PARIS - Airbus said Monday it wants suppliers to its A350 XWB mid-sized
airliner to fund over 15 per cent of the cost of the project, the company's 11.6
billion euro ($15.4 billion) answer to the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner."
Airbus President and Chief Executive
Louis Gallois, center, flanked by Chief Operating Officers John Leahy,
right, and Fabrice Bregier, left, ponders a question, during a press
conference, in Paris Monday Dec. 4, 2006.
[AP]
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But the European planemaker said no
decision had been made on the rest of the funding or where to build the new
plane, planned to enter service in 2013.
Giving his first news conference as Airbus CEO, Louis Gallois confirmed the
overall program cost but warned that he would give no information about future
increases unless the budget was altered by a "material" amount.
"We feel under no obligation to update these figures in the future, any more
than our competition does," Gallois said. Boeing refuses to say how much it is
spending on the 787.
Monday's presentation was scheduled at short notice, three days after the
board of Airbus parent EADS approved the launch of the A350 - which is
badly needs to plug a gap in the European aircraft maker's product line. Airbus
is set to fall behind Boeing on orders this year for the first time since 2000.
The overall program cost includes 10 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in
research and development funding and a further 1.6 billion euros ($2.1 billion)
of capital expenditure announced by Gallois, who also stayed on as EADS co-chief
executive after his appointment in October to replace departing Airbus boss
Christian Streiff.
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