INSIDE AIR TRAVEL
The 2006 Farnborough Air Show
Two years ago people wondered if the 2004 SBAC air show at Farnborough would be the last, the final encore for a tradition that started at Radlett in 1946.
The pessimists have been proved wrong. Now under a new management company, but still owned by the British aerospace industry, Farnborough International Ltd is back stronger than ever, its future assured, planning even going as far ahead as 2012. A record number of 1,480 exhibitors from 35 countries are attending this week, including 129 new exhibitors making their first appearance. On the commercial aerospace and supply-chain side, UK Trade & Investment has arranged for 40 company delegations from 15 countries to attend the air show for an intensive three-days of specific briefing meetings with British companies seeking to do business with their overseas counterparts. The Defense Export Services Organization (DESO), which is responsible for the defense delegations attending the air show, reports that there are 77 delegations from 43 countries &endash; the largest defense delegations presence ever.
The highlight of the show, from a news point of view, will not be an aircraft but the talk about an aircraft. At 1100 on Monday morning Airbus is expected to announce the future of the A330 twin (and for that matter its sister A340), whether it is to be the revamped A350, or a complete new aircraft much rumored to be called the A370.
Besides all the technological challenges of putting a new aircraft together, and financial ones too, Airbus is faced with the quandary of just where to pitch the machine in terms of passenger size and configuration. Range is no longer a problem. Engine reliability has improved so much over the last decade that 20-hour flights can be taken day in day out with two-engined aircraft offering 180 minutes ETOPS. The difficulty is whether to use the existing A330 fuselage, and here the standard is set by the 24" wider and much liked by passengers Boeing 777, or go for a completely new airframe using advanced construction techniques and composites.
How long will it take to develop and how expensive? And what do you do with your production lines in the meantime? Yes you can discount to new and existing clients, there are orders pending for military and possible freight customers, but a new aircraft has got to be four years away at least based on the time scale of the competing Boeing 787. Which brings us on to what undoubtedly will be the star of Farnborough, at least as far as hardware is concerned, the Airbus A380. Its track record to date has been less than perfect and it is at least a year behind schedule.
Development and production problems have caused anguish to both Airbus and its customers. Hopefully all will be revealed on Monday morning.
We all need a successful Airbus, as consumers flying around the world, and also as airlines. Boeing needs to be kept on its toes too. If life is made too easy Seattle (or is it Chicago?) will quickly regress to its old habits. Competition can only improve the product.
Related Stories:
Airbus and Boeing Clash Over Jumbo Freighters
Boeing Sees Fuel Costs Driving Demand for More Aircraft
The Boeing 747 is Almost Fourty, Does it Have a future?
Airbus Launches A350XWB "Extra Wide Body"
http://www.farnborough.com
Copyright © 1996-2006 Pyramid Media Group, Inc. / Air Travel Media Inc.
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