This comfortable world where we were only two is almost gone

This might have been "the" highlight of the 2010 edition of Farnborough: Airbus unveiling his plans for the future of the A320. But few observers expected finally these days that the manufacturer takes advantage of the "British Bourget" to announce how he intends to make aircraft more efficient fuel, less pollutant nitrogen oxide and quieter. The management prefers to give more time to decide between three finalists (read below) solutions.

Given part. Like its European rival, Boeing will also lift the veil on the future 737 in the near future. Because, for one as for the other period blessed the duopoly, which lasts for more than twenty years, on the lucrative market of the haul could soon be coming to an end.

Ecological thrust

The Canadian Bombardier, the Brazilian Embraer, Comac, Russian UAC-Irkut Chinese or Japanese Mitsubishi: they are indeed many want their place in the Sun. And any sunlight! Them two, Boeing and Airbus have sold nearly 15,000 best for the B737, which came in the 1960s, or service of the A320, which was followed twenty years later. The two aircraft manufacturers have yet to deliver more than 4,000. In its latest market forecasts, the US group provides that two-thirds of the 30.900 had to be built until 2029 will be any single-aisle ("Les Echos" from July 16). The cake is estimated to be 1,700 billion!

Suddenly, all specialists of regional aircraft (fewer than 90 seats) or new entrants of the emerging countries are blossoming of projects. COMAC part of zero with its C919, but there insurance win a large part of the Chinese market, one of those where the traffic is growing the most. Its creators expect to best 2,000 passed on the next two decades, for implementation as early as 2016.

Meanwhile, Embraer reflects on an extension of its range (see opposite). Sign of the interest growing these new entrants, it is rumored that Bombardier might announce new orders at Farnborough to its C-Series, which displays 90 references (including 30 for Lufthansa). Qatar Airways is often cited as likely.

"This comfortable world where we were only two is almost gone.""We will continue to fight hard with Airbus, but imagine what it can give when there will be five at the time," confirms in substance the Boeing boss, Jim McNerney, in an interview with Bloomberg. Airbus, which has long taken top these new competitors, has been clearly: you will have to respond. As far as this commercial pressure, adds an irreversible ecological thrust. The B737 and A320 are old designs. Toulouse and Seattle engineers must therefore make them more efficient, one way or another, otherwise the airlines choose younger aircraft under development. Especially in a context of sustainable increase in the price of oil.

"Recently, Airbus and Boeing have underestimated the risk of this new competition." "It is one of the reasons for which they have delayed investment in a new generation of single-aisle," noted UBS analysts. The two aircraft manufacturers can still defend their predominance, but it will be without impact on the accounts, they added.