Originally Posted by
ElectroVlasic
While it is a nice aircraft BCS is not very compatible with A320, and I doubt Airbus is as ready to walk away from the A320 gold mine as many seem to suggest.
This is true and makes Airbus' next steps plain - announce (and build) a new A32x series:
- The A325 as an A320+, long enough for 200 pax in LCC single-class layout
- The A327, an A321 with a new CFRP wing and centre-wing-box allowing a taller undercarriage, and
- The A329, a stretched A321 with room for 250 pax in 2- or 3-class layout and the new wing (the taller legs to make this variant OK for tail-strike protection)
All of them have a new cockpit
based on the A220, and common type rating with the A220. They also have PIPed engines, plus maybe some aerodynamic clean-ups to offer in total a small but significant fuel-burn advantage per seat
And launch the A220-500, to cover the gap at the bottom of the new range caused by the absence of replacements for the A319neo and A320neo
Keep producing the A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR (at ever-increasing price, of course) for as long as airlines want to value commonality with their existing fleets above anything else.
Kick Boeing while they are down, make them either commit to an FSA half an engine generation too soon, or be faced with a completely uncompetitive B737MAX for the best part of a decade