Hexcel CEO: Next narrowbodies likely to have composite fuselages

Tom Gentile, chief executive of carbon-fibre supplier Hexcel, expects the next generation of narrowbody airliners to have composite fuselages in addition to composite wings. Speaking on 9 September at an investor conference hosted by Jefferies, Gentile said the wing question is settled. "The wing will be composite. Everybody is in complete agreement on that," he said, citing the need to reduce drag and increase lift.

For fuselages, Gentile acknowledged debate continues. "Personally, I think they will," he said. "There's still a lot of debate on that."

Airbus and Boeing are generally expected to bring new narrowbody aircraft to market in the mid-to-late 2030s. Embraer has shown some interest but has not committed to launching a new narrowbody. Both Airbus and Boeing have disclosed few details about their future aircraft. They have been studying long, thin, high-aspect-ratio wings to improve efficiency. Airbus's UpNext innovation arm is evaluating a composite high-aspect-ratio wing, and the company's Wing of Tomorrow programme plans to evaluate long wings using a modified aircraft.

Production rates are another factor. The next narrowbodies must be capable of being produced rapidly, with estimates as high as 80-100 aircraft per month for each programme.