Airbus 350 re-design - big fat 8 .... the A380 set for huge impact

If you are in Shanghai and need a hotel you can call the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Shanghai - 6252 8888, 6280 8888 the Ocean Hotel, Shanghai - 6545 8888 or even the swanky Sheraton Taiping Hotel, Shanghai - 6275 8888.A superstitious race the number 8 (pronounced "ba") sounds close to "fa" which means "prosper". If you want a number plate for your car with an 8 you pay extra.

Which is why Jean-Paul Gut (pic)(Chief Operating Officer for Marketing, International and Strategy at Airbus ) is explaining to me the problems about naming the replacement / upgrade for the Airbus 350 - what to call it. Because of the big Asian market Jean Paul wants an 8 in the number somewhere - to mirror the huge A 380.... the A280 / A 480 / A 888 ??

Which is all very hush hush , because the re-design won't be announced until the Farnborough Airshow, he tells me.

The Airbus 350 ( a bit of a mongrel really) was announced in 2004 to take on Boeings Dreamliner 787 and the 777.Singapore head honcho Chew Soon Seng who wants a brace or two of the planes has been a constant critic. Well finally says Jean -Paul, as he accepts another pastis at the zinc in a tiny Toulouse bar , Chairman Noel Forgeard has approved - which of course means deliveries won't start until at least 2012 , 2 years late and 4 years afterthe Dreamliner hits the skies.

With twin aisles and 9 abreast (uprated from 8) bigger fuselage, bigger and stronger wings, improved comfort levels and greater range they hope this will impact on sales to date of 182 order from 14 airlines against Dreamliners 403 planes from 29 customers.

A major problem is that planes neeed engines , although the uprated plane only needs 2.(each)

GE and Rolls Royce were committed intitially but GE is under pressure from Boeing, so maybe United Technology's Pratt and Whitney may fill the breach. Whichever it is (and the UK money is on RR - they need something to replace the JSF alternate engine- badly) they expect to have a range og 9,000 miles - smart money is that they can transport you through more time zones than any other plane - The Time Traveller ?

It was late and Jean Paul had to pick up a pizza on the way home. I can't wait for Farnborough.

When I get back have an e-mail from Mike Hauger the A 380 is re-scheduled for deliveries (6 - 8 months delays) 1 aircraft is to be delivered in 2006 9 in 2007,there will be shortfalls of five to nine aircraft deliveries in 2008 and of around five aircraft in 2009.

The new delays are caused by industrial issues only (it says here) . They are mainly traceable to bottlenecks formed in the definition, manufacturing and installation of electrical systems and resulting harnesses.

"We have a serious issue with the industrial ramp-up of the A380. We expect Airbus management to fully deliver according to the revised schedule and, if possible, even to improve." says both CEO's Tom Enders and Noël Forgeard.

Not good news for the bottom line ... no doubt one or two wry smiles and hi-fives around the Boeing offices. So far, Airbus has 159 firm orders for the plane from 16 carriers, including Emirates, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic.

But the good news is, more than 1,400 flight hours in over 430 flights and 950 take-offs have produced expected results.. . All the tests performed, including at airports, indicate that the A380 will meet or exceed the expectations. Since the first flight of the first A380 in Toulouse on 27th April 2005, 4 more aircraft have flown. The first 2 are heavily involved in the flight test campaign, 2 more are used for cabin testing and the fifth one is currently undergoing customisation and cabin furnishing in Hamburg to be ready for first aircraft delivery at the end of 2006.

The really good news however is ... EADS Astrium and Paradigm Services have, at the request of the Royal Navy, increased the capacity of their TOMS (Television Over Military Satellite) service to ensure that those on board Royal Navy vessels within the coverage area of Skynet 4, can enjoy live high-quality coverage of the World Cup matches. Sounds like a good time to invade.