An article in The Herald Sun says that Qantas is scrambling to defend its profitable Kangaroo route against rival carriers, who are keen to begin a non-stop London-Australia service with a yet-to-be built and revolutionary passenger jet from Airbus.
Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon left urgently for France late Wednesday amid reports that British Airways was vying with Singapore Airlines to be first to fly the 9200 nautical mile London-Sydney trip in a single hop.
Virgin Atlantic also wants to fly a non-stop service but will get only as far as Perth using 787 Dreamliners it has on order from Boeing.
Singapore Airlines is buying 20 A350s to be delivered in 2012-2014, with British Airways flagging interest in the same long-haul variant after its chief executive, Willie Walsh, was briefed at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse last week, with news that British Airways was likely to join Singapore Airlines as initial customers for the aircraft prompting Mr Dixon’s departure, where he is due to meet Airbus executives in Toulouse today.
Having been outsold by Boeing’s 787, Airbus is in catch-up mode to create a rival and sees a niche opportunity in building the XYB (extra wide body) 350, which is being designed to carry more passengers and fly much longer distances than Boeing’s 787-8 and 787-9, which Qantas is buying.
But Qantas has let it be known to both manufacturers that it needs a new long-haul plane to cross the Pacific with 350-passengers and a full freight load.
Virgin Atlantic, like Qantas, is buying the 787-9 and last month Mr Dixon warned Boeing executives that Qantas would consider buying aircraft from Airbus if the US builder failed to follow through on plans to roll out a much larger Dreamliner.
While Qantas is buying 65 Dreamliners, in the 787-8 and 787-9 variants, it needs the stretched 787-10, a design which has yet to be signed off by Boeing directors.
Qantas has been told that, if it wants the A350, it must commit by early next year for the aircraft, each worth more than $180 million.
The head of Boeing’s 787 program, Michael Bair, has said the green light for the ’10’ is “a matter of when, not if.”, adding that it will cost around $US158 million and enter service five years before the A350.
Report by The Mole
