GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES, PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC & NICHOLAS IONIDES / SINGAPORE
Manufacturer in talks with Japanese airlines to place orders for short-range and long-range versions of the type
Boeing is courting Japanese airlines with short-range (SR) and long- range (LR) versions of the 7E7 and stretched 7E7STR, with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) emerging as leading potential launch candidates.
The airlines are among a group of up to 40 operators being pursued in the run-up to a possible board go-ahead at year-end.
Boeing says it is studying a basic family of four aircraft. The 7E7 and 7E7 STR will seat 210 and 250 passengers, respectively, with the SR aimed at the 5,500-6,500km (3-3,500nm) range market and the LR the 13,000-14,000km bracket. ANA and JAL interest is believed to be primarily in the short-haul STR version as replacement for their 767s on domestic routes.
ANA says it is "very interested in new aircraft developments", but stresses that no decision has been taken to go for the 7E7.
Japanese industry interest in the 7E7 is known to be strong, with the country's three major aerospace companies aiming for a greater workshare than their 21% stake in the 777, and follows ANA's recent large 737 order.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Alan Mulally says ANA is interested in the 7E7. "Can you imagine if you served the world with just one type, or just a few? ANA, for instance, is looking at just having the 737, the 7E7 and 777s."
The two SR versions are configured with the "tip treatment" option outlined earlier by Boeing as a study concept for optimising the same basic wing for shorter ranges as well as enabling it to fit in 767-size gate areas.
Boeing adds that it has not yet committed to the tip treatment option, which would decrease SR span by close to 10m (33ft) compared with the LR versions.
With the increased focus on ANA and JAL as potential launch customers, there is speculation that Boeing may be leaning towards General Electric's proposed sole-source option with a GE90 core-based engine. Both Japanese carriers are major GE operators. Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney have pushed their own solutions, with a decision on either one or two suppliers targeted for August.
Boeing says the outcome "could be one, but we do know it's not three".
Source: Flight International
