— This is the script of CNBC's news report for China's CCTV on June 17, 2019, Monday.
It has been one of the main battlegrounds for Boeing and airbus at the Paris air show, which has been running for more than 50 years, the Paris air show has seen fierce competition between the two giants.
As some of you may remember that Boeing worked overtime in 2017 to introduce the more fuel-efficient Boeing 737Max, which was unveiled at the Paris air show in 2017 and stole the show with an order for 360 aircraft. Two years later, however, on the battlefield, the balance of power was turned by two successive Boeing 737MAX crashes, followed by a sustained grounding.
And this year, airbus may ride on the crest of success. It is now possible that Airbus, which is hosting the show, will target the opportunity to launch the world's longest-range single-aisle aircraft, the A321XLR. Note that this image shows Airbus's current mid-size aircraft, the A321LR, while the new XLR will break new ground in both capacity and distance.
That means the A321XLR is targeting the gap between single-aisle narrow-body jets and dual-aisle jets. The new plane has a range of 500 nautical miles longer than airbus's best long-range aircraft that means travelers can fly directly from Central America to central Europe, so many airlines companies are included on the potential clients list, and therefore, the Airbus can share more market share.
So this year's Paris air show will be Boeing's defense against a siege, In addition to reassuring the world on the eve of the air show that the 737 Max software fix was going well and that Boeing was looking forward to an early go-around, what strategy Boeing will use next to defend itself against Airbus's onslaught, and how to turn the tables on the order wars between the two giants, are the most attractive information to the market.
Some analysts argue that Boeing may have to face down Airbus's assault on the mid-size market by aggressively investing in it too, in order to stem customer losses, or in the narrow-body aircraft market, abandon the 737MAX is completely and develop the replacement model of 737MAX at a huge expense if it wants to regain the market share in the narrow-body aircraft market.
And there is no doubt that either option faces huge risks and uncertainties, so this year's Paris air show will be Boeing's defense against a siege. Restoring confidence at the airshow will be a priority for Boeing. As for Airbus, after getting the first opportunity, will it be able to follow up the victory? Will it announce the expected A321XLR, and how many orders it will get? We will know the answers for these problems soon. We will keep an eye on this issue.