Will Airbus Launch a New Airliner to Compete with Boeing's 777?

"Boeing's larger 400-seat twin-engine airliners enter a very lucrative market of which Airbus has no offerings" writes Guy Norris, senior editor for Aviation Week. 

Is something in the works?  Industry experts say yes.

Norris writes, "However, any new product development initiative within Airbus faces extremely high hurdles. CEO Fabrice Bregier has sent a clear message to management that 'we need to focus on incremental improvement of our products,' rather than going for all-new concepts."

Yet "one senior aerospace executive says he is convinced that 'Airbus will eventually conclude they need a new aircraft family,'" Norris writes. 

Read more about the rivalry on IndustryWeek's sister site, Aviation Week.