When Emirates’ a few weeks ago raised the stakes, telling Airbus to either develop an A380Neo or forget about future orders, tongues went wagging instantly about the challenge served to Airbus management, and the almost feeble responses were a sign that the European manufacturer was almost caught unaware of the growing sentiment, especially when so forcefully expressed by their largest A380 customer.

At a media event last week in Doha, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker added his own demand – the airline presently operates three A380s and has a further 11 on order – that Airbus re-engine the world’s largest passenger aircraft. “Put new engines under the wings, and the aircraft will become a success” he told both the Airbus and the Rolls Royce representatives at his side, adding that the present pylons on the A380 wings were able to carry RR’s presently most powerful engine, which is used on the Airbus A350XWB. He went on to state that with the latest engines available by Rolls Royce, the per seat cost of the A380 would come down even further and make the aircraft the most economical plane to fly, a mighty argument for additional orders.

The smile on Airbus Executive Vice President Didier Evrard’s face remained steady as he listened to the mini lecture, although no doubt the message hit home that another very important customer for Airbus’ double decker had just served notice in a very public way to either shape up or else face mothballing the program when the current orders were delivered to customers around the world.

At the same media event, Mr. Al Baker also confirmed that the airline’s First Class would in the future only be retained on the A380 but phased out from the rest of the fleet after a revolutionary new Business Class seat will be launched in the 2016/17 timeframe, which the airline is presently developing to remain at the cutting edge of cabin comfort and services on board for premium passengers.

Said a Nairob-based aviation source when asked to comment: “Crude oil might be down to US$45 as I speak, but I consider it a downward spike, bringing airlines only temporary relief. The long-term trend will see crude oil prices rise again and with it will the cost of JetA1 go up. Medium to long term it will be the most fuel efficient aircraft on the market which will be most in demand. When crude oil hit US$120+, many airlines struggled to cope, and operational savings like the new A350 brings to Qatar Airways will be crucial to survive in a competitive environment. If a re-engined A380 can offer similar savings, perhaps aided by a refined wing design and the use of light-weight materials, of course this aircraft type will become a winner. Slots in many of the key airports around the world are getting tighter, and on high-density routes the only way out of that dilemma is using the largest plane on the market.”

Follow-up questions on further purchases of the A380 model by Qatar Airways were elegantly evaded, but the sense in the room was clear that an A380Neo would no doubt prompt additional orders from Doha. Fodder for thought for Airbus no doubt to consider the launch, after the hugely successful introduction of the A320Neo, of an A380Neo version to stay ahead in the market for very large aircraft instead of surrendering that segment to Boeing with their B747-8 and perhaps even larger future versions which could see an expanded upper deck of the erstwhile Jumbo Jet.

Qatar Airways presently flies to the East African airports of Entebbe and Kigali once a day using an Airbus A320. The same aircraft type also flies twice a day from Doha to Nairobi twice a day, once via Kilimanjaro to Dar es Salaam.

The airline last week in a response to a question asked during a press conference in Doha confirmed continued interest to commence flights to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, once the Kenyan government changes tack vis-a-vis traffic rights needed to make such an operation a financial success.