GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES
Boeing is proposing the concept of standard configured 7E7s for group purchases by airline alliance members, much as it did with its 717 bid for the ongoing Star Alliance 100-seater competition.
Revealing the initiative at the 7E7 programme progress summit in Seattle on 12-13 November, vice-president customers John Feren said: "The alliances can be a powerful instrument" towards standardisation and simplicity. "We have only one landing gear supplier, and our current plan is for two engines [suppliers]. We are also looking at going from 15 LRUs [line replaceable units] to eight in the cockpit, for example."
Standardisation is one of the keys to making the aircraft more affordable, says Feren. "The affordability of this aircraft will be as important as its fuel efficiency, and if we don't price it competitively, all the innovations will be for nought."
Members of the Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star airline alliances were among the 40 operators and eight financial institutions at the meeting, which included the first glimpse of the newly completed cabin mock-up. One of the delegates, Cathay Pacific vice-president technical for the USA, Peter Gardner, says the scope for potential standardisation is increased with the 7E7. "Everything forward of the flightdeck door is virtually standard. The only thing that's left for the customer to mess with is the interior, and apart from the exterior paint and engine selection, it is being narrowed down," he adds.
Commenting on the new-look cabin mock-up, Gardner says there is "a wow factor as you go through the door. It creates a new ambience, but the concept is really good." He adds that innovations like larger-than-conventional cabin windows "give you a much different feel".
From a technical perspective, Cathay and Lufthansa say there seem to be no "show stoppers", despite the use of much more composite materials than any previous airliner, as well as new technologies ranging from embedded health-monitoring systems and bleedless engines, to more electric systems such as brakes. However, Lufthansa corporate fleet senior vice-president Nico Buchholz says: "Boeing needs to look at the economics. We need to see more of those details."
Source: Flight International
