U.S. planemaker Boeing is studying whether to launch a 220-270-seat jet wedged between traditional twin-aisle models like the Airbus A330 or its own 787, and the industry’s bread-and-butter single-aisle models like the A320/321 and Boeing 737. Airbus aims to defend that space with its own A330neo at the top end and the best-selling A321neo at the bottom – two models boasting new engines on older airframes. “Those programs are both so mature that it gives Airbus pricing flexibility to address this middle-of-the-market segment,” sales chief Christian Scherer said.
