Airbus, Boeing mull engine upgrade

AIRBUS                BOEING               MANUFACTURING

Global - Airbus and Boeing said they are considering the option of upgrading their most popular jets with different engines to cut back on fuel consumption.

Boeing marketing chief Randy Tinseth told visitors at an aerospace conference in Croatia that it is feasible to re-engine the 737, but that will depend on customer needs and how feasible it is from an investment point of view.

The upgrade would also serve to buy the two airline manufacturing giants time to come up with a successor to their popular Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 models, which are seeing a combined backlog of 4,500 orders.

Airbus said it may not offer a successor to the A320 until 2024 while Boeing has targeted the next model for 2020.

This is because a plane with a reworked engine typically requires modifications to the pylon that connects wing and engine, as well as to air ducts, fuel lines, cabling, landing gear and hydraulics. Boeing could struggle to accommodate a different engine under its 737 because its wings sit lower to the ground than the A320.

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