AIRBUS TO DECIDE A3XX FATE IN JUNE
The owners of Airbus Industrie, Europe's plane building consortium, said they will decide at a meeting at the Berlin Air Show in June whether or not to go ahead with plans to build the jumbo A3XX jet.
The A3XX would be the world's largest passenger plane, carrying 555 seats. Air cargo executives believe the A3XX freighter may be able to carry up to 150 tons, making it a potential rival to the mammoth Antonov An-124.
The new planes will demand a price tag of some $230 million a piece. Airbus has estimated it will spend $12 billion to develop the program.
Two airlines – Emirates and Singapore Airlines — have placed orders for the jet. Airbus has said it has the support of at least four other carriers. Atlas Air and FedEx Corp. are those rumored to be interested in a freighter version of the A3XX. Emirates has said up to two of its orders could be for freighters.
The Berlin Air Show begins June 6.