Airbus has a massive backlog already. A shame Bombardier mismatched the C-Series so badly, mind you Canada’s relationship with Beijing is just as bad as America’s so it probably doesn’t matter. The Global chaos at the moment could result in a significant air travel decline thus allowing China time to develop a better supply chain domestically for their commercial aircraft. Embraer might have a small opportunity though.
A small one. Embraer hasn’t had much luck and it’s primarily the little E at the bottom of the line with regional aircraft that sit below the Airbus Boeing Duopoly. Comac’s 909 and 919 would be direct competitors and a State owned air line and a State owned maker inside track vs a foreign state owned maker.
What do you mean, "mismatched"? Wasn't the problem with it Boeing's successful campaign to get US politicians to attempt to destroy it, thus driving Bombardier into the arms of Airbus? Yet another Boeing blunder . . .
904 orders, 406 deliveries so far. That looks very respectable. Airbus looks content to accept the A220-300 lopping off the bottom end of the A320 range, while it extends the top end.
Small Rant/what could have been on the C series/A220, Airbus is probably going to dead end the development of the type long term. Freezing the type without a NEO or stretch (500) selling it until the next generation of Airbus narrow body.
Boeing had it not screwed itself over might have had a better long term prospect for the type’s future but in Airbus’s line up it just doesn’t fit.
Airbus adopted Fly by wire in its airliners early on where Boeing’s main production aircraft save for the 777 and 787 All of Boeing’s aircraft are either fully conventional wire and hydraulics or hybrids of some fly by wire control elements (the dreaded MCAS) mated to conventional control systems. Even the 747-8 and KC46 are flying on Hydro-mechanical controls augmented by the occasional computer inputs. This complicates training.
Airbus moved to FBW as a selling point they can easily transition an airline pilot from model to model with very little retraining as they model the instrumentation and flight control systems all but identically in the cockpits and the aircraft FBW does the rest so in theory an A320 rated pilot could fly any A320 series variant from A318 to A321 as well as going up to the A330s probably even the A350 in a very easy manner.
A220 was developed outside that line so taking an A320 pilot and putting him in an A220 would require retraining. Farther the A220 more or less competes with the A320 series. Making it redundant add in that the logistics of the A220 production process is based on the North American model/Boeing model of outsourcing production to multiple subs vs Airbus’s in house fabrication and it’s a troublesome thing for AB as they are still not making a profit.
By contrast Boeing never did widespread FBW and frankly is long overdue for a 737 series replacement had they, not Airbus bailed out Bombardier rather than starting a trade war the C series could have been Boeing’s future. The production model fit Boeing’s existing model more so than AB. Also considering at the Time Boeing was looking to the next generation of narrow body planes The C series might have become the Way forward for Boeing. Giving Boeing a turn key modern regional airliner to rival AB and Embraer, an ETOPS Rated narrow body
Likely aborting the Max before production.
Then they could have the FBW and cockpit of the C series in a NMA.
With the 787 becoming the model for the widebody segment.
Boeing would have likely still taken taken a hit near to mid term with ending the 737 NG line in favor of a hypothetical Boeing C series as the latter was is a newer aircraft with different maintenance and substantially different training requirements that may have upset Pure fleet Boeing Low cost carriers like Southwest. However That was and is still going to have to happen as Boeing is going to need to build a 797 sooner or later. They also would have had the geared turbo fan issues but that’s on P&W.
Hypothetical over. On to China.
As things are now going Boeing was already at a low point in regard to China. The Max was barred longer there than anywhere else, and the Company’s other issues haven’t helped any. Though it will be interesting to see just how Other US made parts now barred from import effect Chinese airlines. Even Xi’s flying palace in the sky is an Air China flagged Boeing 747-8i. Comac’s 909 and 919 fly on GE and CFM engines. This might be the CCP shooting itself in the foot.
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.....na, Trump wouldn't think that far ahead. Now we can see how fast Xi's tariff on/off switch is.
