Any hopes of a decision to launchfdn the Boeing 747 Advanced at the show have evaporated as potential customers ask for more time to evaluate the planned stretched derivative.
Boeing has been targeting a mid-year date for a decision, but this has slipped, says Boeing vice president marketing Randy Baseler. "We expect commitments from carriers and industrial launch before year-end," he says.
Key launch candidates for the aircraft are believed to include Cargolux and Cathay Pacific Airways, as well as China Airlines and Korean Air. "A lot of the airlines we've spoken to have indicated that they want to make a decision by late summer/early Autumn," Baseler says.
"We've shown carriers the product and shared some indicative prices," says Marlin Dailey, vice-president sales Europe at Boeing. "We know where the airplane needs to be to compete." Although most of the near term interest in the 747 Advanced is in Asia, Cargolux "is the hottest prospect for us", says Dailey. "I could also see British Airways as an eventual orderer of this aircraft," he adds.
Boeing recently selected the General Electric GEnx engines over an offering from Rolls-Royce to power the aircraft, and assuming a launch this year, aims to begin deliveries in 2009. The stretched 747 is offered in two versions - a 450-seat passenger model with a 14,800km (8,000nm) range and a freighter able to carry a payload of 134 tonnes over a distance of 8,100km. "We want to launch the passenger and freighter versions together," says Baseler.
Baseler is confident that the new 747 will be competitive with the all-new 550-seat A380 offered by Airbus, despite being based on a design that is almost 40 years old. He says that as well as the all-new GEnx engines, the new 747 models will feature an enhanced wing and flightdeck, and reduced noise.
Lower
"The 747 Advanced will have 3% lower operating costs per seat, and 23% lower trip costs, compared to the A380, on a 'cash' basis excluding purchase price," says Baseler.
Although a list price for the 747 Advanced has not been released, Baseler indicates the increase over the current 747-400 will roughly equate to the capacity increase it offers. This would put the 747 Advanced passenger version at around $220 million, compared with the current $272m to $292m quoted by Airbus for the A380.
Basler attributes the 747 Advanced's lower costs to structural efficiency and newer generation engines: "Aerodynamically our wing won't be as good as the A380's all-new design, but the 787-derived engines are slightly more efficient than the A380's, and the Airbus is between 11% and 18% heavier in operating empty weight (OEW) per seat depending on whose weights you use," he says
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Source: Flight Daily News
