Walsh praises Chinese plane maker
19.10.11
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways parent IAG, has examined China’s plans for a new single-aisle plane during a recent visit. He said that the project represents a serious rival to Airbus and Boeing, Bloomberg reports.
Mr Walsh met with Commercial Aircraft Corp (Comac) of China in Shanghai six weeks ago and was shown blueprints for the 168-seat C919 plane it aims to make by 2016. He said yesterday in an address to engineers in Toulouse, France, where Airbus is based: ‘My view is you have a real competitor. The C919 looks very good on paper. There is a lot of improvement in fuel consumption and environmental performance.’
He did not say whether his company is considering placing an order, however BA signed a memorandum with Comac at the Farnborough Air Show last year agreeing to talks about ‘future aircraft needs.’ IAG is currently a major customer for both Airbus and Boeing.
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