Airbus Pushes Ahead With 600-Passenger Superjumbo Jet

Airbus Industrie remains committed to building a 600-passenger superjumbo jet, even if archrival Boeing isn’t, an Airbus executive says.

Philippe Jarry, marketing vice president for Airbus’ large aircraft division, likened the situation to silverware, saying there is a need for tools of different sizes.

“Take the soup spoon. You can eat soup with a teaspoon … but we thank the guy who had the idea of a tablespoon to make it easier and faster,” Jarry told attendees at an air cargo conference Wednesday in Seattle.

Jarry said Airbus has reached a point where it would be difficult to stop developing a jetliner larger than Boeing’s 420-passenger 747, which has dominated the field for 30 years.

“We have to provide tools to allow customers to continue to develop,” he said.

Airbus plans to decide late next year whether to launch the new airplane in time for delivery in 2003. To date, no airlines have ordered the double-decker aircraft, dubbed the A-3XX, although Airbus is working with 19 major airlines from Asia, the United States and Europe to design the plane.

Earlier this year, Boeing shelved plans for two superjumbo planes, the 747-500X and 747-600X. It said the market didn’t justify the $7 billion cost of developing such planes.

Boeing, however, might reconsider if Airbus goes ahead and launches the A-3XX. Boeing also is considering adding capacity and range to its present 747-400 model.

In addition, the trade magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology reported this week that Boeing engineers are taking another look at a McDonnell Douglas design for a superjumbo called the MD-12.

McDonnell Douglas did significant engineering work on the proposed double-deck transport in the early 1990s, but couldn’t afford to launch the aircraft, the magazine said.