Air France-KLM Chief Executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta on Monday urged aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing to speed up development of single-aisle models to help boost efficiency amid rising fuel prices.
"We want them to speed up delivery of short- to medium-haul aircraft," Spinetta told an International Air Transport Association conference in Istanbul. "The technology is there."
He said Air France-KLM was among the airlines heavily using such aircraft and would benefit from flying planes that were more fuel-efficient than current models.
Spinetta said the fuel efficiency of Airbus and Boeing single-aisle aircraft, such as the A320 and 737, had not been improved fast enough over the years.
Airbus CEO Tom Enders disagreed, saying the A320 had seen tremendous improvements in fuel efficiency over the years.
