“We wish them all the best,” said IAE’s president and CEO, Mark King, here at the show yesterday referring to the CSeries regional airliner project and Bombardier’s future engine supplier.
Recalling International Aero Engines’ decision in May to withdraw from the powerplant bidding, King explained that IAE had “got close to the requirement,” but only by designing a new engine. For the necessary investment to pay off, the developed technology would have needed to have other applications with future Airbuses and Boeings.
As there is “still a level of uncertainty” as to the market leaders’ intentions, “we can’t rely on re-use of technology for new Boeings and Airbuses,” said King.
It is clear who is setting the agenda. IAE continues to improve its engine technology against the day that future intentions are clarified. “We certainly intend to be part of what Boeing and Airbus do,” avowed King. —Paul Jackson
