The Paris Air Show opens today. It’s where manufacturers show off their new planes – and where Boeing and Airbus try to best each other.
Airbus did not wait for opening day to make its mark: on Friday its wide-body A350 took its the maiden flight in Toulouse, France, as employees looked on. Boeing tweeted congratulations to its rival but refused to reveal its next move.
Reuters and the Wall Street Journal say Boeing will launch a stretch version of the 787, and it’ll be announced this week at the Paris air show. The longer 787 will challenge the Airbus wide-body by adding more seats. It’s expected to have less range than the original 787 but offer strong fuel economy.
Boeing has already been talking about the plane with customers. However the grounding of the 787 worldwide over the risk of battery fires is said to have delayed the stretch version's launch. Singapore Airlines has said it wants to order 10 of the stretch 787s. Other potential clients are United Airlines, British Airways and Air Lease Corp.
