By Tim Hepher and Padraic Halpin
DUBLIN, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The new CEO of Airbus’ jet-making division pledged on Monday to focus on increasing production of lines including the A350 wide-body jet, and backed calls for a larger version of the regional A220.
“The whole ecosystem is under pressure,” Lars Wagner told the Airline Economics conference in his first public appearance since taking over as head of Airbus planemaking on January 1. He previously ran German engine maker MTU Aero Engines.
“The way I look at it right now is, first, there are a lot of issues that we need to tackle in order to manage the ramp-up,” Wagner said. Airbus has been struggling to reach 75 narrow-body jets a month and is only slowly boosting output of large jets.
Wagner said his second main objective would be to review competing engine technologies and balance the need for fuel savings against durability for the next generation of narrow-body aircraft to be developed in the coming decade.
Airlines say engine makers have delivered on their promises to cut fuel consumption and emissions, but at the expense of increased wear and tear, resulting in maintenance bottlenecks.
“I think we need to solve the durability question first,” Wagner said.
Wagner exchanged views on stage at the finance gathering with Air Lease Corp CEO John Plueger, who told him the industry’s biggest need was getting aircraft delivered on time.
In an unusual exchange in the typically secretive aerospace industry, Wagner publicly asked the leasing veteran what buyers would like to see next from the world’s largest planemaker.
Plueger said he believed there was a role for a widely discussed larger version of the A220 regional jet, prompting Wagner to reply “me too”.
The head of the world’s largest lessor, AerCap, told Reuters earlier that he saw no demand for such an aircraft and that Airbus should focus for now on industrial improvements.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Padraic HalpinEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Editing by Kevin Liffey)
