Page 18 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016 Online Magazine

FEATuRE NEW AIRCRAFT

Moment of Truth

2016 is an important year for the prized single-aisle contenders from Airbus and Boeing
By Atul Chandra

ThE PROmISE OF FuEL-EFFICIENCY AND that it had set more than four years ago, was 31st). The order split for the aircraft variants
greater savings offered by the new adhered to, when the first 737MAX rolled out are: A319neo (50), A320neo (3327) and
generation single-aisle jetliners from Airbus of Boeing’s Renton factory and into the paint A321neo (1094). The 737MAX orders are
and Boeing, will be tested in 2016, with hangar on November 30, 2015 as scheduled. overwhelmingly in favour of the MAX8
A320neo (new engine option) deliveries Final assembly of the second and third 737 (greater than 90%), followed by the MAX9
now underway and Boeing’s 737 MAX facing MAX 8 flight test examples is now underway (7 %), and MAX7 (2 %). Both airframers
its imminent maiden flight scheduled for and sub-assembly of the fourth and final delivered impressive numbers when it came
January 29th. The 737 MAX named ‘Spirit test example is also progressing. Launch to jetliner orders for 2015. Airbus powered
of Renton’ will take to the air, close to 49 customer, Southwest Airlines is expected to by sales from the A320neo Family (850 net
years after the first Boeing 737-100 made take delivery of its first 737MAX in the third orders), announced that it had closed 2015,
its maiden flight on April 9th, 1967. Boeing quarter of 2017. with net orders for 1036 jetliners. Airbus now
has worked hard to play catch up with the When it comes to head to head numbers has an order backlog for 6,787 jetliners, worth
early one-and-a-half-year lead built up by the between the A320neo Family and the almost a trillion dollars ($996.3 billion at list
A320neo family and delivered an on-schedule 737MAX, Airbus continues to lead with a prices). At current Airbus production rates
rollout for its 737MAX, late last year. The total of 4471 orders for neo versus 3072 for this is sufficient for 10 years of production.
airframer was happy to point out that a date the Boeing’s MAX (data as of December Boeing on the other hand announced that it

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