Posted on 04/16/2015 5:02:39 AM PDT by C19fan
The jumbo jet, for many years the workhorse of modern air travel, could be close to running out of runway.
Last year, there were zero orders placed by commercial airlines for new Boeing 747s or Airbus A380s, reflecting a fundamental shift in the industry toward smaller, twin-engine planes. Smaller planes cost less to fly than the stately, four-engine jumbos, which can carry as many as 525 passengers.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Slightly less dramatic (”a make or break year”) story here:
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-trimming-production-rate-of-747-8/
If Boeing has a backlog of 527 orders for the 787..why not shut down the 747 line, and retool it to make the 787?
That would mean building more 787s in Washington State, right?
I thought Boeing was trying to shift as much 787 work as possible to the new plant in South Carolina, due to Union-related issues.
There’s been some speculation that the last 747s built will be -800 based replacements for the current -200 based VC-25As (Air Force Ones).
Not the 787, the 777 - which is exactly the right aircraft for international airlines. Big enough, efficient enough, and luxurious enough. The 777 has been a huge winner for Boeing, and the 747’s death was predestined the day the 777 went into service. It has held on longer than I expected.
Because they have 39 remaining orders for 747s that they have to fill.
Thanks...my typo...
I think the backlog is not necessarily the number of planes past due for delivery this year, but the total number of planes due today and in out years.
If I ran an airline I might only want x number of 787s this year, y in 2016 and z in 2017. For Gamecock Air x+y+z=my contribution to the Boeing back log.
They do have some planes past due, but a lot of that is supply chain issues along with lingering repercussions from early production issues. They have some planes ready for delivery to American Airlines parked out in the desert waiting for new business class seats to be delivered by the manufacturer.
Most contracts have cancellation clauses,,for both parties...and I suspect that most of the 39 orders aren’t FIRM...uncancellable..
I love the look of the 747, but when I am riding in steerage the 777 has a more spacious feeling, just because of the increased head room plus larger overhead bins than the back of a 747.
But when riding in a premium seat you can’t beat sitting upstairs on a 747. Feels like a much smaller plane and it is oh so quiet!
The 787 is built very differently than a 747. Also most of it is built at a lot of subcontractor locations. This makes ramping up that pipeline rather complicated.
Which would be better than Boeing will ever see with their redesigned 747-8.
The 747 has been in use since 1970.
That’s 45 years!
It is an extremely expensive and long process to retool aircraft assembly. It would take longer to retool than it would to just wait out for the new orders.
(recovering aircraft engineer here)
Ah, thanks....
Every order has an out. But the customer has to cancel them, not Boeing.
Boeing did a good job of forecasting this 10 years in advance
Oh there is an out I am sure, but I am sure Boeing will still get a very very big check if an existing order cancels.
Everyone predicted the Airbus 380 would be an expensive failure - and its pretty much happening as predicted.
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