They operate 47 of our 747s and 18 of our 777s. Airbus Industrie, the European consortium that has challenged Boeing's longtime dominance of the commercial airliner market, hailed the order as a landmark in the A3XX program. But Friday also had some good news for Boeing. Boeing is a resilient company, said Howard Rubel, an aerospace industry analyst with Goldman Sachs. And it is premature to say what the Singapore Airlines order means.
Nothing is clear.
Airbus is hoping the superjumbo A3XX will let it break through Boeing's hold on the long-range, high capacity market, dominated by the 747. It's an expensive venture. Boeing studied whether to build its own new gargantuan jet but decided there wasn't enough market for it. There is a need for larger aircraft, however, he said, and Boeing's 777 and 747 aircraft will fill that need, Mulally said. Delivery of the first A3XX to Singapore Airlines is scheduled for early 2006, with deliveries continuing through 2007, Airbus said.