Airbus is mulling a fourth A320 engine option as a tactic in its single-aisle product strategy, which is expected to lead to an all-new design for service entry in 2025 or soon after. The European manufacturer’s deliberations are taking place in the broader context of company-wide plans to focus on core competencies and to establish additional avenues of interest, according to future programs and strategy senior vice president Ian Dawkins, speaking before he took a new position last month as chief executive of OnAir, the Airbus/SITA cabin communications joint venture.
Dawkins told a press briefing in early May that Airbus is seeking partners to drive a move away from Airbus handling “elementary” processes, while retaining overall business management. “Our long-term strategy is not just off-loading work,” he explained. “We want to keep control and master overall development processes.”
The company intends to integrate all activities, including its military business, while establishing major aerostructures and cabin interior suppliers as it extends its international engineering footprint. This global expansion involves setting up U.S. final assembly capacity “irrespective of the [U.S. Air Force] tanker decision.”
