European aircraft manufacturer Airbus says local carrier South African Airways (SAA) will need to move faster if it wants to order Airbus’ most modern jetliner, the A350 XWB.

Airlines from around the world, including British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Air France, have already placed a total of 700 orders for the new aircraft. The first delivery will be made to Qatar Airways by the second half of next year.

SAA still needs to make a decision on whether or not to order the Airbus A350 and is presently deciding between the Boeing 787 and the A350.

Reuters on Monday quoted SAA acting CEO Nico Bezuidenhout as saying that the carrier would spend between $4-billion and $7-billion on 25 to 30 new long-haul aircraft and that it was mostly looking at the Boeing 787 and the A350.

“There’s a huge demand for this aircraft, as it’s a real game-changer. We’re pushing SAA to move faster, as we have a limited production capacity,” Airbus Africa VP of sales Hadi Akoum told journalists in Cape Town.

He said that if SAA ordered now, Airbus could only deliver the A350 aircraft in 2020 because of its mounting order book; however, SAA may be able to lease the A350 by 2016.

Among African airlines, Ethiopian Airlines had already ordered 12 A350’s with Afriqiyah Airways having ordered ten, Libyan Airlines four and Tunisair three.

Airbus media relations VP Stefan Schaffrath said Airbus was considering adding another module to its assembly line in Toulouse, France, to help cope with the demand. 

The A350 is a twin-engine long-haul jetliner with between 250 and 375 seats. Airbus says the aircraft has been engineered to use 25% less fuel and provide an equivalent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Production of the first A350 XWB began last year ahead of its flight test and certification programme.

Akoum said the Airbus 350 was ideally suited to emerging and high-density routes and would be able to fly for 15 to 16 hours nonstop. He considers it an excellent performer for high-altitude airports in hot climates, such as Johannesburg, where a particularly powerful engine is needed for take-off.

SAA already has a fairly extensive Airbus fleet. In February 2011, SAA began operating the Airbus A330-200. It had bought six of the jetliners to replace six leased A340-200s.

Schaffrath said Airbus viewed Africa as an exciting market, with great potential, adding that eight of the 20 biggest growth routes were connections with Africa.

Airbus has added 12 African and Indian Ocean airlines to its regional operators base since 2011. There are 190 Airbus aircraft in service with 25 carriers in the region.