The factions within Airbus that are pushing for a redesign of the A350 gained another ally in Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng.

Last month, ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy, whose company ordered 12 A350s in November, stunned the aviation world when he called on Airbus to abandon its A350 design (ATWOnline, March 30), based in large part on the A330, and build an all-new aircraft with a new fuselage and wing to compete with the clean-sheet 787.

In Europe for a Star Alliance meeting, Chew told media that Airbus should have "designed a new fuselage" for the A350. However, an SIA spokesperson told ATWOnline that the airframer is "not out of the running just yet." The carrier's board is expected to decide between the 787-9 and A350 at its May 9 meeting and the spokesperson said, "there's still a way to go and Airbus and Boeing have about a month to sharpen their offerings."

Any A350 redesign would cost critical time and alter the pricing significantly. Analysts are suggesting it would take Airbus a year to complete a detailed redesign and issue meaningful guarantees.

But the comments from Chew, one of the world's most influential airline executives, should hit home. It was SIA's cancellation of its order for 20 MD-11s in the early 1990s over problems with range that was the death knell for that airplane.

SIA also is expected to order up to 20 777-200LRs to replace its A340-500s and may order additional A380s or possibly 747-8s. Chew said all three selections could be made at the May 9 board meeting. An area of concern is delivery of the 787s, as most positions between 2008 and 2009 are taken. SIA had wanted to introduce the type in 2008, which may prove a challenge for Boeing.