Airbus, the European aerospace company, is discussing building a more fuel-efficient version of their largest plane, the A380 that (in its standard seating layout) carries 555 passengers. Airbus has done this before with the A320, a small single-aisle aircraft, by adding bigger engines, with the choice of the Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan, or CFM International’s LEAP-1A. Since these engines were larger, the plane was 15-20% more fuel efficient, saving airlines in fuel costs while only requiring minimal extra training.

As the airline industry keeps evolving, the need for bigger planes like the A380 depletes. Emirates, the largest carrier of the A380, continues to push Airbus to make a more fuel-efficient version of their largest plane. Talks of an A380neo have arisen, there have been no official announcements of an A380neo because the market does not need large airliners. Airbus is currently working on a few projects, including ZEROe, a commercial aircraft using hydrogen fuel, instead of conventional fuel; and BLADE, researching ways to decrease wing friction by 50%, which will reduce in-flight CO2 emissions by 5%. 

The airline industry is constantly changing, with the rise in air travel after the pandemic, and new systems making air travel even safer. Airbus’ A320 is their best-selling plane making a need for a more fuel-efficient plane necessary for the company to be successful. The recent events with Boeing’s competitor to the A320 caused Boeing to lose $8.4 Billion in sales. Airbus has continued to have a great safety record, with the entire A320 family (Including  A318, A319, A320, and A321) having a total of only 160 accidents. Airbus will continue to improve its planes and make newer and safer aircraft in the coming years.