United sta considerando l'A350-1000 per rimpiazzare i suoi 747
United Said to Study Biggest Airbus A350 to Replace 747s
United Continental Holdings Inc. (UAL)  is in talks with Airbus SAS about buying A350-1000 jets, a step toward  the first U.S. purchase for the planemaker’s largest twin-engine model,  people familiar with talks said. 
 The world’s biggest airline is considering the 350-seat plane to replace older 
Boeing Co. (BA)  747s, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks  are private. United already has agreed to buy 25 of the mid-sized  A350-900 variant under a 2009 deal that included 25 of Boeing’s 787  Dreamliners. 
A United order would help Toulouse, France-based Airbus in its effort  to loosen Boeing’s grip on the market for large twin- aisle aircraft.  Airbus had suffered cancellations and a four- year A350-1000 order  drought until July. United has said it’s also looking at what Boeing  will offer as a successor to its 777, the Chicago-based planemaker’s  biggest two-engine model. 
“This will be a big wake-up call for  Boeing,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of Fairfax,  Virginia-based consultant Teal Group. “There’s a big market emerging for  the next-generation of the 777-300ER, and so far, Airbus is the only  manufacturer with a firmly-launched new product.” 
Airbus is  promising the A350-1000’s first delivery by 2017 and promotes it as 25  percent more efficient than a 777-300ER, partly because it uses more  lightweight composite materials. That timeline may give Airbus a head  start of three years over a 777 replacement, because Boeing hasn’t  committed to a schedule beyond saying the new plane would be in service  by decade’s end. 
Customer Discussions
A competition with  Boeing would depend partly on how soon Airbus can free up delivery  slots for the A350-1000 and how fast Boeing can develop the jet dubbed  the 777-X, said two of the people. The A350-1000’s list price is $320.6  million, while a 777-X probably would command more than the 777-300ER’s 
$315 million. Jet buyers usually get discounts. 
Airbus  declined to comment, saying discussions with potential buyers are  private. Christen David, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based United, said:  “We continuously have discussions with our aircraft manufacturers.” 
Boeing  is “engaging with our customers to define” the 777-X and when it might  become available, Karen Crabtree, a spokeswoman, said by e-mail. 
“While  we haven’t set a firm timeline or launched the program, we’ve  consistently talked about a potential market entry around the end of the  decade,” she said.
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