KEY POINTS
- The European producer says it’s contemplating a wide-body freighter.
- Chief Business Officer Christian Scherer mentioned Airbus “underserves” the freighter market.
- Boeing plane dominates the air cargo trade.
A employee checks cargo within the maintain of a Boeing Co 777-300ER passenger airplane, operated by Air France-KLM, earlier than departure to Los Angeles, U.S., at Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, on Monday, Might 10, 2021.Nathan Laine | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
Airbus is weighing the event of a freighter model of its wide-body A350 plane, the European producer’s chief industrial officer mentioned Tuesday, a transfer that might tackle rival Boeing within the air cargo market.
The air freight market has been a vivid spot through the Covid pandemic. Charges surged after the virus and journey restrictions devastated passenger journey, taking airplane stomach area out of the market, making a provide crunch. Snarls at ports have additionally boosted demand for air cargo.
“That has considerably exacerbated the truth that the freighter market is underserved by Airbus right this moment,” Chief Business Officer Christian Scherer mentioned on a webcast briefing. “Lots of our clients have instructed us, ‘You could have been a formidable pressure on this trade. … Please accomplish that on the freighter market as nicely.’ That’s an vital message to keep in mind.”
Scherer declined to offer particulars on when the corporate would decide however mentioned “we’ve got some wind in our sails towards seeing the emergency of an A350 freighter.”
Air cargo demand in April, the most recent accessible knowledge, rose 12% in contrast with April 2019, earlier than the pandemic, and topped a 2018 peak, in response to the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation.
Airbus rival Boeing produces a number of freighter plane, such because the 747 and 767, for patrons UPS, FedEx and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, contractor for Amazon’s air arm, in addition to airways which have each passenger and air cargo companies.
The pandemic has additionally fueled a surge in demand for the conversion of retired passenger plane into freighters.