A quanto pare, Boeing potrebbe non stare a guardare (chiedo scusa se la notizia fosse già risaputa o già stata postata, io ammetto di averla letta adesso per la prima volta).
Airbus, Boeing Compete to Pack Seats in Smallest Planes
A320 to Add Nine Seats, 737 Max Shoots for 10 More; Reconfiguring Doors, Galleys, Restrooms
By
Robert Wall And Jon Ostrower
June 12, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET
Rivals Airbus Group EADSY -0.60% NV and Boeing Co. BA -1.42% are competing for an unusual distinction: Which can pack more passengers into its smallest jet?
Airbus this week said it won approval from European authorities to carry 189 passengers on its A320 single-aisle plane, nine more than in the past. That matches the maximum passenger load for Boeing's equivalen 737 model. Airbus said a new version of the Airbus A320 will be available starting next year.
Boeing, meanwhile, is gauging market interest in boosting seating on its 737 Max 8, an updated version of its best-selling single-aisle jet, from 189 seats, said Keith Leverkuhn, general manager for the Boeing 737 Max program.
Airlines typically maintained a mix of economy and higher-paying business-class seats to maximize sales. But as budget carriers have become important jet purchasers, Airbus and Boeing increasingly have focused on finding ways to satisfy desires to maximize seats, mostly on short- and medium-distance planes.
"Airlines are eager to put more passengers into the aircraft," said Airbus Senior Vice President Klaus Röwe.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair Holdings RYA.DB -2.06% PLC among the airlines clamoring for more seats. It repeatedly has said that it wants to have 199 seats on jets to maximize the number of passengers it can carry without adding a flight attendant. The European airline currently flies the Boeing 737-800, which maxes out at 189 seats.
For the Airbus A321, a single-aisle jet just a bit bigger than the A320, Airbus is moving and redesigning doors to carry as many as 240 passengers, up from the current 220, Mr. Röwe said. Restrooms and the galley, where food is stored, also are being reconfigured to make space for seats. Adding 20 seats to the A321 reduces per-seat costs 6%, according to Airbus.
Boeing is evaluating changes including widening doors and spacing rows more tightly to add 10 economy seats to the 737 Max, people familiar with the manufacturer's thinking said.
Strong demand has swelled order backlogs at Airbus and Boeing for small, single-aisle planes, driving both companies to raise production. Airbus in 2016 plans to increase A320 output to 46 a month from 42 and is considering whether it could raise that to 50 or 54 planes after 2018.
Boeing, which is on track to building 47 narrow-bodies a month starting in 2017, also is looking at raising production. Output could reach 52 planes a month toward the end of the decade, the company has said.
Write to Robert Wall at
robert.wall@wj.com and Jon Ostrower at
jon.ostrower@wsj.com
Fonte:
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_...t-planes-1402610238-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwMjExNDIyWj
