Airbus is taking a new step that will heat up the competition in the wide-body aircraft segment. Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer announced that, upon demand from Dubai-based Emirates for higher-capacity twin-engine jets, work is being carried out on a potentially larger version of the A350 family.
Speaking to Reuters at the Dubai Airshow, Scherer said, “Many of our customers want us to push for a bigger solution. Therefore, we have put an extended version of the A350 back on the table.”
New A350 Project to Rival the Boeing 777X
This move from Airbus came after Boeing received an order for 65 777X aircraft from Emirates on the first day of the Dubai Airshow. Boeing’s consideration of a potentially stretched 777-10X version for its delayed 777X family has reignited the competition.
Airbus had previously evaluated a larger variant known as the “A350-2000,” which would rival Boeing’s 400-seat 777-9 model, but the project had been shelved. It is noted that the new work could be an updated version of this concept.
Emirates’ A350-1000 Engine Performance Concerns Addressed
Scherer stated that Rolls-Royce has made improvements to the XWB-97 engine to address issues related to faster engine wear in Gulf conditions. Emirates had abandoned its A350-1000 order at the 2023 Dubai Airshow due to performance doubts about this engine and opted for the smaller A350-900 model.
“We are extremely satisfied with the commercial performance of the A350-1000. We have not given up on Emirates,” Scherer said, adding that the improved engine will be presented to the airline and that work will advance further depending on the results.
A New Generation of Competition in Aviation
The rivalry between Airbus and Boeing in twin-engine giant aircraft has been ongoing for more than a decade. Boeing introduced the 777X in 2013 at the Dubai Airshow with major Gulf orders, but the project has been delayed multiple times since then.
Airbus’s largest twin-engine aircraft currently in service, the A350-1000, stands out with its 350+ seat capacity, while Boeing’s 777X family aims to return to the market ambitiously with higher capacity and the thrust advantage provided by the GE9X engines.
Scherer emphasized that the carbon-fibre fuselage structure of the A350 would be far more effective in a larger model. Experts state that engine technology will be the decisive factor in both projects.
