By the time you read this, Airbus may have launched the A350 - and if it has not, it should have. Every airline we have spoken to says that the European manufacturer should go head to head with Boeing. "Airbus should launch without a doubt," says a senior manager at one airline - and likely future customer. "If they do not launch the A350, the A330 will go the same way as the 767-300ER, given the 7E7's superior economics." The head of fleet planning at a European airline agrees. "It is mandatory that Airbus answers the better performance of the 7E7. We will be looking to replace our A330-300 fleet by 2010 so these new models are of interest," he says. If it is launched, the A350 will be derived from the A330-200. Airbus says it will incorporate cockpit commonality and new wing technology from the A380, and add new engines, possibly those under development for the 7E7. It says that it can afford to finance the aircraft and the $2 billion that Airbus estimates it will need to spend to develop the A350 looks minimal compared with the $10 billion that Boeing claims it will cost to develop the 7E7.
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