Dealing with setback after setback, Boeing has been hard at work getting the 777X ready
to enter service.
But the giant aircraft with its iconic folding wingtips will have to outpace its nearest
competitor, the Airbus A350, if it is to gain market share.
So which one is better?
Let's take a look.
The Boeing 777X is the world's largest twinjet ever built.
Its enormous engines and unprecedented wingspan promise to bring unbeatable fuel efficiency,
and usher in a new era of high capacity, long-range flying.
Although it has now taken flight, it won't arrive with airlines until around 2025.
That’s the plan for now but things could always change for the better or worse between
now and then…
Over at Airbus, the A350 is now the largest widebody aircraft built by the European plane
maker as the A380 has ended production.
Manufactured using advanced composite materials, it's the lightest widebody in current production
and Airbus says this leads to 25% lower operating costs and a quieter, more efficient operation.
The Boeing 777X, although progressing nicely through its testing schedule, has not yet
been delivered to any airlines.
On the other side, the Airbus A350 has been in use since 2015, and there are at least
480 units of the type with operators around the world.
The 777X is initially being developed as the 777-9, although Boeing does have plans for
a smaller 777-8 version further down the line.
Notably, the likes of Qatar Airways and Lufthansa are gearing up to receive the 777-8 Freighter.
There are also vague plans to stretch the fuselage for a 777-10X if there is enough
demand in the future.
But this is a big ‘if.’
The A350 is available in two flavors - the A350-900 and the A350-1000.
The Airbus A350-900 entered service in January 2015 with Qatar Airways.
Its bigger brother, the A350-1000, took its first revenue flight on February 24th, 2018,
with Qatar Airways also the launch customer.
Since then, the type has been delivered to airlines around the world with Qatar Airways,
Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific among the biggest operators.
As you can see from recent figures here, the A350 program has received a total of 930 orders.
362 have been delivered, most of which are the smaller -900 type.
The Airbus A350 Freighter has also been garnering attention, with 22 units ordered for the model
so far.
Boeing’s latest figures show that 375 777Xs have been ordered to date but this may not
be fully accurate as some airlines, such as Emirates, have swapped 777X orders for other
aircraft and the company not adjusting these figures in their reporting.
So in terms of which has achieved the most orders, the A350 is the winner.
However, this is obviously a very unfair comparison, as it has been offered for sale for far longer
overall, and has, therefore, had more time to acquire significant orders.
Both the A350 and the 777X have some incredible, next-generation technology on board.
The 777X will be the largest twin-engine jet aircraft in the world.
Building on the success of its predecessor, the 777, and employing some of the advancements
seen in the Boeing 787, its Boeing's most ambitious aircraft to date.
Some of the key improvements include:
Composite wings: Resulting in the biggest wingspan of any commercial passenger aircraft.
Folding tips: Allowing it to access more airports.
The biggest engines: The giant GE9X engines are the biggest aircraft engines in the world,
and the most efficient, making use of composite fan blade technology for more power and lower
fuel burn.
And cabin comforts.
Inspired by the Dreamliner, the 777X cabin will be wider, with large windows, optimized
pressurization, mood lighting and improved architecture for a more comfortable experience.
Coming out years ahead of the 777X, the A350 pushed the boundaries of its time with technologies
on board.
The jet features…
Lightweight construction: Made from 53% composite materials, which are lighter and more durable
than traditional aluminum.
Adaptive wings: Taking inspiration from nature, the A350's wings actually 'flap' while in
flight.
Quiet engines: Its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines are quieter and more fuel-efficient than its
current competitors.
Aerodynamic efficiency: Like the 777X, Airbus worked to make the A350 as aerodynamic as
possible.
This was achieved using computational fluid dynamics.
And cabin comforts: Advanced air conditioning and mood lighting, and intelligent pressurization
work together to reduce jetlag.
Straighter sidewalls, and a wider cabin body also contribute to a comfortable passenger
experience.
In terms of size, the 777X is the larger of the two.
In a typical two-class configuration, the A350 seats between 315 and 369 passengers.
The maximum capacity for the two variants, the -900 and the -1000, is 440 and 480, respectively.
The 777-9, although not yet proven through commercial service, is pitched by Boeing to
seat 426 in a two-class configuration.
There's no maximum passenger capacity published yet, but it's sure to be greater than the
A350.
In terms of layout, the A350 typically sports a nine abreast configuration in economy, with
a usual 18-inch width for each passenger.
However, some airlines have squeezed in a 10th seat, reducing width to a cozy 16.5 inches
per seat.
The 777X will have 10 abreast in the typical economy class layout.
This is the same as the existing 777, but the broader cabin of the 777X should allow
for a more comfortable ride.
In terms of cargo, the A350-1000 has a payload of 68 tons and a capacity of 44 LD3 containers.
The smaller -900 has a payload of 53.3 tons and a capacity of 36 LD3 containers.
To compare, the 777-9 will have a cargo capacity of 48 LD3 containers.
However, its payload has not yet been published.
Another key figure to compare is the maximum takeoff weight, or M.T.O.W.
This is something Airbus had an issue with in regard to the A380; the plane was so heavy
that its MTOW was exceeded before the available cargo space was filled; hence it was never
built as a freighter variant.
For the 777-9, the MTOW has been pitched at 775,000 lb, while Airbus has 617,295 lb for
the -900 and 696,661 lb for the -1000.
However, it's important to recognize the weight difference of the aircraft itself.
Here are the published weights of these aircraft, along with a few more for comparison;
Although its clearly a big and heavy plane, the A350 shaves huge amounts of weight off
its frame thanks to the use of modern materials.
While the real test of this measure won't come until the 777-9 has operated some flights,
we can make some assumptions based on the published fuel capacity and range.
For the 777-9, its fuel capacity is 350,410 lb, for a maximum range of 7,285 NM.
For a very rough calculation, that means it's burning around 48 lb of fuel per nautical
mile.
The A350-1000 has a fuel capacity of 274,808 lb and a maximum range of 8,700 NM.
This equates to a burn of around 32 lb per nautical mile.
Of course, that's not the whole story, because what airlines are concerned with is the fuel
burn per passenger.
Taking that into account (with a typical two-class layout), the A350s burn per seat is 0.09 lb
per nautical mile.
The 777-9, in comparison, comes out at 0.11 lb per seat per nautical mile.
Naturally, each planemaker considers their widebody to be more efficient than their competitors,
and there are far too many variables in terms of sector length, loaded weight and more to
make a definitive comparison.
Thus, it’s a draw when comparing efficiency ; the 777X's higher capacity could make it
a winner, but the A350s lower unladen weight might just edge it.
If you love your numbers, here's a quick rundown of all the vital statistics side-by-side for
easy comparison.
For the sake of simplicity, this is the 777-9 against the A350-1000.
Time will tell if the Boeing 777X withstands the challenges of the industry.
The program is already trying to overcome significant hurdles before service entry.
We've seen the A350 go up against market challenges and operational issues recently, exemplified
by the Qatar Airways paint saga, which has left major customers frustrated.
It's not possible to speculate if the 777X will face similar or other notable issues
after introduction.
The faceoff between the A350 and the 777X will be interesting to see.
On paper, both are great aircraft, with similar range and passenger capacity.
Will the larger size of the 777X be enough to sway airlines away from the tried and tested
Airbus?
In our opinion, the lightweight, agile and adaptable A350, with its significantly lower
purchase cost, will be a tough offering for Boeing to beat.
Additionally, aside from the surface degradation issues experienced by some airlines, its proven
to be reliable over years of service.
On the other hand, for a mission where a higher maximum capacity is desired, Airbus just can't
offer anything as big as the 777-9.
Of course, being a heavily revised version of the 777, some might be wary of issues or
problems during its early years of commercial service.
Afterall, the 787 suffered battery issues and we all know what happened with the MAX…
All in all, we vote for the Airbus A350 as the winner in our comparison, but this is
a subjective matter.
What's your opinion about the two aircraft?
Which one takes the title?
Let us know in the comment section.