Today Airbus started their annual pre-airshow briefings. The format is different this year, because there has been a sea change in senior management. Key people in the old guard liked making presentations (plus the attendant buzz and adulation). Not so with this next batch of people.
The video is a full 90 minutes – one of our longest to date. The video includes the “conversation” between one of the comms team and the key managers. This is followed by an active Q&A with the audience. While the conversation is clearly friendly, to Airbus credit, they allowed an exhaustive and more challenging Q&A from the press.
If you find the conversation slow and jump ahead you will miss some key points. Such as the news scooplet of a 450NM extra range on the A220.
Another example, it is clear that Airbus is very excited about the A220. It keeps coming up – clearly Airbus got the best deal in the history of commercial aviation. When they buy the remaining share of the program, perhaps Bombardier will get some good value on the investment they made in CSeries.
There are also some digs at the “re-engined Humvee” – a dig at the 777X. Vintage OEM competitor comments that are actually funny in this environment.
Another item to note is the calm of Airbus sales boss. He is very respectful to the crisis facing his competitor and it is clear the impact of the MAX grounding has reached even Toulouse. How? The most obvious one would be how certifications may change. Nobody will come out unscathed.
So while the video is long, there are several items that are important to see and hear. Watching the video allows you to acquire the information in context.
