European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is planning to introduce a new generation of narrow-body aircraft to succeed the A320 family around 2037–2038. According to CEO Guillaume Faury in an interview with Aviation Week, development of the new aircraft is expected to begin around 2030, with the choice of engine architecture to be finalized by 2027.
Faury indicated that another major upgrade to the current A320neo family is unlikely. Airbus believes that while today’s market does not yet demand a new narrow-body platform, this need will likely emerge in the second half of the 2030s.
Two engine concepts are under consideration for the new aircraft: an open rotor system or a geared turbofan (GTF) architecture. Faury added that Airbus aims to offer airlines the option of choosing between two different engine manufacturers, if feasible.
The original A320 program was launched in the late 1980s and has since become the foundation of Airbus’s best-selling aircraft family. To date, over 12,000 A320 family aircraft have been delivered, and Airbus currently holds more than 7,000 firm orders for the type.
