LE BOURGET—Airbus is exploring the concept of becoming the owner and operator of some A400M military airlifters to satisfy demand from air forces that only require a small number of aircraft.
“We're having discussions, and we're building our opinion of whether or not there is a potential business case,” Airbus Defense & Space CEO Michael Schoelhorn told Aviation Week on June 19 at the Paris Air Show. “It's not a given.”
“Certainly, the specifications and capabilities would have to be looked at,” he added. “It would probably be rather a pure transport and maybe not so much a mission aircraft,” he added, noting, “There are ways ... private companies can own military equipment.”
One example of such an arrangement is Airtanker Holdings, which owns A330-based tankers operated by the Royal Air Force. Airbus is a partner in the business.
The A400M program received a boost at the Paris Air Show on June 16 when Spain and France agreed to accelerate some purchases to assure production at a rate of eight aircraft per year through 2028. The company still needs additional orders, though, to reach the goal of at least keeping production humming through the end of the decade.
The European aircraft maker is betting it can secure additional orders for the transport from existing customers such as Turkey and the UK, Schoelhorn said. The company also is pursuing new buyers such as Poland, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which could represent sizable deals.
Related Content
