Airbus says it's studying potential larger version of A350

By Tim Hepher

DUBAI (Reuters) -Airbus is studying a potential larger version of its A350 jet family, Christian Scherer, CEO of its commercial planemaking business, said on Monday as Dubai's Emirates ignited a fresh debate about larger and more capable twin-engined jets.

The comments to Reuters came shortly after Boeing said it would study a potential stretched version of its delayed 777X aircraft family after selling 65 of its current largest model to host carrier Emirates on day one of the Dubai Airshow.

Airbus has considered a larger version of its A350 series before in order to counter Boeing's 400-seat 777-9, which is an upgraded version of its longstanding 777 mini-jumbo. Both planes have replaced the industry's iconic four-engine jumbos.

Industry sources say Airbus' idea for a bigger plane was previously aired under the label A350-2000, at a time when Boeing was already studying a potential 777-10X.

Asked whether Airbus was studying this again, Scherer said "yes" and added: "A number of our customers are telling us...please look at stretching it because it could be a formidable solution for us as we grow, and that is what we are looking at".

The drive overlaps with efforts to improve the A350-1000 for Gulf conditions where engines show wear and tear more quickly.

Airbus failed to win sales of the A350-1000 to Emirates at the previous Dubai Airshow in 2023, when the airline took issue with the maintenance performance of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engine and opted for the smaller, more widely used A350-900.

AIRBUS HAPPY WITH A350-1000

Rolls-Royce is investing in improvements to that engine, leaving room to both address Emirates' concerns and create space for potential growth, said Scherer, attending his last show before retiring at end-year after decades at Airbus.

"We are very happy with the commercial performance of the -1000. We haven't given up on Emirates," he told Reuters.

"Our customer Emirates has told us please show me what the upgraded engine can do. We are about to do that, and then we take the ball further."

Talk of larger twin-engined jets revives a fierce debate between Airbus and Boeing more than a decade ago when the U.S. planemaker was originally launching its 777X family at the same show with huge Gulf orders in 2013. The 777X has since been heavily delayed.

Airbus' largest twin-engined plane, the 350-seat-plus A350-1000, is smaller but lighter and newer.

Boeing says the upgraded 777X will have unrivalled economics thanks in part to its new GE9X engines and new carbon wings.

Airbus has said Boeing's economic argument relies in part on squeezing in 40 more seats to counter the efficiency of the lighter A350 by spreading the costs between more passengers.

Scherer said technology like the newer carbon-fibre airframe of the A350 would be all the more effective on a bigger jet.

Airbus and Boeing duelled with paper designs for such large models in a contest for potential orders from Singapore Airlines in 2016, leaked at the time to aviation journalist Jon Ostrower.

"I suspect the GE9X would have more thrust potential than the (Rolls-Royce) XWB and engines will be pivotal. Engines will also be far better understood than they were in 2016," aviation analyst Rob Morris said.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Alex Richardson, William Maclean)