Airbus Industrie expects to put the proposed 250-seater A330-100 into service in 2003, the company's senior executives revealed yesterday.
Noel Forgeard, Airbus president and chief executive, says the company needs to think about launching a new aircraft in this sector that would offer better cost effectiveness, especially in fuel consumption, than the A300/A310.
"This aircraft has been dominant on regional routes within Asia, but orders have dried up recently," says Forgeard.
The A330-100 would be a hybrid between the A300-600 and the A330. Several Asian carriers, including Singapore Airlines, are believed to be interested in such an aircraft.
John Leahy, Airbus senior vice-president, commercial, confirms that 2003 is the in-service target. He adds that they will be seeking to offer 5% better fuel consumption and do not expect to have a single-source engine.
Source: Flight Daily News
