Siblings But Not Brothers… The Sublime Rivalry Between the A320 & The B737
“How many hours was your longest flight?” — “How many times have you got into an airplane in your life?” — “How many times have you faced severe turbulence?” — “How many times were you scared to hell while flying?” — “How many” — “How many” — “How many”…???
Those are some of the most common questions raised by travelers, no matter frequent, regular or just some once in a year ones, people tend always to focus on numbers of times an experience has been accomplished or faced while air bone. Very few are the occasions in which questions related to the plane itself are brought up for a discussion, questions about dynamics, wing tips, overall design, etc…. Believe it or not, there is a portion of people in the globe who will shed the light on plane as a being rather than as a way of travel.
My name is Ibrahim Charanek, I am considered a somehow a regular traveler (around a flight every two weeks). I have reached a stage in which the airplane type is a priority over timing and other travel factors to consider. Due to the nature of both my work and travel purposes, most of those flights tend to be short range flights with single aisle aircraft over the vast region of the Arab gulf and other areas of the middle east.
The region I cover is usually being flew by airbus birds, it was till 2016 that the Boeing 737 entered my experience field. Since the time I got into the B737 I was focusing on minor differences, as a customer I will usually focus on the beginning on the details around me, my mind was overwhelmed working to understand why each manufacturer had its own way to deliver the same outcome. One of the things that dragged my attention as soon as I sat was the air conditioning vent; in an A320, it is projected out of the planes upper frame in a knob-form where you can turn them on and off by rotating it, while on the B737 it was the same working principle however they are flat in reference to the upper frame.
Such kind of details led me furthermore into considering which airplane to choose if I had the luxury to do so while choosing my flights. Airbus being a European manufacturer and Boeing an American one initiated the start of a deep look inside each of the two giants.
For some reason, the B737’s were more popular and cheaper than its competitors, the A320’s. Despite the fact that on my region the A320’s are most widely operated, it turned out that the 737’s had way more sales on their books. Many bloggers and aviation fans jump into conclusions that the B737’s are better as numbers can speak for themselves (they refer to the higher sale numbers on Boeing books). For me, as an engineer with a operational background, I was not convinced.
A Flashback…
The A320’s first commercial flight was registered on 22 of February 1987, way later than the first B737 took of into commercial service (9 of April 1967), just two decades as a gap…
Zooming out from the overall picture, can you really believe that an airplane that was dominating the skies since the 1960’s is being threatened by another one that just appeared 20 years later? how could it be possible? the A320 must have introduced something new, something special, the European touch. Just for the record the A320 is the second most sold single aisle aircraft worldwide after the B737.
From a passenger perspective they are very similar, considering that the B737's are by nature holding a smaller fuselage that the A320's. Both airplanes are twin engine operated with not much of a difference in fuel consumption. So what was it? there must be a triggering point.
The Spot…
Due to the gap in the manufacturing dates, The A320’s were first launched to compete with the second generation of the B737’s. The Europeans introduced an airplane that looked more appealing and attractive offering even a slightly higher cruising speed. While the B737’s were still working on analogue displays for flying instruments, the A320’s had fully computerized screens which made flying more interactive and easier to handle.
Perhaps one of the more unique characteristics of the A320 was the side stick that replaced the Boeing yoke, for the first time pilots were flying an airplane using a stick that provided a game sensation together with more space in the cabin as the yoke was no more obstructing the pilot’s legs. Beside that the A320’s also introduced the fly by wire system in which mechanical actuators were replaced by electric signals triggered by the pilot commands in the cockpit, this meant a lot of reduction in operating costs together with a surveillance system on the pilot’s inputs that prevented movements that may jeopardise the aircraft. Automated trim, pilot assistance systems, and so many simple touches considered in the design of the A320 were enough to push it on the leading airplane manufacturers within a very short time frame.
The competition was on and on, and both manufacturers started bargaining on what they could do best. They started pulling the rope against each other using arguments based on longest route vs. maximum number of passengers per flight. Price also played a major important role, it is clear how low cost carriers always prefer to deal with the B737’s more than the A320's.
It Is Not About What You Have Done…. It Is About What You Do….
Airbus was playing hard, they actually managed to shake Boeing’s R&D by launching the A320neo program on the 1st of December 2010, they offered a plane with bigger engines and a less weight fuselage made up of composites (a lighter and stronger metal) which provided fuel efficiency and more economical operational costs.
Rushed to catch up with the high demand on such type of aircraft, it took Boeing almost a year to reply back and get on track, by August 30, 2011 Boeing was doing a replica of the A320neo on their 737’s, they named it the 737 Max. The single aisle planes are considered the cash-cows for the plane manufacturers, by offering now fuel efficient solutions both giants were again on the run.
Again, and despite the year difference on both designs, Boeing was able to recover from the lag and get in the lead by selling large numbers of 737 Max’s.
The Boom
By late 2018 and beginning 2019 Boeing suffered an impact by witnessing two crashes with surprising and extremely similar circumstances (Ethiopian flight 302 and Lion air 602). Both planes were less than a year old and crashed shortly after take off claiming life of all passengers on board.
Investigations suggested that a system called MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System) was relying on a single sensor that caused the catastrophe after the sensor was feeding the computers with wrong data. Moreover the MCAS was new and not present on any other previous 737 generation (due to technicalities during 737 Max designing, the MCAS had to be added). Pilots were not told there was an MCAS system on the plane. Boeing was so busy selling that they missed out telling about the system. They only recommended a several hours Ipad course for pilots piloting the 737–800 to upgrade to the 737 Max license.
Several questions were raised against Boeing and a huge media attack was launched against the firm. Comments accusing Boeing for jeopardizing safety to catch up with the A320 neo’s were among the top heard. Boeing immediately stopped production of the plane. Not only Boeing was affected, but also the FAA for allowing the plane to fly with an airplane relying on a single sensor.
The 737 Max was globally grounded on March 2019 causing loses to airlines and passengers due to flight cancellations. Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg initiated a huge campaign on media (specially social media) to regain the trust of both airlines and passengers, but no matter what he does, he will not be able to return the life of the 300 plus persons who died on both accidents.
While accusations are still going on and on, Boeing is still optimistic that the FAA will allow the 737 Max to fly again by end 2019; the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will run its own tests on the plane before approving a return to commercial flights as well once the FAA finishes validation of the plane.
What Comes Next???
Boeing got a hit, a big one, instead of focusing on innovation, all Boeing resources are now focused on bringing the cash-cow (737 Max) back in the air. Airbus is taking advantage by increasing sales on the A320 neo and even launching new lines of business.
The A220, which is the result of a joint business venture between Airbus Canada and the Canadian manufacturer Bombardier C series, has definitely left Boeing hand-tight and severely injured in the field of regional single aisle airplanes.
Not to mention the Russian made the Irkut MS-21 with similar competitive characteristics, beside that the Chinese made “Comac” on the same line as well.
Will Boeing recover from this dump easily? Will Boeing respond to the A220 by launching a new craft? Can we really trust Boeing they will not repeat the 737 Max story on future designs?
Once you get into an airplane, make sure to look into the safety sheet just in front of you, if you see a 737 Max, will you feel safe during your flight?
Going back to my question, if I had the money to buy my private jet…. Which one shall it be??? By that time I am sure that there will be a new player on the aviation market that will convince me…. For a nation to raise, some other must fall…
