The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)
Airbus A3XX Programme Take-off
The board of Airbus Industrie gave authorisation to offer the future ultra-large A3XX, the model destined to fill the high-capacity gap in the European airliner family. It's a real go-ahead to the programme aimed to produce a four engined double-decker, able to carry 480 to 660 people or cargo and with a maximum range of 16.000 km.
Now it will be possible to sign letters of intent, from eight airlines, covering more than fifty orders and about twenty options.
The official launch of the A 350, as it will be probably named, was in close relation with the decision of the industrial partners to create a separate entity, Airbus Integrated Company, to integrate their Airbus-related assets. It will be owned 80% by EADS (Aerospatiale-Matra, CASA and DASA) and 20% by BAE Systems. Alenia Aerospazio of Italy has an option to enter the new company by the acquisition of a 5% stake from EADS.
No doubts, the two decisions will bring outstanding results for the future of the European aviation industry.
In the picture: the future ultra-large Airbus A3XX airliner (Airbus Industrie)
(Aeromedia, June 2000)