Airbus limits engineering work on A320

Boeing competitor Airbus SAS will limit the overhaul of its A320 aircraft largely to new engines to remain on target for entry into service by 2016, the engineering director said.

The Toulouse, France-based company will work on structural changes to accommodate new engines on the wing, Charles Champion, who took the position a year ago, said in a telephone interview. The A320neo, a variant of the planemaker's bestselling single-aisle series, was announced in December.

“We're taking a minimum engineering approach for everything not related to the engine,” Champion said from Madrid. “The main value comes from the engines and engine integration, and as we want to introduce it as soon as possible, I'm fighting against the creep of additional changes.”

The jet is designed to give the French planemaker a leg up on Chicago-based Boeing Co.'s 737, as airlines seek planes with greater fuel efficiency to cut costs amid rising oil prices. Airbus has already won more than 200 commitments for the plane from four airlines, including Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Airbus's pledge to offer new engines on the A320 from 2016 has already put pressure on its U.S. competitor to consider the future of its 737 jet, also its best-selling model. Boeing has said it's leaning toward offering an all-new model, bigger than the existing 737, though the Chicago-based planemaker is holding off until midyear before making a final call.

Success in the single-aisle market is critical because Airbus and Boeing derive the bulk of their earnings from the aircraft. Airbus, the planemaking unit of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., predicted in December that it could sell as many as 4,000 of the modified A320 planes over 15 years.

Airbus engineers are also working on the A350, a wide-body, long-range model set for introduction into service by the end of 2013. Champion said Airbus is still targeting that date for first deliveries of the A350, adding that the manufacturer is taking a step-by-step approach, completing each phase before moving on to the next.

“We tend to be focused on the next step, which now is the final assembly line at the end of this year or beginning of next, and having the maturity to reach that,” he said. “One step after another.”