Go Get 'Em, Patel: Kingfisher Reports In

Flight International has this to say this morning: "Based on the information I have, just like the 777 killed the A340, the A350 will kill the 777 for sure and it will come close to the 787 as well" says Kingfisher Airlines executive VP Hitesh Patel.

The percipient observer of average intelligence and prudence would think that by the time the reports are in and the A350 is in service (if ever), there's going to be a lot more killing to do than there is at the present. Boeing will be happily churning out 777s and 787s for at the very least another five or six years, and that's if the A350 meets every milestone and then goes on and slays the dragon of the hated bumpkins in America, and that's if the entire engineering department of Boeing says "Hey-we're done here and we're not doing any more competitive R&D for the next six years, see ya".

What tea leaves Mr. Patel is reading are unknown but one might think that they come from Toulouse by express mail, no doubt carried on Boeing airframes.

Rather, what we're no doubt seeing is the first flakes in a snowstorm of publicity from da Festung leading up to the Paris Airshow this year. I suppose it's all to be expected, being as the news has been unremittingly bad from Airbus, and they've got to put on a good show for the home crowd.

This newest iteration of the Airbus strategy seems to be a further iteration of the 'pie in the sky when you die' routine that they beat to death with the A380 until that emperor proved to have no clothes.

Wake me when it's over.