Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO: Competition from China Is Discussed Almost Weekly; A350 Rate Increase Is Inevitable

Agence France-Presse reported on October 14 that Lars Wagner, CEO of Airbus's commercial aircraft business, said on Wednesday: "We discuss competition from China almost every week. They are investing heavily in green hydrogen, manufacturing, robotics, and automation." Airbus is closely monitoring the rise of COMAC.

Wagner made the remarks at a press conference in Toulouse, France, as part of a two-day Airbus commercial aircraft event. The report noted that this also puts additional pressure on the European aviation manufacturing giant, pushing it to strive to launch a next-generation commercial aircraft program before 2030. "We have also seen in other industries that once China decides to include something in its five-year strategic plan, it gets implemented," he said, referring to the electric vehicle industry. With advantages in battery production, China has taken a leading position in this sector and has disrupted European and American automakers.

Wagner noted that research by Airbus and other organizations forecasts that the global aircraft fleet will double to 42,000 by 2045. Given the current delivery scale of the Airbus-Boeing duopoly, "clearly, there is still room for further market growth to meet this demand." "There is room for growth for both of us," he continued. He believes China has the industrial capability needed to produce independently developed aircraft and "sell them." "I wouldn't say I am very worried, but we are watching developments closely, and we want to stay in the number one position."