The rivalry between Boeing and Airbus has seen tit-for-tat moves on a number of occasions
throughout history. Boeing’s hasty launch of the 737 MAX following Airbus’ neo reveal is
just one example. Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates and one of the world’s most respected
aviation veterans, thinks Boeing has spent too long eyeing what Airbus is doing,
instead of listening to what the market needs.
The Boeing-Airbus rivalry has fascinated the aviation industry for decades.
This rivalry has seen some mistakes being made, some of which have turned into tragedy.
Scott Hamilton of Leeham News reflected on the way Boeing’s hand was forced into launching the MAX
ahead of schedule, when rumors of a huge A320neo order for American Airlines began to swirl.
That’s not to say its development was rushed. It had been on the shelf just about ready to launch,
but developments across the pond pushed it to do so sooner than anticipated. But the move also
brought into question whether Boeing would proceed with its so-called ‘New Midsize Airplane’ (NMA).
With the tragedy of the two MAX crashes gripping the industry, Boeing pulled back from developing
any new aircraft. The NMA would be abandoned- or sent back to the drawing board at least.
Weeks later, Airbus officially launched its A321XLR – a plane with such capacity
and range that Boeing simply could not compete. On the sidelines of Dubai Airshow, Sir Tim Clark,
President of Emirates, pontificated on Boeing’s reaction to developments at Airbus, saying:
“My own view is that Boeing overreacted to the prospect of a 321XLR. The MAX had amazingly
good credentials...it was a good airplane, in terms of its performance, its range,
its payload, its fuel efficiencies, etc. So, prior to its problems,
they had a very good line in their stable. “Had the MAX done as it should’ve done in the
early days, irrespective of the fact that Airbus on the single aisle introduced the 321neo, 321XLR,
etc. Would that have caused a shift away from the 737 MAX 8/9/10? I’m not so sure about that.”
Clark’s point is that, rather than seeking to fill the gaps that already
existed or were soon coming in the product lineup, Boeing withdrew from development and
put all its eggs into the 737 MAX product line. Of course, that product needed to be put right,
but the focus on the MAX 10 as a competitor to the XLR was perhaps misplaced attention.
The higher-capcity MAX 10 doesn’t quite match up to the A321XLR’s range and size. Indeed,
there are other gaps in the product line that need to be filled, which could see Boeing getting
the upper hand over Airbus. Clark gave an example: “The 787-10 is a great workhorse, but it’s limited
on its range. Whereas if you look at the A350-1000, it has great legs and great payload.
So, there was a gap in the Boeing line … If the eye had been on the ball in the right places,
and they had the planners and the strategist in there looking at what the market wanted,
not what the other lot are doing on the other side of the Atlantic, maybe things would be different.”
Boeing has an opportunity now to develop those replacements that are needed for
several areas of the market. There’s the NMA, there’s the timely introduction of the 777X,
and there’s the clean-sheet replacement for the short-haul narrowbody segment.
Clark believes Boeing missed a trick in not foreseeing what the market wanted.
“It doesn’t take people like me to say publicly what they perhaps need to be doing.
They should be doing it themselves, and I think they are on that. And I’m looking
forward to a year or two for them of internal struggles to try and really rip it apart.”
What do you think of Clark’s comments? Let us know by leaving a comment.