The three Japanese Heavies have rejected Airbus’ offers to play a major role in the development of the A350, saying they have all they can handle with work on Boeing’s 787, the Associated Press http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/business/news/20051026p2g00m0bu050000c.html reports. That’s according to Airbus chief Gustav Humbert, who spoke in Tokyo today.
Key Quote: “Airbus has been hard at work recently to woo both Japanese airlines and manufacturers away from loyalty to Boeing at a time when the market for large aircraft has only two players. … Getting Japan’s powerful manufacturers to work on jets is considered likely to give aircraft makers an edge in winning contracts with the nation’s airlines…”
British financial news service AFX http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/10/26/afx2299513.html had a slightly different take on Humbert’s speech.
Key Quote: “Japan’s first-rank industrial conglomerates are long-standing partners of Airbus’ rival Boeing. But Humbert stressed he is also open to partnerships with second-line companies.”
And Reuters reported http://today.reuters.com/business/NewsArticle.aspx?type=businessIndustry&storyID=2005-10-26T063452Z_01_MOR623538_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPROIND-TRANSPORT-JAPAN-AIRBUS-DC.XML the news most important to European aerospace workers — the fact that Airbus is actively looking to outsource more work outside of Europe.
Key Quote: “‘We will do this in countries which are important for us in terms of market access, in terms of technology, or in terms of cost and price,’ Humbert told the meeting of potential customers, suppliers, politicians and media.”
Key Quote 2, from the Reuters story that notes Boeing has a 96 percent market share in Japan: “Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said Airbus did not know the reason behind the company’s struggle in Japan. ‘If we really knew the reason, we would have fixed it by now,’ Leahy told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum.”
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