Someone did indeed 'have' to build the VLA and it was always going to be Airbus. Boeing did well to push them towards they decision. When the 74 started it had a slew of unexpected world events that meant it was all at the right time:
- First of kind
- Inter-continental travel booming in the post war age
- International freight moving to air
- People becoming 'time poor' and not able to use ships for holiday, the time saving on long haul was an enormous bonus
- Fewer carriers
Airbus has none of those things now. Freight now has many dedicated air carriers and people have choice and can search for choice at will 24/7. The 380 stands alone on moving people.
For those talking about the single aisle market, don't forget Embraer and similar who are pushing up into the 73 and the 319 markets and, if they sell well, will continue to expand to eat away the lower half of the market.