BrandHistories
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Airbus
Airbus's initial response to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner announcement was to propose an A330 derivative rather than a clean-sheet design, delaying by several years the A350 program that would ultimately become a competitive product. The A330-based A350 proposal was rejected by key airlines including Qantas, Lufthansa, and Emirates as insufficiently advanced relative to the 787's composite-intensive design. Airbus was forced to restart the A350 program as a clean-sheet design — the right decision ultimately — but the delay allowed the 787 to accumulate a significant order lead and establish strong operator relationships that the A350 has taken years to address.