Boeing and Airbus may be lulled into thinking that the A320/737 market is sewed up between them. Well chaps waiting till 2015 for delivery of the next gen aircraft may not be such a wise thing.
Boeing says "It is pleased with powerplant progress", Airbus is looking for significant upgrades to the A320 but no new major improvements = translation we are not going to start work on this in earnest until we have some time to think about it.
Others are not waiting. The very anemic looking low end of both manufacturers products (A318 and B737-600) are heavy and not that efficient. As we have seen the long legs of the 737-700 may not be good enough for the type of market it serves where its bigger siblings 737-800 and -900 are really coming on strong. So Bombardier is covering the low end of this market with its new higher end C-Series aircraft. Now comes word of a new entrant today - The Russian MS-21 which will seat 150-210 seats. Designed specifically for the replacement of the TU154, TU204 as well as western types 737 classics and NGs and A320s - this could give the Western types a run for their money.
Moral of the story - dont sit on your hands too long.
Cheers
Timothy
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