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Speculation surrounds possible Airbus A360 but company shows no sign of developing model

Speculation surrounds possible Airbus A360 but company shows no sign of developing model
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Guillaume Faury, CEO | Airbus

As speculation continues among aviation enthusiasts about the possibility of an Airbus A360, there is no official confirmation or evidence from Airbus that such a model exists or is under development. The designation has appeared in online discussions and fictional wikis, with some imagining it as a midsize widebody to rival Boeing's 787 or as a futuristic hydrogen-powered jet. However, as of 2025, Airbus has not announced any aircraft under the A360 name.

The absence of both the A360 and A370 in Airbus’s commercial aircraft lineup has fueled theories about whether these numbers are being reserved for future designs or branding flexibility. Unlike Boeing’s more sequential approach to naming jets, Airbus has used a flexible numbering system, sometimes skipping designations. For example, after the A350 came the double-decker A380, bypassing intermediate numbers.

There are several reasons why these numbers may have been skipped. When launching the A380, Airbus wanted to highlight its capacity leap over previous models—the aircraft could carry nearly twice as many passengers as the A340—and chose "A380" partly because the number eight holds significance in Chinese culture. This strategy was intended to appeal to China’s growing aviation market.

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Airbus has historically left gaps in its naming sequence and later reused them for new projects; for instance, it adopted "A220" after acquiring Bombardier's C-Series program. As such, if needed in the future, unused names like A360 remain available.

Developing an entirely new aircraft would require significant investment—often $10–15 billion per program—and involves risks related to uncertain market demand and long certification times. Market trends currently favor smaller single-aisle jets over larger widebodies; airlines such as Delta Air Lines prioritize narrowbody models like the A321neo due to shifting passenger preferences toward point-to-point travel and higher flight frequencies.

Technological advancements and regulatory pressures also influence decisions on new models. With aviation aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, investments focus on sustainable technology like hybrid-electric systems and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). While some envision a potential A360 as hydrogen-powered or incorporating next-generation aerodynamics, current research suggests such technologies will not be ready until at least 2035.

For now, Airbus's main priorities include improving existing families—such as upgrades to the A350—and pursuing zero-emissions concepts through initiatives like its ZEROe project. This effort aims to deliver a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035 but focuses mainly on regional and narrowbody segments rather than large widebodies.

Ultimately, while enthusiasts continue to speculate about what an "A360" could be or when it might appear, there are no indications that Airbus plans to introduce this model soon. The missing designation remains more of an imagined concept than part of any confirmed roadmap.

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