Page 7 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 Online Magazine

book for the 787 is bulging. It has obtained
orders for 1398 787s and has delivered more
than 700. Recently, the company announced
it was lifting production from 12 to 14 a month.
Airbus has a similar story for its A350, with
almost 900 ordered and 203 delivered.
The rates compared with just six A380s a
year and a similar rate for the 747. The third
player in the new era of commercial aviation
is the 777X, which Boeing claims will have
the world’s lowest seat costs. This is the air-
craft that Boeing is pitching for the Qantas
“Sunrise Project”. The first 777X has rolled
out and is dedicated to structural tests, while
the second, which will fly, will make its debut
in January. The driving force behind the 777X
schedule out for a couple of days. And rather than the scheduled is Emirates president Sir Tim Clark, who
17 hours 20 minutes to get to London, most flights are between says his airline will get its first in June 2020.
30 and 45 minutes faster, with one on July 20 cutting an hour off And he is bullish on the aircraft’s progress:
the schedule. Return flights are much the same, with one flight “It’s in good shape and just about where it
on September 22 taking only 15 hours and 34 minutes to get needs to be.” Sir Tim says that power plant
from London to Perth. Qantas is achieving a 92 per cent load — the GE9X, the world’s biggest commer-
factor and in premium classes an incredible 94 per cent — the cial jet engine — is performing very well.
highest of any of its international routes. “Surprisingly good and the engine is a lot
better than most (at this stage of its testing
Pushing the Boundaries program) — it’s a good story.”
he 787, like the A350, give airlines unprecedented flex-
ibility with their extraordinary range capability brought Emirates has ordered 115 777-9X and 35
about by dramatic strides in engine efficiency in the of the longer-ranged 777-8Xs. The 777-9X
Tpast 15 years. Since the 787 has entered service, air- offers seating for more than 400 passen-
lines have opened up 230 new routes such as Perth to London, gers, depending on an airline’s configuration
Haneda to San Jose and Melbourne to San Francisco. Airlines choices. With a range of more than 8200
love the new generation of planes that burn up to 34 per cent nautical miles (15,185km), the aircraft will have
less fuel per passenger than the giant A380. Boeing’s order the lowest operating cost per seat of any

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