SuperJumbo interest from Singapore

The new plane will be bigger than the 747

Plans to develop a new SuperJumbo have received a boost.

Airbus Industrie says that Singapore Airlines is in talks to buy up to 16 of the new A3xx planes at a cost of around $3.5bn. Ten would be firm orders, with six options.

Airbus is preparing to spend up to $12bn to develop the new generation of jumbo jets to challenge the Boeing 747.

Sleeper seats would be standard

The A3XX would be able to carry up to 650 passengers in a double-deck fuselage at distances of 8,800 miles (14,000 km).

It would set a new standard in luxury, with sleeper seats, on-board shopping and bars, and even a gym.

Looking for customers

But the company has to be sure that there are enough customers to justify beginning development by the end of this year.

"Singapore Airlines has been one of our key partners in the design of the A3XX and we are specially proud to count a carrier of this stature in our group of potential launch customers," said Noel Forgeard, chief executive officer of Toulouse-based Airbus.

Asia is considered the prime market for the new plane, with Cathy Pacific, Qantas and Japan Airlines among the other key target customers.

The new plane would ensure further work at Airbus sites throughout Europe, including BAe's Bristol plant and Dasa's Hamburg factory.

Airbus is a joint consortium including France's Aerospatiale, Germany's Deutsche Aerospace, and the UK's British Aerospace.

The UK government has said it would contribute £530m to the development costs if the project goes ahead.

Boeing sceptical

The new plane has been hugely controversial, with Boeing arguing that it is not enough demand to justify a new version of the jumbo.

But Airbus says that there is a potential market of over 1,000 planes, more than half of which are in Asia.

Airbus said that the A3XX-100, based on an entirely new design, would offer 15% to 20% lower seat operating costs compared to the Boeing's B747-400, while providing up to 35% more seats and an extra 650 km range.

Singapore Airlines currently operates a mixed fleet of 92 aircraft, including 34 Boeing 747s and 16 Airbus A340s.

The new A3XX will be priced at between $218m and $240m each.