Simon Pickup Director of Business Operations and Analysis at Airbus North America made an interesting speech this week. He noted Airbus forecasts about 5,700 jets in the mid-size market segment will be needed over the next 20 years. Boeing has sold some 400 planes (787) and Airbus (A350) about 100 so far. "There is still about 90 percent of the market to play for" Pickup said.

At the same event another notable quote was made: "If there is one overwhelming challenge for Airbus, I would argue it's the A350," the Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia told attendees at the PNAA conference Monday. He also noted "This is a pivotal year for Airbus. They absolutely have to make something happen."

It seems that Airbus is slowing moving the A380 forward – probably deliberately slowly because of the need to never again over promise and under deliver. Once the first nine A380s are out the door, production should speed up as the wiring issues are resolved. The attention being paid to this airplane is going to be more significant once it starts flying commercially. You can see this already with the Lufthansa proving flights garnering so much media attention.

Then, with A380 deliveries humming, Airbus is going to pull out all the stops on its A350 program. Engineering talent will flow from the A380 to the A350. Meanwhile as the 787 rolls out, Airbus has an advantage of learning from Boeing's experience. Airbus, despite its recent challenges, has a loyal following that wants to see the A350 succeed.

We are aware of the concerns that while Airbus gets the A350 done and delivered, Boeing will move the goalposts again with a CFRP 777 replacement. It is naive to think that Airbus will not be taking this into consideration. The Great Race is still very much in play. Just as Boeing slipped and came back stronger, Airbus is going to also come back stronger and smarter. This may be the most fascinating time to watch the industry, ever.

Simon Pickup Director of Business Operations and Analysis at Airbus North America made an interesting speech this week. He noted Airbus forecasts about 5,700 jets in the mid-size market segment will be needed over the next 20 years. Boeing has sold some 400 planes (787) and Airbus (A350) about 100 so far. "There is still about 90 percent of the market to play for" Pickup said.

At the same event another notable quote was made: "If there is one overwhelming challenge for Airbus, I would argue it's the A350," the Teal Group's Richard Aboulafia told attendees at the PNAA conference Monday. He also noted "This is a pivotal year for Airbus. They absolutely have to make something happen."

It seems that Airbus is slowing moving the A380 forward – probably deliberately slowly because of the need to never again over promise and under deliver. Once the first nine A380s are out the door, production should speed up as the wiring issues are resolved. The attention being paid to this airplane is going to be more significant once it starts flying commercially. You can see this already with the Lufthansa proving flights garnering so much media attention.

Then, with A380 deliveries humming, Airbus is going to pull out all the stops on its A350 program. Engineering talent will flow from the A380 to the A350. Meanwhile as the 787 rolls out, Airbus has an advantage of learning from Boeing's experience. Airbus, despite its recent challenges, has a loyal following that wants to see the A350 succeed.

We are aware of the concerns that while Airbus gets the A350 done and delivered, Boeing will move the goalposts again with a CFRP 777 replacement. It is naive to think that Airbus will not be taking this into consideration. The Great Race is still very much in play. Just as Boeing slipped and came back stronger, Airbus is going to also come back stronger and smarter. This may be the most fascinating time to watch the industry, ever.