Boeing has agreed to demands by operating lessor Air Lease (ALC) to slightly increase the range, thrust requirement and gross weight of the nascent 787-10X.
"It's in the works," says ALC chief executive Steven Udvar-Hazy on the sidelines of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) conference.
Previously Boeing has advertised the range for the double-stretch variant as between 6,700nm (12,400km) and 7,000nm, but that fell short of Udvar-Hazy's expectation for the aircraft.
In November, he told a teleconference of market analysts that he wanted Boeing to increase the range to at least 7,100nm.
Four months later, 787-10X engine providers General Electric and Rolls-Royce have confirmed they both can meet the higher thrust requirement for the 7,100nm-range level, Udvar-Hazy says.
The additional thrust is necessary because the range boost implies a slightly higher gross weight for the aircraft, he adds.
Boeing was not immediately available to comment on the apparent range increase for the -10X.
The official launch of the 787-10X has been slowed by the ongoing 787 battery crisis, in which the entire Dreamliner fleet remains grounded due to two instances of overheating lithium-ion batteries.
However, the airframer still expects to formally launch the aircraft later this year.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
