The Airbus passenger airliners in the A320 family are true best-sellers and have become favourites with budget airlines. For Saab Aerostructures, which produces ailerons for the aircraft, this success means a stable source of income. A contract was recently signed with Airbus to produce an improved aileron developed by Saab Aerostructures.
“The A320 has been so successful in recent years because it’s ideal for budget airlines. The airliner is perfect for flights of around 1,500-2,000 kilometres, which suits budget airlines as they often operate those kinds of distances,” explains Magnus Falk, sales and marketing director for Airbus at Saab Aerostructures.
Constantly seeking price cuts
Budget airlines have enjoyed great success in recent years. As a result, air passengers today place increasing demands on lower ticket prices, which is also affecting aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers. Cheap tickets call for aircraft that are less expensive to operate, which in turn places demands on less costly constructions.
“The commercial aviation industry is constantly seeking price cuts. That’s the way the commercial industry works. If our prices aren’t regarded as competitive, we soon know about it. We have to constantly reduce costs to stay competitive with lower cost countries,” explains Magnus.
Considerably cheaper
In light of this constant price pressure, it is not hard to understand why Airbus opted for Saab Aerostructures’ solution, which reduced costs for the aileron by 25 per cent. The new aileron is considerably cheaper, more production-friendly and more technically advanced than the previous version. The aileron looks identical to the old one, and the weight and performance are the same. There are, however, many differences between the new and old ailerons. For example the number of parts has now been halved, which means a far quicker throughput in composite production and assembly.
“We’ve focused on making the aileron easier to produce. The design has been governed by production,” explains Magnus.
Magnus also stresses that the contract is important for future business.
“Needless to say, if at some stage a new single-aisle aircraft comes along, we’ll be in the running. We have a clear idea of which products we want to be involved in, and we’re now positioning ourselves for those. This design shows we have the right capabilities and technologies and that we can cut prices through an innovative approach.”
Back to CNB 3/2006