: a super-jumbo jet that cost at least $9 billion to develop.
The European consortium is putting its money behind the A3XX, which seats up to 650 people in its ongoing attempt to challenge Boeing, the world's top commercial jetmaker.
At the Farnborough International 98 air show, which opened Monday in England, Airbus said it is seeking more companies to participate in the project.
Preliminary designs for the A3XX show an interior similar to that of a cruise ship, with wide staircases, two decks with rows up to 10 seats across, and lower levels for shopping, a gym and sleeping quarters.
Philippe Jarry, Airbus vice president for marketing, says the company plans to firm up the plane's design by the end of the year and get it flying by 2003.
Up to now, Airbus chipped away at the Seattle, Wash.-based Boeing's dominance with sales of its A310s, 320s, 330s and 340s. But it has no jumbo jet, and the A3XX is aimed at far surpassing the 350-seat 747.
``If we're successful in four years with the A3XX, we won't be limited to 50 percent of the market,'' says Airbus spokesman Alain Dupiech.
Other questions exist, such as whether Airbus, a four-nation consortium including the state-owned Aerospatiale of France and Casa of Spain, will be able to restructure soon into a private stock-issuing company that can raise money for expansion.
While Airbus predicts demand for about 1,400 A3XXs, Boeing officials ``don't see a market for a bigger plane right now,'' said Boeing spokesman Craig Martin. But they're keeping a stretch 747 on the drawing boards, just in case.
Past concerns about Airbus' fly-by-wire planes, with a computer between the pilot and the control of the aircraft, appear to have evaporated. Boeing stuck with directly linked controls for thrust and steering until it came out with the 777.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web