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(CNN) -- The next generation of passenger jets from the world's biggest airplane manufacturers will soon be coming off the production line.
With passenger traffic returning to pre-Sept. 11, 2001 levels, Boeing and Airbus hope that airlines will be signing up for their respective new planes in the years ahead.
The battle stands between Boeing's mid-sized Dreamliner 7E7 aircraft and the larger Airbus' A380.
But the long-standing rivalry now has extra impetus as the transatlantic rivals swap accusations over unfair government subsidies -- a row that recently reached the World Trade Organization. (Full story)
Airbus CEO Noel Forgeard has also confirmed that his firm is discussing a new plane -- dubbed the A350 -- to compete head-on with Boeing's Dreamliner, based on technologies developed for its A380 jet.
Even though the Airbus A380 super-jumbo does not start flying until 2006, and the Dreamliner 7E7 two years later, orders are already rolling in for both aircraft.
Air France, Emirates, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines have all placed orders for the A380 super-jumbo. Air New Zealand, ANA, UK's First Choice and Italy's Blue Panorama have signed up for the Dreamliner.
Boeing's mid-sized 7E7 plane is capable of flying to more destinations, frequently and with the capacity for up to 300 passengers.
"It is going to be a real workhorse for airlines," Kieran Daly from Flight International magazine told CNN.
The A380 is a 555-seat airplane and will have fewer flights a day.
"It is very much bigger than what we have at the minute. It is clearly going to be a different experience for the passenger," says Daly.
"The vast majority of flights (for the A380) will be on a dozen or so heavily travelled routes typically in Asia, where enormous numbers of people need to be moved."
As some airlines pull out of the travel slump, the question of rising fuel costs and fuel efficiency still remains. It helps that Boeing's 7E7 is 20 percent more fuel-efficient than older models, while the A380 has the advantage of carrying more people.
"The A380 burns a lot less fuel than any other airplane on the seat per mile cost, so it is very favorable," says Forgeard.
"An aircraft manufacturer does not sell weight -- they sell performance. The performance is a combination of the weight, fuel consumption and aerodynamics."
The new planes also rely on a greater use of composite materials rather than conventional aluminium.
The cabins could also be less pressurised. This should mean less fatigue, dehydration and headaches for passengers.
Both airlines have talked about more space for flyers -- so they can move around, relax in larger seats or talk at an in-flight bar, though analysts believe this is unlikely.
"They have to fill the aircraft with what it was designed for -- that is carrying passengers. They are expensive investments," says Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax Research, a flight market research firm.
"They are going to have to justify that investment, so first and foremost it is about seating capacity."
-- CNN's Richard Quest and Leone Lakhani contributed to this report
