Post updated Friday at 11:10 a.m.
When it comes to commercial airplane sales, Airbus (AIR) has been eating Boeing’s (BA)lunch lately.
But according to a report Friday in the Nikkei Asian Review, a trio of Japanese conglomerates wants to ride to the rescue, with a revenue and risk sharing plan to help the Seattle-based company build the successor to Boeing’s 737 Max series, set to debut in 2017.
“The plan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries would have each partner contribute part of the development and commercial production costs for the aircraft,” according to the report. “The trio would split profit from the project with Boeing in proportion to each’s investment, thereby taking on part of the risk of revenue shifts.”
The three companies are subcontractors on Boeing’s latest model, the 787, but this proposal would differ because the companies would be taking on both higher risk and potential for higher profit, rather than simply building parts for a specified price.
When reached for comment, a Boeing spokesperson said that the report was “purely speculative and untrue.”
This post was updated to include comments from a Boeing spokesperson.