Airbus Shannanigans

[jb2_86_uk]

I hate to admit it but I was quite off the 'bubble' with this...

After hearing about airbus' current worries with the A380, delays, financial short-sightedness etc etc, I read to my astonishment that they are facing delays also on their A350 project... Their A3-what!? Upon further research I has discovered lots of information about the A350, and a very nice plane it seems too, does anyone know why airbus have jumped in with the A350-800 and A350-900 as the entry models? Surely you'd expect more conventional -100 & -200 suffixes to the entry models. Are airbus planning on downsizing future models!?

Those crazy French!

JB

[Nexus]

It's not that  crazy if you knew about the A350 origin.
Basically, the A350 was a new improved version of the A330 (more composites in the fuselage, bleedless engines etc)

So just to highlight that it is a new "generation" aircraft, they dubbed it the A350-800/900....which happen to be the designations for the A380 aswell if I'm not mistaken.

But I do believe the original intent of the project is dead, they will no longer improve the A330, but instead try to build an entirely new aircraft, which I think is the A370.

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, not really up to date about this  :-[

[Craig.]

your pretty much correct nexus:)
Read the Boeing/airbus thread, i've put some stuff in there covering the situation, which is then basically copied and posted again by others

[dcunning30]

A350-800, A350-900?

meh, not shannanigans, just marketing.