May Slump By More Than Half From 2005
At the Asian Aerospace
exhibition Wednesday, Airbus sales chief John Leahy (right) told
reporters the market for airliners could dip by more than half this
year from 2005's record total of 2,057 orders between the European
consortium and its archrival, Boeing. Leahy expects total sales for
2006 to hover around 800 jets.
"I think we'd be right around that level," Leahy told reporters
in Singapore Wednesday, before adding "Asia will still be very
strong."
As Aero-News reported last month, during his January 17 news
conference announcing Airbus's record 2005 sales total of 1,055
aircraft, CEO Gustav Humbert hinted that 2006 likely wouldn't come
close to matching that record total. Sales in 2005 were fueled by
several factors, most notably from pent-up demand on the part of
carriers who were badly shaken in the days following the 9/11
terrorist attacks.
Although it hasn't released concrete numbers, Boeing is also
reportedly expecting a much weaker sales year for 2006.
After such a strong year in 2005, one may wonder "who's left?"
to order any more aircraft. The answer to that question is Asia...
despite the fact the region accounted for nearly half of all
worldwide aircraft orders last year. The market is still growing --
and Airbus expects to be there to handle it.
Leahy told Reuters he expects several airlines in the region to
sign on the dotted line over the next several months for its
upcoming A350. He also expects to sign two new A380 customers this
year, and to that end the A380 prototype is on display at the Asian
air show, bedecked in an exaggerated version of launch-customer
Singapore Airlines' livery.
The Airbus sales guru was less forthcoming about rumors the
company is hurriedly incorporating technology from the A350 and
A380 to its slow-selling four-engined A340, which is being markedly
outsold by Boeing's twin-engined 777 on the global stage. Leahy
would not comment on reports the company is already reaching out to
airlines with an enhanced version of the A340-600.
"We always look at updating our products... it comes down to
what customers tell us they want," he said.
As far as other possible new products from Airbus, Leahy said
several were under consideration -- including the much-rumored
1000-seat version of the A380, as well as freighter version of the
A330-200. Should such an aircraft come to fruition, it could mean
the end of Airbus's original A300/A310 family of widebodied
aircraft.