The A380 superjumbo: The white elephant

"not least the value of the dollar, the currency in which all commercial aircraft are sold."

Come on. The euro is supposed to be the new currency of oil, airplanes, the world.

The Chicoms hold bucks. The Saudis have greenbacks. FedEx has dollars. Now to switch it takes $1.28+/- to make a euro. Used to be about 80 cents.

And to buy some of those 380 UK wings? A pound costs about $1.90.

yitbos

Good analysis, Mark! I think another factor to be considered, though when you evaluate Airbus is that its decion-making is sometimes simply a matter of Gallic Pride, than of pure economic sense.

Hence, we see the bull-headed determination to tough it out that we are seeing with your catastrophic "Option 3"...trying to keep both new plane projects going simultaneously.

The French likely would viscerally reject "Option 1"... After all, to cancel their collussus would suddenly BENEFIT Boeing's legacy flagship...the 747. The 747 would get an influx of renewed attention...and orders...restoring the Company to bellweather economic conditions. I.e., the vast majority of the lost 145 sales currently booked for the A-380 would have to go to the newer editions of the 747, as the only reasonable fall-back plane. And Boeing likely would be more than happy to update it to suit the new business.

I'm sure glad that the Airbus crowd didn't target the 777 in time...and they didn't have you giving them advice!! That plane was crucial to Boeing saving itself.

Now Boeing may have the luxury of a little time to target yet again the bread-and-butter of Airbus with its new "nsr" the 797... The 737 replacement inside Boeing is referred to as 737RS (replacement studies). They have the subsidized Goliath reeling from its own hubris...and the well-placed stones to its eyes...now its time to stab them in the heart... making it clear for everyone to see that Airbus is nothing without its subsidies.

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