Alcan Inc. (TSX:AL) has announced a new long-term agreement to supply Airbus with "a variety of high-performance aluminum products" for the European manufacturer's airliners.
The Montreal-based global producer did not disclose the terms of the "multi-year" contract in Wednesday's release.
The deal covers a range of products, including plate, sheet, stringer, small extrusions and tubes, for the full range of Airbus planes, including the superjumbo A380 and the new A350 XWB.
In the face of increasing use of high-technology plastic-based composite materials, "we believe that new alloys, combined with innovative design and joining techniques, will ensure that aluminum applications remain competitive for aerospace structures in the foreseeable future," stated Jean-Philippe Cael, president of Alcan's aerospace and transport operations.
At Airbus competitor Boeing, the new the 787 Dreamliner now under development will be the first full-size airliner with composite wings and fuselage. Composites will account for about half of the 787's structural weight, compared with 12 per cent for aluminum.
The Airbus deal with Alcan comes just over two years after Alcan competitor Alcoa - which is attempting to take over Alcan - declared that the first flight of A380 "took with it more new Alcoa products and solutions than any other aircraft in Alcoa's 100-plus years of aviation history."
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