Summary

• There is no current plan for Airbus to develop an A360 program. Speculation about the aircraft's design is unfounded.
• Airbus is focused on other projects, such as the A321XLR, as it moves away from larger planes to smaller single-aisle aircraft and future projects such as the ZEROe and CityAirbus NextGen.
• The trend in the aviation industry is shifting towards smaller planes, and Airbus is finding more success with the A220 program than it did with the A380.

Airbus launched two new aircraft families this century: the Airbus A380 program in 2000 and the A350 in 2006. Both planes have become iconic and have gone into service with airlines worldwide (although the double-decker wasn’t as successful as the European manufacturer would have wanted).

By launching these planes, Airbus has produced the A300, A310, A320, A330, A340, A350, and A380 families throughout its history (Airbus was founded in 1970). Nonetheless, there’s an obvious gap: Where are the A360 and A370 families? In this article, we will discuss about the A360. Airbus also has the A220 family, but that is another story beginning with a different company (Bombardier).

There’s always the speculation

Run a Google image search of the A360, and you’ll find that some airplane enthusiasts have imagined the aircraft as a twin-engine, double-decker – like a mini A380. This is obviously daydreaming and pure speculation since Airbus will almost certainly not go down the four-engine road again any time soon.

In fact, Airbus is not actively planning to design an A360 program (or an A370, for that matter). In 2018, an Airbus spokesperson told Forbes there are currently no A360, A370, or A390 programs underway. The company was also not planning to employ those monikers. Five years forward, not much has changed, and the A360 project has become the source of April Fool’s Day jokes.

Instead, Airbus is currently working on other projects such as the ZEROe (the world’s first hydrogen-fuelled commercial aircraft, which could be ready by 2035), the CityAirbus NextGen (an all-electric, eVTOL multicopter prototype), and more.

What if there was a rush of blood to the head at Airbus?

But let's go hypothetical and assume there's a rush of blood to the head at Airbus. After all, the aircraft manufacturer will have to release a new model at some point down the track. What would it look like? Well, for starters, we should examine the existing gaps in the Airbus lineup and consider what makes the most sense. Currently, the largest A320 family member, the A321, has a maximum seating capacity of 244. Moving up, the smallest passenger variant of the A330, the A330-800, seats a maximum of 406.

Earlier last decade, in Global Security, there was a discussion about potential A360 and A370 aircraft. The writer makes two guesses on size in that analysis, proposing that an A360 would either fit between the A321 and the smallest A330 or between the largest A350 and the A380. Based on the lack of success of the A380, the former would be a more likely option. In recent years, there has been a trend moving towards long and thin routes. An aircraft with a seating capacity somewhere in the range of 250-400 passengers could fit.

Trends point away from any potential A360

Since the Global Security analysis and Michael Goldstein's piece, significant changes have occurred in the aviation industry. One of the biggest trends is shifting from bigger planes to smaller planes.

Arguably, Airbus is making a bigger success of its A220 program than it ever did with its A380 program. The A350 is a great plane, but its wave may be cresting. The A330 is also a good plane, but no longer in the bloom of youth. The action at Airbus is centered on smaller single-aisle aircraft, which is why the European manufacturer is currently working on the A321XLR model and could be eyeing the launch of the A220-500, a larger version of the highly successful former Bombardier narrowbody family.

Where that leaves a future aircraft with a seating capacity somewhere in the range of 250-400 passengers is anyone's guess. For the time being, it's probably in the Airbus intern's sketchpad. We'd say the prospects of any future A360 getting announced anytime soon are pretty much next to none.

Do you think Airbus should still develop an A360 program in the future? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Forbes, Global Security.

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker