Posted on 04/05/2005 8:11:26 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
SEATTLE, April 5 (Reuters) - Boeing Co. (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) has made sales proposals to airlines for its 787 Dreamliner jet which could add up to 600 new sales for its first all-new airplane in over a decade, the executive overseeing it said on Tuesday.
"We're still juggling 40 proposals not counting the ones we've announced, and over 600 airplanes, which is phenomenal," said Mike Bair, vice president at Boeing's commercial airplanes unit and general manager of the 787 program.
"If the yield on that is 50 percent, it's still huge," he said.
The 600 planes in which airlines have expressed interest include 250 on which Boeing has actually secured refundable deposits, which ensure the airlines a place in the delivery schedule during negotiations.
Despite the large number, Boeing has only announced 193 orders for the plane so far, falling short of a target of 200 the Chicago-based planemaker set for itself by the end of last year.
Bair said that despite stiff competition from European rival Airbus (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) (BA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) , which in recent years has pulled ahead of Boeing in overall jet orders and deliveries, the No. 1 U.S. exporter remains optimistic about its newest plane.
"You're going to see a fair amount of news in the near future," he said. "Things are going well."
Airbus is believed by many analysts to have dampened some airlines' enthusiasm about the 223 to 259 passenger Dreamliner when it announced preliminary planning on a competing plane, the A350.
Bair spoke during a presentation to the media on the 787 plane, which the aerospace and defense company claims is 30 percent more fuel efficient than its closest competitor on the market, the Airbus 330-200.
While the A350, which will use the same engines as the 787, will trim that efficiency gap, "we still have a pretty dramatic advantage," Bair said.
Airlines, many of which are struggling to contain record losses amid surging fuel prices, would like to see even more operating efficiencies from the 787, Bair acknowledged.
But he said there was little room for further savings from the plane, which will be lighter than competing planes largely because of the composite materials which replace aluminum on much of the plane's wing and fuselage.
Bair acknowledged that the plane's final design, due to be unveiled later this month, will look more traditional than early renderings featuring a shark-like curved tail fin and large, sloping front cabin windows.
Still, he said, "It's going to be a very distinct looking airplane."
The jetliner's passenger windows are some 50 percent larger than those in existing commercial aircraft, an innovation the developers say is only possible because of the extensive use of composites.
The 787 Dreamliner is the linchpin of Boeing's bet that airlines will mainly want smaller planes for point-to-point travel between regional airports rather than for Airbus' double-decker A380 superjumbo, which would bring larger numbers of passengers into "hub" style airports.
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I do not want to be off of the ping list, but as a private pilot, this really does not interest me.
Dang, I LIKED the looks of the earlier renderings.
Good. I would bag on Old Europe but we are older than all their whigs anyway.
So, Boeing's new airplane is a size that the airlines can use, and will offer substantial fuel savings.
Perhaps in their marketing of the A350, Airbus will offer customers their choice of an A380 or a free toaster.
.
This was why Boeing had to redesign the 707's vertical tail fin to be taller so the plane had less tendency to Dutch roll during turns.
"Dutch roll"-- a feature of Fokker designs? :-)
Why the hell would people want to have to add 3 hours per connecting flight just to get to and from airports that fly A380s? I'd rather be able to fly more directly to my destination. And what's so efficient about such huge planes anyway. How many connecting 737 or 767 flights are necessary to funnel passengers to them? Airbus' ideal for air travel is for everyone to fly to huge hubs where they'll then transfer to a few A380s. Ever seen JFK at rush hour? That's what they'd like. Imagine having to wait behind 20 or 30 A380s in order to taxi to take off.
Think about loading/unloading 20 or 30 of those things all within the space of a few minutes.
If Boeing decides to close down the commercial 767 line, and move it elsewhere for military production, I wonder if they would offer the choice of the modified 787 engines that will be developed for the A350, for use on a KC-767 or the E-10? Considering that those planes will last well into the middle of this century wouldn't it make sense to get an engine that will be supported for a long time to come?
The 76' is done as a passenger craft. The 787 was a wise decision made despite Stonecipher's ambivalence about it (it was in the planning stages back in the Condit days).
Tell me about it. My first transoceanic trip was in 1976. At that time there were no flights to Europe from Texas so we had to fly from CRP to IAH to JFK to LHR. I swear we had to wait behind 20 or 30 747s after we left the gate. The lines for customs at Hearhrow were pretty long. The lines at JFK when we returned were even worse. It's a lot easier to fly directly from DFW or IAH.
I'm glad Stonecipher's gone. He's already burried one aircraft manufacturer.
I thought the narrower diameter made it less desirable than the A-300F.
The WORST legacy of the merger with Douglas was management's decision to keep the finance arm as a part of Boeing, IMHO.
Its the logical follow on to the 767, but until its in the air and its performance is known, I wouldn't throw a party!
Think about all the screaming babies!
The 380 has its place and its niche, I don't see the 787 as its competition. The A350 is the competitor, ATW this month has the 787/A350 war as its cover story.
BTW, I saw some frightening planes in Thailand recently, Phuket Airlines with 737-200's with the longwave antenna strung from the tail to the cockpit, decrepit 747-200's flying to London, and, I swear to god, YS-11's in service.
Remember the name, they are the next disaster. (They also are flying a few MetroJet 737's with the red/black color scheme, they were too cheap to repaint)
What's really sickening is how the EU threatened to increase tariffs on shrimp from Thailand if Thailand did not order 8 A-380s. If that isn't a case for the WTO, I don't know what is.
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