Airbus
says it has already firmed commitments for the aircraft but that its
customers had preferred not to announce them until Airbus formally
offers the aircraft at the end of the year.
But
it seems one order has leaked. SIA has just announced that it's
increased its orders for the A350 XWB with an additional 30
A350-900s, plus options for a further 20 aircraft. It's been rumoured
that it has also signed as the launch customer for the A350-900
regional.
As
for other buyers, our guess is as good as any, but we do know that
Airbus is targeting the intra-Asian, Middle Eastern Europe and
transatlantic markets.
The
A350-900 regional was devised to rival Boeing's 787-10. Airbus says
it will offer the same payload and range, similar economics but five
or six more seats than the 787-10, with nine-abreast seating at 18in.
Airbus'
regional variant is going to be structurally identical to the
standard A350-900, but its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines will be
derated to 75,000lb thrust. Its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) will be
limited to 250 tonnes, which compares to 268 tons for the standard
A350-900.
Operators
will then be able to revert to the full 268 tonne MTOW for an
additional fee.
Another
difference between the 787-10 and A350-900 regional is that the
latter will not operate at its maximum thrust, meaning operators can
save on maintenance costs, Airbus has said.
So
what does all this mean to the market? Well, it means more
competition among OEMs, which means better value for the customer,
but it also means that Airbus is concerned about the 787-10.
Airbus'
reaction shows how confident it is in the success of the 787-10. In
fact, Airbus must think that the market for the 787-10 is so vast, it
wants a piece of the pie too. And, considering the 787-10's success
at the Paris Air Show, it's no surprise.
afm.aero
