Come on Boeing, offer to stretch the 787-9. You CAN'T let Airbus win this! Get your sales teams in there! You MUST be flexible with your customers. You can't afford to lose Emirates.
I seem to remember that there are docking-at-the-gate issues with the larger European aircraft. Further, the airlines have to look at the technology, speed, fuel consumption cost, etc.
When I have traveled to Europe and South America, you do not see Chevy Suburbans on the road. Ergo, bigger is not always better. IMOHO
"At the same time the UK government, desperate to boost manufacturing in the wake of carmaker MG Rover's collapse, is preparing to offer controversial launch aid for the A350, the newspaper added."
The game is rigged in Airbus' favor. France and other EU governments subsidize Airbus and cover it's massive losses.
Aeropspatiele(sp?) is basically a socialistic jobs program for France, UK, Spain, Italy, and several other EU nations. It can sell planes for nothing down and no payment due on principal for up to ten years in certain circumstances. Boeing as a private company can't match a subsidized deal like that.
My son is a pilot with a major U.S. airline. When the company went shopping for planes to replace it's old Boeing 727 fleet, Airbus made it a deal it couldn't refuse given it's poor financial condition. As a result, he is now flying Airbus 319s and 320s instead of the 727s he had flown for years. He says the Airbus' are good planes and he likes the fly by wire control system now that he's gotten used to it, but personally I would feel more at ease if he was still flying Boeings.
Besides, just how many A350-900's will Emirates Airways order? Even a 40-plane order may not justify the considerable amount of money Airbus will have to spend to develop the plane.