“Tie game” between Airbus and Boeing

La Tribune speaks of “tie game” between Airbus and Boeing. In a comment piece, columnist Pascal Aubert says the first A380 delay, unveiled in 2006, plunged Airbus into an unprecedented crisis. Today, the news seems less damaging for the plane maker. In the meantime, indeed, Boeing has known similar difficulties with its 787 programme. This is almost “tie game” between the two manufacturers: Airbus has announced four delays, Boeing three. These delays are far from amazing. Both the A380 and 787 face new and complex technological challenges. With its A380, Airbus pushed further the boundaries of big-size travel, an “audacious bet” that was applauded by the sector from the start. Boeing, for its part, made a different but as risky bet, by developing a 100% new aircraft with innovative materials. In both cases, industrial risks were numerous, but the groups’ respective managements may have lost sight of those risks, focused as they were on their rivalry. Indeed, echoes International Herald Tribune, the competitive environment in which Airbus and Boeing operate has led them to make promises for the delivery of new aircraft that they have been unable to keep. La Tribune, International Herald Tribune