F 
R

1
0
- 
9 
9

AIRBUS COMPLETES FAMILY WITH A318

With the 107-seat A318, Airbus has rounded out its product line at the bottom. The smallest member of the Airbus single-aisle family is on its way for its market introduction in 2002. While Airbus Industrie has been skeptical about offering a shortened version of the A319 until two years ago, the program was officially launched on 26 April 1999. "With the A318, we have reached one of our last goals in the frame of our development strategy. We now have completed our aircraft family at the bottom with a product that can satisfy the customer need in the 100-seat category", Airbus-head Noël Forgeard said.

The A318, the development of which is estimated to cost around $300 million, is designed for high-frequency feeder service routes. For the main part, the aircraft corresponds with the A319 but is shortened by one and a half frames forward and three frames aft of the wings, making the A318 2,39 meters shorter than its larger sister. The shrinking made further changes in other design areas necessary. The width of the cargo doors had to be cut from 1,82 meters to 1,28 meters. Because of this change, the A318 will not be able to carry standard freight containers. Secondly, the Airbus engineers had to increase the area of the vertical tail because of the unfavorable width-length relation of the fuselage in order to improve controllability. The originally planned dorsal fin has now been replaced by a stretched vertical tail, similar to what was done on the A330-200.

Airbus took a new course as far as the engines are concerned. Instead of using the proven CFM56 or the IAE V2500 AI decided to use the new and especially for short-haul flights developed Pratt & Whitney PW6000. However, some airlines were afraid of losing the commonality, an aspect that is strongly marketed by Airbus Industrie for its product line. CFM International did not want to go beneath a specific price level for its engines to compete for this aircraft program. Air France was one of the carriers that was especially concerned with loosing the commonality to its CFM56 powered Airbus fleet and was a major player in moving the engine manufacturer to change its mind. At the beginning of August, CFMI signed a contract with Airbus concerning the adaptation of the CFM56 for the new application. According to CFMI, the company is still planning to offer the engine for the "right" price in spite of Pratt & Whitney's aggressive marketing strategy, saying that many airlines would recognize the advantages of a CFM-powered A318.

The new competing engine from the US on the other side is supposed to become a successor of the successful JT8D and, according to Pratt & Whitney, is especially designed for high flight frequencies such as twelve one-hour flights per day. According to Airbus Senior Vice President Commercial, John Leahy, the PW6000 as the base engine for the A318, generating between 16000 and 24000 lbs of thrust, is characterized by a low fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs than its competitor. Also, the engine allows the usage of the A319 engine mount.

Pratt & Whitney is pushing ahead with the engine development. The first of a total of 100 planned flight tests with a Boeing 720 testbed is scheduled for February of 2000 in Plattsburgh, New York. This would be only six months after completing the first prototype engine, stresses Peter Smith, the PW6000 program manager: "We are sure that the PW6000 will work perfectly from the first day in service."

The base version of the A318 is powered by two 22000 lbs thrust PW6122 engines and will have a maximum take-off weight of 59 tons and will supposedly achive a range of 2775 kilometers. The two increased gross-weight versions (IGW) will be powered by the PW6124 (24000 lbs thrust). The 61,5-ton IGW version will offer an 925 kilometer increased range while the largest version would have a take-off mass of 66 tons. This version came into planning because of the demand from North American airlines, requesting 1,5 tons more payload along with a range of 5180 kilometers, such allowing transcontinental flights (for example from New York to Los Angeles).

According to Airbus plans, the A318 will first fly in the fourth quarter of 2001. The flight test and certification are supposed to be completed one year later. Beginning from the end of 2002 both airlines and passengers will supposedly be enjoying the comfort of "the newest and most efficient 100-seater". According to Airbus, the A318 is technologically superior to its competition by featuring a fly-by-wire flight control system and an advanced wing design. Supposedly, the wing's performance (based on the Mach number multiplied by the drag coefficient) is 28 percent better than the Boeing 717 and six percent better than the 737-600, such contributing to fuel savings. Furthermore, Airbus stresses that the A318 is considered to be more environmentally friendly. Fuel and noise emissions will reportedly be considerably lower than the current standards. Powered by the PW6122, the new small Airbus will generate 25 Decibel under the ICAO Chapter 3 limits.

Other Airbus arguments include that the competing 717 and 737-600 are based on old aircraft designs dating back to the mid-sixties. Indeed, the Boeing 717 is based on the Douglas DC-9 which first flew in 1965. Furthermore, the fuselage of the 737 was derived from the 707. AI says that those fuselages are not designed for today's comfort oriented market. With the A320 family, Airbus says, the Toulouse based manufacturer is offering the widest fuselage in the single-aisle category. According to AI, the cabin is 0,2 meters wider than the 737 and 0,61 wider than the 717. Furthermore, the Airbus airliner are offering more headroom and overhead baggage space and are also more appreciated by the passengers, according to independent surveys, for example done by the US Tourism Board.

Airbus also points out the advantage that Airbus aircraft feature the often mentioned commonality of the various products. According to Noël Forgeard, the A318 pilots will share one type rating with the other A320 family members. He continues that "the airlines will be profiting from the full operational commonality also with the larger Airbus aircraft. All A318 main systems will be the same as on the other single-aisle aircraft." Therefore 95 percent of all parts were to be identical to the other A320 family members.

Airbus also points out that the A318's commonality to the A319, A320 and A321 will give the airlines a large flexibility in seat numbers, ranging from 107 to 220, since the carriers can schedule the same pilots, the same cabin crew and the same maintenance personnel for all four aircraft. This would put the airlines in a position to adapt their flight plan on short notice to a changing demand. According to Airbus, this could lead to savings of 500000 Dollars per year per additional aircraft.

All together, the European aircraft manufacturer highlights that the A318 has ten percent lower seat-mile-costs than the 717, the smallest Airbus also having lower maintenance and operating costs. Airbus also states that the direct maintenance costs per flight are 16 percent less than the costs of the 737-600 and 30 percent less than the 717-200. The direct operating costs would be 4,5 percent less than the 737-600 and two percent less than the 717.

However, the Airbus 100-seater, offered for a price between 35,8 and 38,5 million Dollars, will be significantly more expensive than the main competitor. For its 717, Boeing is currently asking a list price of between 31,5 and 35,5 million Dollars, depending on the equipment. Airbus manager John Leahy says that this difference in price together with the higher landing fees (due to the higher weight of the Airbus Mini) will be balanced by the aircraft's lower operating costs.

Leahy expects a market share of approximately 50 percent for the "natural" Airbus product line expansion, offered either with 107 seats in two classes, with 117 seats in a single-class configuration, or with 129 seats in the high-density version. All together, Airbus estimates a need for 1300 aircraft in the 100-seat category over the coming 20 years.

The German Dasa-Airbus managing director, Dr. Gustav Humbert, is enthusiastic: "The A318 closes an existing gap and will strengthen Airbus Industrie's market position." He continues, saying that the final assembly in Germany is especially pleasing from the German point of view: "The decision for the A318 is a clear sign of support for the final assembly center in Hamburg." On the other hand, all A319 beyond the monthly production rate of 15 will be final assembled in Toulouse as compensation.

According to Humbert, the A318 production will stabilize the ongoing final assembly in Hamburg and secure the existing 7000 working places, saying that the current order boom will decline in one to two years. The A318 will therefore help to fill the existing capacities.

To date, the Airbus sales department has been able to log 109 orders and options for the mini-airliner. As with the A319 program launch, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) is the first customer. The leasing company ordered 30 A318 in Toulouse. Before that, ILFC had conducted an independent market survey on the 100 to 120 seaters, involving important airlines. According to ILFC general director John Plueger, the company found out "that the A320 family has a good market acceptance and that the A318 offers good passenger comfort and operational commonality with larger aircraft at competitive costs for the small market segment". ILFC president Steven Udvar-Hazy adds "that this shows the preference of the market for efficient aircraft with the newest technology which are members of an integrated aircraft family, such offering the airlines lower operating costs along with a more flexible fleet planning".

The second largest order over 50 units came from Trans World Airways (TWA). The first aircraft are supposed to enter service in 2003. TWA had already ordered 50 Boeing 717 in December of 1998 and signed options for another 50 aircraft. First deliveries of the 717 are planned for February of 2000, the rest of the deliveries will be spread until 2003 to replace the airlines' extensive DC-9 fleet. The European A318 will have a different role. Unlike the competitor from Seattle, the A318 will be able to connect 48 continental US states, along with Canadian and Mexican destination from the TWA hub St. Louis, Missouri. "Our 142-seat MD-83 are just too big to use them economically for flights from St. Louis to many important destinations", says TWA president William F. Compton. He continues, saying that this problem can be solved with the A318. Furthermore, that the airlines' hub flight schedule will be able to grow since the A318 will be delivered around the same time when St. Louis is expanded. The new Airbus aircraft will replace some of the older MD-80s.

Still, it looked like the total order of 80 aircraft by TWA and ILFC was not enough for Airbus to officially launch the program. The European consortium was looking for commitments from at least two more airlines. The final breakthrough came when Egyptair ordered three A318 as a replacement for its Boeing 737-200 and with an order by Air France for 15 CFM56-5B-powered aircraft (plus ten options) as a replacement for the 737-500. Lufthansa is another potential customer according to experts. Also, the A318 is competing with the 717 for a British Airways order of 20 aircraft. The showdown of the 100-seater market can begin.

From page 24 of FLUG REVUE 10/99