If you are an airline and looking for new mid-range wide-bodied equipment for the future you really don”t have much option. You can go Airbus A350 XWB (or not XWB ” Airbus can”t make up their mind whether to use the suffix or dispense with it) or Boeing 787 which has also attracted an add-on ” ”Dreamliner.”
In fact the choice is far more complex and the correct call may make the difference to the success or failure of your airline.
Take the Boeing product first. It is the lead aircraft in terms of roll-out (Sunday 8 July 2007), first flight (sometime in September) and delivery/airline service, set for June 2008 with the Japanese carrier, ANA. In terms of orders, with the nonsense and showmanship of the Paris Air Show behind us, these stand at a phenomenal 634 from 45 customers, easily a record for a new commercial aircraft that has yet to take to the skies.
The wide-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the world”s first 21st century aircraft and is more economical, quieter and ”greener” than anything that has come before. From a passenger point of view it will be far more comfortable with much larger windows, the air pressure set at 6,000ft, lower than previously and said to be hardly noticeable from sea level.
On offer are three 787 models. The 787-8 Dreamliner will carry 210-250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200nm (14,200 to 15,200km), while the 787-9 Dreamliner has space for 250-290 passengers on stage lengths of 8,000 to 8,500nm (14,800 to 15,750km). A third 787 family member, the 787-3, will accommodate 290-330 passengers and is essentially for routes in the 2,500 to 3,000nm range (4,600 to 5,650km). A very long range version, tentatively called the dash 10, could fly non-stop London ” Sydney, the last great challenge for the airlines.
The aircraft was initially publicly priced at $120m per unit but the largest dash nine version is now listed at $175m/$188m. Boeing will charge you plenty if you want the cabin ceiling to look like the stars at night during the hours of darkness on board, but at the same time will negotiate a hefty discount depending on production slot availability and your relationship with the manufacturer.
With new seats and interior, and well thought out ergonomics, once on board, passengers will instantly see vast improvements, particularly compared to the 1970s 767, which it effectively replaces. Economy class passengers with most airlines will be accommodated 2+4+2, meaning you are only one seat from the aisle at worst. It will also be the first major airliner to use composite material for most of its construction.
One needs to take a look at Airbus” history to see where the Toulouse-centred company is coming from. The A300 made its maiden flight in 1972 as the world”s first wide-bodied twin-engined aircraft. Using fundamentally the same fuselage cross section this evolved firstly into the A310 and later the A330/340 series.
The twin-engined A330 and its four-motor sister the A340, have been successful in terms of production numbers but were essentially a compromise, neither one nor the other in a structural sense. Comfortable aircraft they have sold well, but nobody knows the discounts offered, and certainly the big influx of recent orders must be influenced by the need by Airbus to keep the production lines open until the A350 arrives.
The smaller single aisle A320 series has been a big success. Just shy of 5,100 have been ordered to date with around 3,000 in service.
The A350 concept was a replacement for the A330 and Boeing 767, the same market as the 787. Once again the A300 cross section was to be used, but potential customers rebelled, Airbus had other problems to think about with the A380, and finally under new EADS direction, the A350 XWB has evolved.
Rather like the A320, it is just that little bit wider (5”/12cm) than its Boeing competitor (although not so noticeable with the larger fuselage) and again like the narrow-bodied aircraft, arrives much later.
The A350 will come in five variants:
” A350-800 ” A 270-seat aircraft (in three-class layout, Boeing 787-9 competitor) to enter service in mid-2014.
” A350-900 ” A 314-seat aircraft (in three-class layout, Boeing 777-200ER & 787-10 competitor ” 2013).
” A350-1000 ” A 350-seat aircraft (in three-class layout, Boeing 777-300ER competitor) due mid-2015.
” A350-900R ” Ultra-long-range version (Boeing 777-200LR competitor) for 2016.
” A350-900F ” Freighter (Boeing 777F competitor) to enter service around 2017.
By 2013 (and Airbus has always been late in this area) the 787 would have been five years in airline service, well bedded down, and knowing Boeing, well sorted.
The A350 is still something of a compromise, attempting to cover all markets. Boeing splits its efforts between the Dreamliner and the 777. The A350 is claimed to be even more economical than the 787.
Passenger-wise, the Airbus A350 will have the latest ”toys” and whilst not copying, certainly picking up the best that the aerospace industry has offered Boeing in terms of engines, avionics, serviceability and cabin amenities. It will be some aeroplane.
Will the A350 succeed? ABTN believes it will. It has to for the sake of the European commercial aircraft industry.