Page 59 - AA 2018_11

ith the launch of a half-dozen newer A321neo. In range, it’s around
new and re-engined aircraft From Airbus’s side, head of market 4,000-5,000nm, which from
from Airbus and Boeing analytics and messaging Joaquin Sydney or Melbourne is roughly
Walone in the last 10 years, Toro-Prieto tells Australian Aviation, the difference between just about
commercial aviation is preparing the European airframer has not been reaching Hong Kong and comfortably
itself to transition into a period of approaching the middle-of-the-market reaching Beijing. And with regard
incremental updates rather than big- as a specific category in and of itself. to passengers, it’s something around
bang unveilings and new models. “Giving in terms of range or in 175-275 passengers, depending on
The last blast of novelty will be terms of capacity a denomination how much premium seating there is
Boeing’s next aircraft, likely the for what we consider middle-of-the- and what the economy class seat pitch
797 but still currently referred to market, we do not have such a thing as is like – factors which also affect the
as “NMA”, an acronym for which the classification of the middle-of-the- range of the aircraft.
neither Boeing nor the wider aviation market. That’s a denomination and an The level of interest in this category
community has come to consistent approach that Boeing has been using is intense, for a variety of reasons.
agreement, but “new middle-market in the last few years, when they’re One key is the transatlantic market,
airplane” is the essence of the moniker. trying to categorise a space between recently pegged as the most valuable
The signs, portents and industry what would be maybe a 767 and a 757, in the world, which is oversaturated
scuttlebutt are all pointing towards a an aircraft that will be in this type of between hub airports and underserved
Paris Airshow launch at Le Bourget in category.” between spokes. Routes like London-
June. But a key question is, after eight “Just before this year’s New York have enough demand for
years since the announcement of the Farnborough Airshow,” Toro-Prieto widebodies, but flights from secondary
A320neo this coming December, how explains, “we were releasing our cities in Germany or France are more
much of that “middle-market” is left latest Global Market Forecast, and complex because of eastbound winter
for the taking. in there what we were doing was a winds, which historically have resulted
Boeing declined to answer any classification in terms of aircraft sizes in the need for fuel stop diversions on
questions from Australian Aviation between S, M, L and XL. In this M the Boeing 757.
about the NMA, noting that “there’s category, we were talking about some For Australia, New Zealand and the
no real update to provide”. of the variants and some of the models south-west Pacific, the question is a
So is the airframer keeping its cards of the A321.” little more nuanced, not least because
close to its chest for a big bang six The middle of the market, Toro- of the Sydney-centric focus of a lot of
months from now in Paris? Prieto suggests, “is something that existing operations. Here, the middle
could be served by A321s, or it could of the market as it stands today is the
Boeing’s MOM means many different be served by A330s, it depends which sweet spot between the range of a
things to many different people type of market you’re trying to address. Boeing 737-800 (just about 3,000nm)
Let’s start off by defining what can be In some cases you can have A330s in or Airbus A320 (up to 3,300nm) and
a very amorphous concept. For over a low configuration that will sit in this the capacity of a 787 or A330 (usually
decade and a half, Boeing has talked type of seat count where defined.” 250-275 passengers for full-service
about the middle-of-the-market as the It might well be expected that airlines, depending on configuration).
section that bridges the capabilities of Airbus, which is not currently What kind of new markets could
larger single-aisle narrowbodies and planning to launch a new aircraft be opened if hub airlines from China
smaller twin-aisle widebodies. in this segment, would suggest that and South-East Asia could fly fewer
In aircraft terms, the 1980s’ Boeing its existing aircraft can serve it from passengers on smaller, longer-ranged
757 is most commonly referred to as above and below. aircraft to a greater variety of
the prime example, but the Boeing 767 But the key to the middle of the destinations? Which smaller or more
has also been used in this section, as market, as Toro-Prieto alludes to, is northerly Australian airports could
have Airbus’s A300, A310, A330 and, the competing tension between range see new hub or base operations
on the narrowbody side, A321 and and size. with aircraft better suited to their

A ‘middle-of-the-market’ aeroplane
would bridge the capabilities of larger
single-aisle narrowbodies, such as the
757 (pictured) and smaller twin-aisle
widebodies. rob finlayson

OCTOBER 2018 59