Airbus is targeting a next-generation single-aisle launch around 2030, but both planemakers say airlines and investors remain focused on production, certification and deliveries of current jets.
Boeing has begun work on a new airplane design, but Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg said the company will need a couple more years to repair its finances before launching a new commercial jet. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said Airbus is targeting the launch of a next-generation single-aisle program around 2030, with entry into service in the second half of the 2030s, putting the two manufacturers on broadly similar timelines even if Boeing has not committed to a date. Both companies said airline customers are more concerned with getting current aircraft delivered than pushing for all-new models. Ortberg said Boeing must be financially ready, the technology must be ready and the market must be ready before a new program can move ahead, adding that customers want better maturity from Boeing's existing product line first. The comments come as both manufacturers work through supply-chain and production constraints. Boeing is trying to raise 737 Max output after production and quality problems and the January 2024 fuselage door-plug blowout, while Airbus has said engine availability, particularly from Pratt & Whitney, has affected production plans, though Faury said the situation has stabilized. Analysts say investors remain focused on near-term execution. RBC Capital Markets said attention is on Boeing's 737 Max and 787 production, certification of the Max 7 and Max 10, margins and cash generation, while Airbus investors want a clearer path to A320 and A350 production goals. Jefferies said Airbus delivered 190 A320-family aircraft in the second quarter and that Boeing's certification work on the 737 Max-7 and Max-10 was 95% and 98% complete, respectively.