Rolls-Royce Expects Airbus A350-2000 Decision Within 1 Year as 777X Rival Takes Shape
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jul 21
Rolls-Royce Expects Airbus A350-2000 Decision Within 1 Year as 777X Rival Takes Shape
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 21
Summary
Rolls-Royce said Airbus should decide within a year whether to launch a larger A350-2000, a wide-body variant that could enter service in the early 2030s.
Tufan Erginbilgic said the jet may need a new, more powerful engine, though it would be based on Rolls-Royce's Trent XWB-84; Airbus said no decision has been made.
Airbus is studying the model because demand for large long-haul aircraft is rising, with Emirates among potential buyers as the A380 is no longer in production.
That would put Airbus more directly against Boeing's 777X, a 450-plus-seat aircraft whose entry into service has slipped from an original 2020 target to around mid-2027 deliveries for Emirates.
Rolls-Royce also renewed pressure on the UK government to back a new narrow-body engine, warning it could pursue support abroad before Airbus and Boeing choose suppliers in about two years.