Cheap, cheerful and cutthroat: Why Airbus and Boeing are cozying up to Asia's booming .........

[marmar]

[font size="1"]The A350 XWB performed its first ever airshow flyover at this year's Singapore Airshow[/font]


Cheap, cheerful and cutthroat: Why Airbus and Boeing are cozying up to Asia's booming budget airlines

By Charlotte Glennie, for CNN
February 12, 2014 -- Updated 0635 GMT


SINGAPORE (CNN) -- Of all the aircraft on display at the Singapore Airshow, the brand new, fuel-efficient Airbus A350 XWB is dominating attention.

Billed as the new generation wide-bodied jetliner and seen as a direct competitor to Boeing's Dreamliner, the A350 has been drawing crowds, taking part in aerial displays and opening its doors to select trade visitors. It's all part of a grand plan by Europe's Airbus to try to woo as many buyers as possible.

Inside the 40,000 square meters of airshow exhibition space, the plane's maker, Airbus, has also grabbed the limelight, announcing the first big deal of this biennial aerospace and defense trade show to a packed press conference on Tuesday -- the firm sale of 63 A320 Family single aisle aircraft to low cost Vietnamese carrier VietJetAir.

.......(snip).......

Battleground

As to who currently has the upper hand in Asia-Pacific, Airbus says in 2013 it won 80% of all new business in the region. But it's a more level playing field in terms of actual deliveries, with Airbus delivering 331 aircraft into Asia Pacific last year, representing 51% of all new carriers entering service here. .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/11/business/singapore-air-show-airbus-boeing/