Even as Boeing continues to struggle with the 787-8 program, future planning calls for resurrecting plans for the 787-10 that have been on indefinite hold while working through technical issues and delays of the current model.
Airbus has sold more A330s since the 787 program was announced than in the period leading up to the 787's launch. The A330-200 has been improved to now have an advertised 7,200nm range-nearly matching the low-end of the 787-8, according to Airbus estimates-and the A330-300 now has a 5,850nm range with more improvements planned to provide a few hundred miles more range.
Nicole Piasecki, vice president of Business Development & Strategic Integration, told employees last month that the delays in the 787 program prompted "a lot of orders [for the A330] from airlines who were expecting the 787.It competes against our 767 and our 787 and as the 787 starts coming online with full capability, and I can tell you if we develop a 787-10, which I would put in the likelier category, I would expect the A330's days would be numbered or that our market share position would certainly be a strong one."
Piasecki also told employees that Boeing is "looking at further investment in the 787 family [as] the best way to compete against the A350-800 and -900".
Boeing believes the A350-1000, currently with a promised EIS of 2015, will not have an adequate engine in the current iteration of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB and that EIS will be delayed to the second half of this decade, relieving pressure to do anything immediately with the 777-300ER.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
