Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Tomorrow is always another — and different — day. It was just yesterday that the European consortium Airbus had smoked American behemoth Boeing in sales and appeared unstoppable. Then, a few economic factors complicated the scene, and now Boeing, the long-time new world aircraft manufacturer, appears to have come out a winner in the strong-arm match. Airbus’ economical and small A320 and A319, A321 derivatives, had propelled the company to new heights, but it’s the super jumbo, the A380, that got the company started into a tailspin trajectory. With multiple production delays and a number of order cancellations, there is a huge financial risk. In the past, commercial aircraft manufacturers gambled the entire company’s future on one model. Lockheed did so with the L10-11, as did McDonnell Douglas with the MD11, and both lost.

Boeing came back to life after releasing the legendary 747, which, to our taste, is still the ultimate long-haul aircraft. They also struck gold with the 777 and the 737, which is the top-selling aircraft in its class. Now, Boeing brings us the 787 Dreamliner. The first assembled aircraft of a test fleet of six rolled off the line in Everett, Washington, on a beautiful, clear blue July Sunday. A gorgeous and sleek machine with a huge engine, majestically swept wings and sexy winglets, the 787 is a dream come true — for sales anyway, with more than 800 orders already from customers in dozens of countries. Production is already three years behind schedule, however. Boeing has some 30 planes in various stages of completion, of which it plans to deliver between twelve and twenty by the end of the year. Production is set to reach a monthly build rate of ten airplanes by the end of 2013, of which seven will be completed in Everett and three at Boeing's new plant in Charleston, South Carolina.

Launch customer All Nippon Airways, which holds orders for 55 planes, began flying the Dreamliner on domestic routes in November. In December, it added international routes between Tokyo and Beijing, followed by Tokyo to Frankfurt in January, 2012.

All Nippon Airway's new Dreamliner	Carbon composite shell

Meanwhile, Airbus is struggling to get its A350XWB project off the ground and into the market in 2013. That leaves a lead for Boeing, and if their plane finally delivers on specifications, it will seriously hamper Airbus’ ability to compete in that segment. On the other hand, everything is so global these days that there’s no reason to rejoice over anyone’s failure. Keep in mind that there are significant American components in any Airbus aircraft, and that the Dreamliner is largely outsourced to Asia with a large Japanese involvement, but recent delays have executives looking at bringing things in-house.

So why the 787, you might ask? Well, it’s all about fuel consumption, efficiency and lower operating costs. Boeing’s new aircraft is very versatile and can access any airport, unlike the A380 that required custom runways and terminals. It is very light due to its carbon fiber composite construction, and therefore requires up to 20 percent less fuel to keep it flying. The aircraft is expected to have a much longer lifespan since corrosion is greatly reduced and cycles are augmented. The passenger cabin comes with a revolutionary design, offering more space and comfort. Cabin pressure will be set so that passengers will experience less fatigue, humidity levels will be increased and air filters will do a better job. All this should improve the quality of life for the weary traveler, whether jet-setting around the globe or waiting patiently — again — to take off from a congested airport.