The A330 NEO, It Blinks and Waits For How Good The 787-9 Really Is

Airbus is waiting for what, when it comes to announcing the A330 Neo announcement.  It comes down to this, can they sell 1000 more A330 in the face of the 787 family of aircraft or should they improve its A350-800 instead of going old school with a New Engine Option; Claims, claims, claims about the A330 Neo is all we are hearing now when the 787-9 is about to enter service. What the Aluminum Neo has to do is a short list of Airbus To do's found below on bullet point.

• Make Aluminum lighter than CFRP
• Make the A330 wing better than the 787 wing.
• Make The Rolls Royce and GE 787 engine evolution better on the Neo. 
• Hope Rolls Royce and GE doesn't keep improving the 787 engine configuration.
• Hope hydraulics are lighter then the 787 electrical actuators.
• Make the A330 windows seem bigger than the 787 windows
• Deliver one A330 Neo before Boeing delivers 500 787's.
• Scratch the A350-800 as a failure
• Make sure it can sell more A350-1000's currently counted on the books
• Hope the A350-900 is better than the 777-8X and 777-9x

Hope and Make is a tenuous track when Airbus commits billions towards a 20 year old remake, just to dust off its pride. It would be better if it would just get the A350-800 right in the first place before it blunders into Boeing's trap. Oh If I were in an Airbus meeting, I would wonder what knee jerk move my superiors are going to make next, in a reflex of Boeing's move. After all, a lot of pressure is on those engineers at Toulouse to make up ground on the idea guys for its line of aircraft. Drop the A350-800 and then plus out the A330-Neo, whaaat? Does anybody know where a guy can get some cheese around here for lunch?

Airbus customers, by the droves will come looking for the Neo even though the A320Neo is yet to be delivered and the A330 is not yet a paper reality. So put Airbus down for 1000+ A330 Neo's as it will chase the 787 in greater numbers. Boeing will sell its second 1000 787's before Airbus can muster 1000 Neo's commitments and sales.

Why would one conclude that, because Airbus can muster up sales because of loyalty, fleet commonality, and pricing? Boeing can beat it because of technological advancements, time in service with continuous improvement, and overall best performance. Airbus will relegate itself to a 2nd tier option in airplanes as it builds itself upon the past.

Boeing is taking its innovations forward in the 777X and 737 Max. Even though they are metal airplanes, those models are incorporating dearly paid for advancements into its most solid platform in a hurry of catch-up. Airbus tries to emulate this maneuver with an A330Neo. 

The Neo has not announced as of yet, that its going towards plastic wings as the 777X has already moved on, and the 737 is using lessons learned from the 787 technology that Airbus also lacks. If Airbus drops the A350-800 and then the Neo A330, it is an admission that Boeing has out-foxed Airbus in these airplane wars. 

They (Airbus) have reached a damned if they do, and damned if they don't conundrum, and are strongly thinking about doing an A330Neo. This would keep its skin in the game as the 787 continues moving ahead, establishing its chops towards ultimate maturity of an all new, and most advanced model in aviation's historical annals of achievement.