SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines has become the second key Airbus customer to say that the European company has not done enough to make its planned A350 plane competitive with Boeing Co."s 787 Dreamliner, the Wall Street Journal said.

The chief executive of Singapore Airlines, which is in the midst of deciding which manufacturer will win a multibillion-dollar order, said he believes that Airbus should have countered Boeing (Research)"s proposed new fuel-efficient airplane with an all-new airplane of its own, the newspaper reported on its Web site this weekend.

His comments are adding to increasing pressure on Airbus to return to the drawing board at a time when the manufacturer is already facing delays on its double-decker A380 airplane programme and slumping sales of its four-engine A340.

Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of Singapore Airlines, said in an interview in Zurich that he believes that "having gone to the trouble of designing a new wing, tail, cockpit" and adding advanced new materials, Airbus "should have gone the whole hog and designed a new fuselage."

Singapore Airlines expects in early May to announce a major order for widebody jetliners. Chew"s comments carry great weight in the industry because Singapore is a prized customer for both manufacturers.