Dubai Air Show: Airbus to outshine Boeing

Airbus will also have to deal with the awkward question of the late delivery of the A380, which is running six months late. And this is particularly relevant in this region where Emirates Airline has 42 A380s on order and is the largest customer so far for this exciting new aircraft.

Meantime, Boeing says it has won 48 firm aircraft orders in the Middle East and Africa since January worth $6.7bn, which is considerably ahead of Airbus, and more announcements are expected before the end of the year.

The US planemaker has also been flaunting the long-range capability of its 777-400 Worldliner which last week flew from Hong Kong to London via the Pacific, a 17,000km record-breaking trip. This 300-seat aircraft has extra fuel tanks that make it possible to join any two major cities on the planet.

159 A380 orders

However, Airbus has already taken 159 orders for the A380 which made its maiden flight to Asia this week, and lands in Dubai for the Air Show next week. Its 800-passenger capacity and fuel efficiency make this superjumbo the logical long-distance aircraft of the future, while Boeing is reduced to extending the range of a 10 year old model.

Do people really want to fly 22 hours in a conventional aircraft from point-to-point? Or would they prefer a more spacious superjumbo with a break in their journey? Perhaps there is a market for both, particularly as not all routes have enough passengers for the A380.

Boeing's 250-seat 787 Dreamliner due to launch in 2008 will be another option available to the airlines, though Airbus is set to offer an aircraft of comparable performance and capabilities.

Late A380 delivery

Indeed, then the focus of interest is therefore bound to rest on the A380 at the Dubai Air Show. Buyers of the $285 million aircraft may also hope for news about the level of compensation that they will receive in lieu of late delivery.

That a $10 billion development programme should come in six months late should surprise nobody, but clearly airlines have schedules to fill as well and with air travel growing rapidly this is unwelcome news, and financial compensation will be due as per contract.

This should not be allowed to cloud the approach of the A380 superjumbo, which is a remarkable technological achievement as high as a seven-storey building, as long as eight London buses and with enough room on its wings to park 70 cars. The advantage is to Airbus.