Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC
Boeing and General Electric have stepped up efforts to sign All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) as launch customers for the Boeing 777X growth derivative as a trade-off against deferring nearer term 777-200/300 and 747-400 deliveries.
The US partners are understood to have made financially attractive offers to the Japanese carriers in recent weeks. ANA is thought to be considering a proposal to take around six 777-300Xs and JAL a similarly sized package.
In return for committing to new aircraft three to four years away, the two Japanese carriers want to defer and perhaps roll over their more immediate commitments. ANA is believed to want to slip delivery of its final nine 777s - a mix of -200, -200ERs and -300s - to late 2003 and beyond.
JAL has already deferred delivery of seven aircraft, including four 777s, due this year and wants to push this back further to beyond 2001 in an effort to cut its interest bearing debt. The 777-300X would enable it to advance retirement of its 747-200s by four years from 2007 and possibly trade in 10 MD-11s, say industry sources.
Japan is closely associated with the 777, with 20% of the structure produced by Fuji, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi. The aircraft has been ordered by all three local carriers, including Japan Air System. ANA will have taken delivery of 12 out of 17 777-200s, two out of four -200ERs and six of eight -300s on order by March. JAL operates five 777-200s and five -300s and has another five -200s undelivered. All of Japan's 777s are Pratt & Whitney PW4000 equipped making a GE90-115B-powered 777X a difficult sell.
GE has sought to overcome resistance to the GE90 from PW users, and Rolls-Royce Trent 800-powered 777 operators such as Cathay Pacific Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, with a "power-by-the hour" offer. Other target launch customers such as Air France already fly GE90-powered 777s.
Source: Flight International
