There's some serious competition happening in the skies, with two rival aircrafts that
promise a new era in long-haul passenger comfort and a game-changer for airlines. Both A350
and B787 Dreamliner are swiftly becoming the world’s most technologically advanced airplanes,
produced respectively by Airbus (Europe) and Boeing (USA).
Want to know about it? Well, stay tuned to the video And watch the
video till the end. Hello guys, Welcome to the Aviation Exclusive.
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Hit the like button to show your support. And in today's video, we are going to talk
about “Would A Boeing 787 Challenge The Airbus A350.” So without any further ado,
Let's begin.
The so-called A350-8000 might be more fuel-efficient than Boeing's 777-9 but that wouldn't make
it more popular. The Boeing 787 is a twin-engine long-range widebody aircraft developed in
the early 2000s. Packed with new innovations and technology, the aircraft started commercial
operations with ANA on October 26th, 2011.
Boeing chose the name Dreamliner in 2003, which would eventually be a game-changer for
many airlines. Enabling routes that weren't possible for aircraft of the same type, the
Boeing 787 was a dream come true for many airlines. The Dreamliner aircraft is being
designed in three versions, the baseline version, a short-range, and a stretched version.
The 787-3 short-range version is the same length and height as the 787 but has a shorter
wingspan (52m). The maximum take-off weight is 165,100kg and the range has been reduced
to between 4,650km and 5,650km. The aircraft can carry 290 to 330 passengers in two classes.
The aircraft also has the capacity to carry 4,400ft³ of cargo. The baseline version,
the 787-8, has a maximum take-off weight of 219,540kg. The aircraft typically accommodates
220 passengers in a three-class cabin configuration.
The length is 57m and the wingspan is 60m, while the height is 17m. The range is between
14,200 and 15,200km and the cruise speed is Mach 0.85. The total cargo volume of the 787-8
is 4,400ft³. The stretched version, 787-9, has the same wingspan and height as the standard
787 but the length is increased to 63m. The aircraft typically carries 259 passengers
in a three-class cabin layout. The range is 14,800km to 15,750km and the maximum take-off
weight is 244,940kg.
The total cargo volume of the aircraft is 5,400ft³. Compared to its siblings, the 787-10
has seen less success with airlines. Seen as a response to the A350, the largest Dreamliner
was forced to sacrifice range to add a large fuselage and more passenger capacity. Today,
the variant accounts for only 10% of 787 sales or around 202 units. The 787-10 offers a range
of 6,430NM (7,400 miles) and seating for 330-440 passengers. Meanwhile, the A350-900 seats
the same figure, up to 440, but can fly journeys as long as 8,100NM (9,320 mi).
This significant range difference means the 787-10 has been restricted to regional or
select long-haul routes, while ultra-long-haul flights are simply not possible. However,
all of that could be about to change. According to reports, Boeing is working on a high gross
weight (HGW) variant of the 787-10. As the name suggests, changes will allow the aircraft
to have a higher takeoff weight, carrying more fuel for extended operations.
Dubbed the 787-10ER for now, this could see up to 1,000NM added to the range, bringing
it far closer to the A359's figure. While the idea of the -10ER is not new, having been
floated in 2019 to secure orders from Air New Zealand, the new plans will see a doubling
of the original range improvements. This could be a huge challenge to the A350, with the
newly minted version offering 8% lower per-seat costs to airlines and 19 more seats. With
the ability to seamlessly fly along with other 787 family jets, this new plane could be a
breakthrough for Boeing.
Moreover, since development is far simpler than the long-delayed 777X program, the American
planemaker will be able to offer a high-capacity alternative to the 777-300ER before the late-2024/2025
launch. The 787 and the A350 have impressive ranges, both planes can travel at least 15,000
kilometers without stopping. The same as traveling from London to New York 2.5 times without
stopping to refuel.
This astonishing range is why airlines are now deploying the 787 and A350 on the world’s
longest routes. With all these benefits, both the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 are without
a doubt revolutionary in their design. However, as such, aircraft designs have become increasingly
complicated and require constant review and updates to ensure safety, reliability, and
utility. It's not only competition to the A350 that Boeing is considering while building
the 787-10ER. This new Dreamliner could replace the 777-8 that has seen little interest in
recent years.
While not a perfect replacement, the -10ER would clear up space for the development of
the 777X, which is expected to be hugely popular in the coming years. Overall, reconfiguring
the 787 is looking like a win-win for Boeing. Notably, creating an ER version of existing
planes has been a winning formula for Boeing for decades. The 767-300ER and 777-300ER saw
huge sales for their respective programs and extended the longevity of their families.
The development timeline of the 787-10ER is on track with its predecessors, roughly 5-10
years after the original jet. Both the 787 and the A350 have far quieter cabins than
conventional aircraft, thanks to engine design developments from Rolls Royce and GE. The
A350 specifically has the quietest cabin of any twin-aisle aircraft, with a typical noise
level of 57 decibels around the same as a normal conversation. The use of CFRP and other
composites helps the A350 and the 787 to be lighter than their predecessors.
This, combined with unparalleled engine efficiency, make the overall cost of flying cheaper than
before. The newer engines on both the A350 and 787 provide up to 25% improved fuel efficiency
and 15 % less CO2 compared to older generations. Airbus faces a trade-off for having a light
aircraft with a lower range. If Airbus were to stretch the A350 again, it would face a
big choice. It could design a significantly larger wing in order to keep the airplane's
range in the same ballpark as the A350-1000.
However, that would add weight, reducing or eliminating any fuel-burn advantage over Boeing's
777-9. On the flip side, it could minimize the design changes relative to the A350-1000
to maximize fuel efficiency. That's what Boeing chose to do with the 787-10. The result was
an extremely fuel-efficient plane with about 1,200 nautical miles less range than the 787-9
it was derived from. Airbus is far more likely to choose the second path.
But would those airlines necessarily buy a 777-9 rival with better fuel efficiency but
a shorter range? The problem is that most airlines want to simplify their fleets. The
A350-8000 would be able to cover most long-haul airline routes, but most airlines do operate
some flights beyond its likely range.
If they need the 777-9's range for some routes, they might be willing to sacrifice some fuel
efficiency rather than buying two planes in the same size segment. It's instructive to
note that Boeing has more than three times as many orders for the 787-9 as it does for
the larger, shorter-range 787-10. Airbus has fewer than 200 firm orders for the A350-1000
model today. A larger model with less range would probably sell fewer units and some of
those would be cannibalized from the A350-1000.
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