Wide-bodies have the potential to be more ESG-friendly

Capacity isn’t the only trick up the sleeve of the wide-body, as Clark is also adamant that aircraft like the A380 have the potential to be more environmentally friendly than narrow-bodies over transcontinental routes. He would like to see Airbus equip the Emirate A380s with fuel-efficient UltraFan engines – or, even better, resume building the superjumbo using more aerodynamic materials. If the more aerodynamic A380 is full to its capacity and packing an UltraFan, estimates Clark, it has the potential to be 25 percent more fuel-efficient than a narrow-body.

Not only would cutting emission/passenger rates be a boost for airlines’ ESG efforts, but also save them operating costs and help them to achieve greater profitability. Many wide-bodies have engines that are far more fuel-efficient than narrow-bodies built before 2010 – the year in which the impact of Latest Generation fuel-efficient narrow-bodies, which according to 2024 figures account for 30 percent of the global fleet, really starts to kick in.

Also the usage of wide-bodies reduces the total flight frequency, easing both congestion and noise levels at airports. But to accomplish this, they must be as full to capacity as possible.

Winning over the key players in aviation

Only then will wide wide-bodies start to win over the key players in the aviation world.

As things stand, from the perspective of the OEMs, narrow-bodies are quicker to produce – crucial at a time when the fleet expansion demand is high – and less expensive, which yields a quicker return on investment.

From the perspective of the airlines, the same applies: in theory, they should be able to obtain narrow-bodies quicker and take less of a risk with their investment – the pandemic has already demonstrated that the unthinkable can happen. But wide-bodies do offer more capacity, and they will need it in the not-too-distant future.

From the perspective of the airports, wide-bodies aren't for all air hubs, as they require longer, more durable runways and bigger gates, but they do bring lots of passengers to the airport (often with time to kill on transfers), who are good for business.

From a global logistics perspective, more wide-bodies makes good sense, as the demand is there – particularly due to the recent resurgence of e-commerce.

And from the regulators’ perspective, if wide-bodies can make a habit of out-performing narrow-bodies in terms of their environmental performance, then the legislation could start shifting in their favour.

If sustainability becomes not just a regulatory hurdle but a competitive differentiator, the OEMs and airlines might have to change their priorities.

Now the passenger number gauge is level again, airlines can resume ‘up-gauging’

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OEMs are not prioritising new models for wide-bodies, but should they be?