Five customers - British Airways, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines, plus lessors Air Lease and GECAS - have launched the Boeing 787-10 today at the Paris air show, with combined orders for more than 100 of the variant.
Singapore Airlines has ordered 30 787-10s, BA 12, and United 20. The United aircraft are comprised of 10 "incremental" aircraft and 10 conversions of existing orders.
Air Lease has ordered 30 787-10s, together with three 787-9s. GECAS yesterday committed to 10 787-10s.
The launch of the three-class, 320-seat 787-10, of which first deliveries are targeted for 2018, completes the family of widebodies Boeing initiated nearly a decade ago with a relatively simple stretch of the 5.49m (18ft) stretch of the 290-seat 787-9.
In contrast with the internal design changes and wing clean-up required for the 787-9, the latest variant demands minor only tweaks involving two fuselage plugs and a 777-300ER-style, semi-levered landing gear to avoid tailstrikes on rotation.
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Boeing 787-10X and 787-9 in ALC livery |
At the same time, the 787-10 could result in a new shake-up of the production system, as Boeing may have to increase overall 787 production rates beyond the 10 per month goal by the end of this year. Boeing also has to decide where to assemble the 787-10 between the type's competing factories in Charleston, South Carolina and Everett, Washington.
The 787-10 was the last of the major 787 models conceived by Boeing as a replacement for Airbus A330s, A340s and the 777-200. Unlike the roughly 8,000nm (14,800km) range of the 787-8 and 8,400nm range of the 787-9, the latest variant is designed to haul a full passenger and cargo load about 7,000nm. As such, Boeing is aiming the aircraft at filling high-traffic trunk routes within Asia and between Europe and both the USA and the Middle East.
The 787-10 also fills a gap in the Boeing product line-up between the 787-9 and the 350-seat 777-300ER. The latter will be replaced around the end of the decade by the new 777X family, which are the 350-seat 777-8X and the 400-seat 777-9X.
General Electric and Rolls-Royce will power the 787-10 with 76,000lb-thrust versions of the GEnx-1B and the Trent 1000-10, respectively.
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Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
