Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES
MAJOR BOEING 747 operators have been called to Boeing's Seattle headquarters in mid-November for meetings on the proposed -500X and -600X stretched derivatives, as plans for the possible 1996 launch of the next-generation 747 gather pace.
Those attending include British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines - the world's largest 747-400 operator - and Qantas, says Boeing Everett division vice-president and general manager, Ed Renouard.
Boeing recently told British Airways that making a launch decision in 1996 "...would be a good time to do it" (Flight International, 11-17 October).
The meeting is intended to update carriers on Boeing's latest development ideas for the -500X/-600X stretches. Boeing is seeking operator input as part of its drive to involve airlines in the development of the aircraft.
"They'll be putting a lot of city-pair notions together, and things like that," says Renouard, who adds that the 747-500X and -600X "...product-development effort is gaining a lot more momentum. I think that a derivative of the 747 [rather than an all-new design] is the right answer, and we'd like to keep Airbus from doing an A350 or an A3XX."
Studies are also being made of the order in which any new 747 derivatives would be launched. There is "some thought" of developing the higher-capacity -600X before the -500X, says Renouard.
This is likely to be driven by Boeing's need to satisfy the more immediate demand for extra-large capacity and protect its potential market base of current 747 operators.
The -600X is expected to have seating for around 550 in a tri-class arrangement, with room for up to 700 in an all-economy layout. The smaller -500X, designed around the same new wing design as the -600X, would offer a relatively modest increase in payload, over the 747-400, but would have a much greater range, of more than 14,800km (8,000nm).
By shuffling the launch order, Boeing is also expected to be able to protect its 747-400 market until the longer-range -500X market is firmly established.
Manufacturing issues will also be discussed, as the Everett site is unlikely to be expanded to accommodate the proposed giants.
Most of the new investment for the new-generation 747s would therefore go into modular manufacturing systems which would allow Boeing to produce 747-400s, -500s and -600s on the same line.
Source: Flight International
