Cathay Pacific become first Asia Pacific airline to order Boeing 777-9X

by Devesh Agarwal

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER in special livery.

Long time Boeing customer, Cathay Pacific Airways become the first Asia-Pacific airline to order the new 777-9X. The Hong Kong based carrier has placed an order for 21 of the mini-jumbo long haul aircraft valued at $7 million at list prices. The 777X program created waves in the industry last month, when it garnered a whopping 259 orders and commitments valued at over $95 billion at the Dubai air show.

Hong Kong's flag carrier operates 55 777s, including 38 777-300ERs and an all-Boeing freighter fleet that includes 13 747-8F Freighters. Like the 777-300ER, there is only the General Electric GE9X engine option for the 777-9X.

The GE9X engine for Boeing's 777X family will be in the 100,000-pound thrust class with a 10 percent improvement in fuel burn over today's GE90-115B. Key features of the new engine include, the industry’s largest front fan, composite fan case and fourth-generation composite fan blades, highest pressure ratio compressor for any large GE engine, third-generation TAPS (twin annular pre-swirl) combustor for greater efficiency and low emissions, and ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material in the combustor and turbine.

Image courtesy Cathay Pacific Airways

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Boeing commences wind tunnel testing of 777X

Boeing has commenced low-speed wind tunnel tests for its 777X aircraft. Testing is being performed on a 5% scale model of the baseline 777X, measuring about 4.22 meters (166 inches) long with a wing span of 3.92 meters (154 inches). Hundreds of sensors are embedded in the model to measure pressure to determine the in-flight loads as well as provide valuable diagnostics of the aerodynamic performance of a given design.

These tests will measure airplane performance with a variety of settings to simulate take-off and landing conditions.

This is the first major milestone in airplane development, which validates performance models and generates a vast amount of data that Boeing's engineering teams will use to design the airplane as development progresses.

Testing started on December 5th at QinetiQ's test facility in Farnborough, United Kingdom, and is expected to last approximately five months. Testing also will be conducted next year at the Boeing Transonic Wind Tunnel in Seattle to further validate 777X high-speed performance projections.

Boeing indicates its on track to complete the top-level design in 2014 and reach firm configuration in 2015.

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Boeing launches 777X program - images and video

by Devesh Agarwal

Boeing 777-9X. Boeing image.

The Dubai Airshow is known for releasing multi-billion dollar orders from the major Gulf carriers, and yesterday was no exception.

Boeing was the clear winner on day one of the show, and the star was the yet to be commenced Boeing 777X program which is an upgrade of the already ultra-popular Boeing 777 twin engine wide body jetliner which today commands 71% of the in-service fleet worldwide.

Video at the end of the story

Despite receiving a order for 34 777-9X from German carrier Lufthansa two months ago, Boeing formally launched the 777X program at the 2013 Dubai Airshow, in deference to its largest 777 customer, Dubai-based Emirates airline, whose CEO, Tim Clark, has been the biggest demander of the new aircraft. (Watch a video of Tim Clark talking about wide body aircraft including the 777X).

Reflecting customer faith in the yet to be developed aircraft, Boeing took in orders and commitments for a whopping 225 aircraft, racking up its tally to 259, making the 777X, the largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by value.

Boeing image

Boeing received orders and commitments from Etihad Airways with 25 77X aircraft (17 777-9X and 8 777-8X), Qatar Airways with 50 777-9X; and Emirates with 150 777X (115 777-9X and 35 777-8X), with an option for 50 more. The combined value of the agreements is more than $95 billion at list prices.

The consistent large orders from the Gulf majors is not unexpected. As Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, explained

"In recent years, much of the action in global aviation has shifted to the Middle East because countries like the U.A.E. and Qatar have tapped into our geographical advantage to build new air transport connections for the world,"

The 777X will build on the market leading 777 and will introduce new technologies in multiple places. A new composite wing similar to the 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 Jumbo will feature folding raked wingtips, allowing the new plane to fit into existing gates at airports. The new GE9X is touted as the most advanced commercial engine ever. Giving airlines what they desire most, lower seat-mile costs.

Mini-jumbo battle

Boeing 777-9X and 777-8X CGI. Boeing image.

The existing 777-300ER (77W) will be upgraded to the 777-9X with a list price of $377.2 million, an expected entry in to service (EIS) date of 2020, range of 8,200 nm (15,185 km), and passenger capacity of 406. The 777-200LR will be upgraded to the ultra-long-haul (ULH) 777-8X with a list price of $349.8 million, an EIS about 18 months after the -9X, range of 9,300 nm (17,220 km), and passenger capacity of 350 which is close to that of the existing 777-300ER.

The "mini-jumbo" segment is hotly contested, pitting the 777X against the A350 XWB from European major, Airbus.

While Boeing claims "the 777-8X competes directly with the A350-1000, while the 777-9X is in a class by itself", Airbus counters saying Boeing has driven up passenger numbers to justify operating economics using the ultra-dense 17 inch width seating, as practised by Emirates and Etihad, when compared to the wider 18 inch seat width used by Airbus to arrive at its 350 seat A350-1000, which is due to enter service in 2017.

Video of 777X

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Dubai Airshow 2013 starts with record breaking orders

As expected the Dubai Airshow opened today with a record breaking order book.

Within three hours of opening, the show’s order tally reached US $162.6 billion – surpassing its previous record of US $155 billion record set in 2007 – with deals coming from Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, flydubai and Qatar Airways.

The opening order came from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways which announced a deal for 56 new Boeing 777s valued at US$25.2 billion at list prices, including related GE engines. The deal also sees Etihad become the launch customer for the 777-8X which is expected to enter service in 2022.

The airline also ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, making Etihad the largest customer for the composite aircraft.

James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways said

“We rarely make announcements at air shows, but when we do the world listens,”

Dubai-headquartered Emirates Airline rapidly re-wrote the Dubai Airshow record with news of a US$99 billion purchase of Boeing and Airbus planes – which industry experts dubbed the largest-ever aircraft order in civil aviation.

The Emirates headline deal was for 150 Boeing 777X, plus 50 purchase rights, and an additional 50 Airbus A380 superjumbos - of which Emirates is currently the largest fleet operator.

Low-cost airline FlyDubai weighed in with a US$11.4 billion order for 111 Boeing 737s and 738s, and then Qatar Airways topped off the morning’s historic agreements with the signing of a US$19 billion letter of intent for 54 Boeing 777s.

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Etihad kicks off Dubai airshow with mamomth Boeing 777-9X, 777-8X and 787-10 order

by Devesh Agarwal

From top, clockwise, Boeing CGI of Etihad 787-10, 777-8X, 777-9X

United Arab Emirates' (UAE) national carrier, Etihad Airways PJSC, kicked off the Dubai Air Show with a massive order for 56 wide-body Boeing aircraft with options to purchase for an additional 26 aircraft taking the quantity up to 82 at a list price valuation of $25.2 billion.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier's order includes 25 777X airplanes, comprising 17 777-9Xs and eight 777-8Xs, subject to program launch. Etihad Airways is the first airline to order the 777-8X and will be a launch customer of the airplane, which is expected to enter service around the end of the decade. The order includes options and purchase rights for 12 additional 777X airplanes.

The airline also ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, the high-capacity, medium-haul, and longest member of the Dreamliner family. Combined with the carrier's previous orders for 41 787-9s, today's order makes Etihad the world's largest airline customer for the Dreamliner family with a total of 71 787s on order. The order includes options and purchase rights for an additional 12 787-10s.

Today’s announcement also includes the milestone 1,000th Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be ordered.

Etihad also ordered one Boeing 777F freighter which is based on the 777-200LR.

The 777X is the upgrade of the venerable Boeing 777 family featuring new composite wings as seen on the 747-8 and 787 family aircraft, along with new GEnx engines which GE promises will be about 10% more fuel efficient. The 777X

The Boeing 777-9X is a stretched, more fuel-efficient version of Boeing ultra-popular 777-300ER. Typically seating 400 passengers, the 777-9X will be capable of flying the same distances as its predecessor, but with up to 40 more passengers, with lower operating costs and reduced fuel consumption per seat. The 777-9X was launched less than two months ago with an order from German flag carrier Lufthansa. Eithad is expected to start receiving its 777-9X from 2020.

The Boeing 777-8X is an upgraded version of the ultra long-haul Boeing 777-200LR, which Etihad recently purchased from Indian flag carrier Air India, to serve the Abu Dhabi – Los Angeles route. The -8X will replace the LRs when the start arriving in 2022. [Read our analysis on why the 777-200LR is ill-suited to Air India's operations]

The Boeing 787-10 is the largest and latest version of the Dreamliner family, typically carrying more than 320 passengers, up to 50 more than the 787-9 which Etihad Airways will introduce late in 2014. The aircraft will be capable of flying between Abu Dhabi and medium-haul destinations such as Dublin or Johannesburg, and it is expected to be deployed on high capacity medium haul routes by the airline. Final assembly and flight test of the 787-10 are set to begin in 2017, with first delivery targeted for 2018. Boeing launched the 787-10 earlier this year, at the Paris Air Show.

All the aircraft in this order will be powered by General Electric GE9X, GEnx and GE90 engines. Etihad ordered 57 GE9X engines which will power Etihad Airways’ 25 new Boeing 777X aircraft, 68 GEnx-1B engines for the airline’s 30 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft, and two GE90-115B engines which will be used on its new Boeing 777-200F freighter.

Etihad Airways currently has 86 aircraft in operation, with more than 80 aircraft on firm order. Its last major aircraft deal was made at the Farnborough Air Show in 2008, where Etihad Airways announced firm orders for 100 aircraft, including 45 Boeing aircraft, in a long-term order which was at the time one of the largest in aviation history.

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Boeing drops 767-200ER and 767-400ER, launches 767-2CFX in latest pricing update

by Vinay Bhaskara

A 767-300F - Image Credit: Boeing

American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has released its latest aircraft pricing update, and there were several changes made. Firstly, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has dropped the 767-200ER and 767-400ER variants from its 767 product line. These aircraft can no longer be purchased by customers, though if a sizable enough order comes through for Boeing, they could easily re-start production, unlike the 757, whose production line has been retooled for the 737.

The 767-200ER was among the first 767 aircraft offered by Boeing, launching in 1982, the year its standard range cousin, the 767-200, entered service. Ethiopian Airlines was the launch customer for the type in December 1982. Over the years, the smaller 767-200ER was rapidly eclipsed by the larger 767-300 variant, which became the dominant variant in the overall program with 807 ordered (out of 1108 program wide) as of the June Boeing orders and deliveries (also O&D) spreadsheet. Overall, 121 767-200ERs were ordered and delivered, and 39 remain in passenger service. American Airlines is the largest operator with 12 in its fleet used on premium transcontinental routes within the US, though these aircraft will be retired quickly as American takes delivery of their replacement; the Airbus A321.

The 767-400ER was a bit more of an oddball, with only 2 operators (Delta Air Lines, and Continental Airlines - now United Airlines) ordering a total of 38 aircraft. Delta currently has 21 767-400ERs in its fleet, though some of these aircraft may be eventually replaced with the carrier's recent order for 10 additional Airbus A330-300s, while United has 16 frames remaining. The 767-400ER was designed to compete with the aforementioned A330-300, but largely failed to do so, with the A330-300 having won 635 orders over the course of its lifetime.

The 767 program itself had a seemingly bleak future as recently as 3 years ago, with orders slowing to a crawl (primarily existing 767 operators such as ANA and LAN ordering the 767-300ER as interim lift due to the 787 delays). But in February 2011, Boeing won a landmark aerial refueling tanker deal from the United States Air Force, worth nearly $30 billion over the contract's lifetime, with a design based around the 767 called the KC-46A. This made it possible for Boeing to extend the life cycle of the commercial variants of the 767, winning further orders, most notably for 46 767-300Fs from FedEx in 2011-12.

Interestingly, the commercial version of the KC-46A, the 767-2CFX has been added to the pricing table, though no price has been set for the aircraft yet. The table with updated prices from Boeing can be seen below. Interestingly, despite Lufthansa's order for 34 777X family (777-9) aircraft announced today, the type has not yet been formally launched. In all likelihood, formal launch will occur at this years Dubai Air Show, alongside a massive order from Emirates.

Aircraft	Price ($ million)
737
737-700	76.0
737-800	90.5
737-900ER	96.1
737 MAX 7	85.1
737 MAX 8	103.7
737 MAX 9	109.9
747
747-8i	356.9
747-8F	357.5
767
767-300ER	185.8
767-300F	188.0
767-2CFX	TBD
777
777-200ER	261.5
777-200LR	296.0
777-300ER	320.2
777F	300.5
787
787-8	211.8
787-9	249.5
787-10	288.7

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Lufthansa $19 billion order launches Boeing 777-9X. Carrier also orders 25 Airbus A350-900

German carrier also orders 25 Airbus A350-900 XWBs

by Devesh Agarwal

The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, at its meeting yesterday, has approved the purchase of 59 ultra-modern aircraft for the Group, comprising of 34 Boeing 777-9Xs and 25 Airbus A350-900s worth EUR 14 billion (approx $19 billion) at list prices, the largest ever jet order.

Computer generated image of Boeing 777-9X in Lufthansa livery

This order confirms indications made by the airline in March, it would finalise an order for its wide-body long range aircraft below the VLA (Very Large Aircraft) size, by the fourth quarter of this year. Lufthansa is currently the only airline to operate the passenger VLAs from both airframers, i.e. Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8i.

Computer generated image of Airbus A350-900 XWB in Lufthansa livery

The incoming aircraft from this order, which will commence delivery in 2016 with the A350, will replace the older 22 Boeing 747-400s and approximately 24 Airbus A340-300s which will be phased out by 2025. The Boeing 777-9X is expected to enter service by the end of the decade.

The 59 new aircraft will consume an average of just 2.9 litres of fuel per passenger and 100 kilometres flown. That is around 25 per cent less than aircraft available today and it will have a positive impact on the Group’s carbon footprint. Unit costs will sink by approximately 20 per cent compared with predecessor models.

The new aircraft will be operated by ultra-modern, powerful, low-noise engines – the Airbus A350 by the Rolls-Royce 'Trent XWB 84' engine and the Boeing 777-9X by General Electric's 'GE-9X' model. The noise footprint of the new models will be at least 30 per cent lower than today's aircraft.

Lufthansa's launch commitment to the 777-9X is not unexpected. As Nico Buchholz, Executive Vice President and Head of Fleet, Lufthansa says

"Boeing and Lufthansa share more than 50 years of partnership and innovation and a tradition of launching new airplane models – starting with the original 737s and most recently, the efficient 747-8 Intercontinental," "Lufthansa is demonstrating its legacy of innovation and market leadership again with its selection of the 777X. We look forward to many years of partnership with Boeing, as we make air travel more efficient, comfortable and environmentally sustainable with airplanes such as the 777X."

In a release Airbus S.A.S. said

The Supervisory board of Lufthansa, Airbus’ biggest airline customer and operator, has decided to expand and modernise its long-haul fleet with a commitment for up to 55 A350-900 aircraft (25 firm and 30 options). Lufthansa also has the flexibility to convert some of the order to the larger A350-1000.

This landmark A350 order comes just six months after Lufthansa made the strategic decision to become an all-Airbus operator for its single-aisle fleet. So far in 2013, Airbus has won more firm orders from Lufthansa (125) in a single year than ever before. Taking all commitments (firm and options) into account the figure rises to 232 aircraft – one more than the 231 Airbus aircraft currently in operation with the Lufthansa Airline.

Lufthansa’s decision today underpins the Group’s status as Airbus’ largest airline customer and operator, with to date 535 aircraft ordered and 397 currently in operation within the Group. The latter include: 282 A320 Family, 42 A330s, 63 A340s, and 10 A380s. Lufthansa has recently announced an order for 100 A320 Family aircraft to switch its Single-Aisle Fleet in the 150-230 size category entirely to Airbus.

Boeing in its release said

Boeing [NYSE:BA] welcomes Lufthansa's selection of the 777-9X for its future long-haul fleet.

The launch of the 777X family is targeted for later this year and entry into service around the end of the decade.

Earlier this year, the Lufthansa Group ordered six 777-300ERs for the fleet of Swiss International Airlines. Boeing will deliver the first of Lufthansa Cargo's five new 777 Freighters later this year.

Lufthansa today operates 93 Boeing airplanes within its group fleets.

In its release GE Aviation said

GE Aviation is excited with Lufthansa’s decision today to select GE9X-powered Boeing 777-9X aircraft. The engines for the 34 aircraft announced by Lufthansa are valued at more than $2.5 billion USD list price. This is the first selection for the new GE9X, which is part of the highly successful GE90 engine family.

The GE9X engine for Boeing's 777X aircraft will be in the 100,000 pounds thrust class with a 10 percent improvement in fuel burn over today's GE90-115B. Key features include: a 132" fan diameter; composite fan case and fourth-generation composite fan blades; next-generation 27:1 pressure ratio high-pressure compressor; a third-generation TAPS (twin annular pre-swirl) combustor for greater efficiency and low emissions; and ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material in the combustor and turbine.

Images courtesy Deutsche Lufthansa AG

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GE Aviation testing new composite fan blades for the GE9X engine

by BA Staff

Image courtesy GE

GE Aviation has begun testing on its new composite fan blades for the GE9X, the next-generation GE90 engine that will power Boeing’s 777X aircraft. This validation test is the first of several testing programs GE has planned this year for the GE9X fan module.

The first round of fan blade tests occurred in June at the ITP Engine testing facility in the United Kingdom and focused on validating the new composite material for the fan blades. The results were very positive. GE plans a second round of tests at ITP later this summer to further validate the new fan blade composite material and a new metal material for the fan blade leading edge.

This fall, GE plans to run Universal Propulsion Simulator (UPS) fan performance tests on a fan rig at a Boeing facility in Seattle, Washington. Work is already under way on the fan rig and facility for these tests.

Bill Millhaem, general manager of the GE90 Program at GE Aviation.

“The GE9X fan blade will feature new high-strength carbon fiber material and a steel alloy leading edge,” “This new material, along with a higher fan tip speed, will improve the efficiency of the low-pressure turbine (LPT) and deliver more than 1.5 percent fuel efficiency improvement compared to the GE90-115B engine.”

The GE9X fan module incorporates several unique features. The GE9X front fan will be the largest of any GE engine at 132 inches in diameter and include a durable, lightweight composite fan case similar to the fan case on the GEnx engines which power the Boeing 787 and 747-8 aircraft. Compared to a metal fan case, the composite fan case will lower the weight by 350 lbs. (approximately 160 kg) per engine.

The fan blades in the GE9X engine will be fourth-generation composite fan blades. GE Aviation developed the first composite fan blade for its GE90-94B engine in 1995. Composite fan blades are also featured in the GE90-115B and GEnx engines. GE has accumulated 36 million flight-hours with composite blades and anticipates accumulating more than 100 million flight-hours when the GE9X enters service later this decade.

The GE9X engine will have 16 fan blades, which is fewer blades than the GEnx and the GE90-115B engines. This fan blade reduction is possible as a result of advancements in three-dimensional (3D) swept design that enables engineers to create a more swept design and large fan chord. The new high-strength carbon fiber material allows the blades to be thinner than blades made from current carbon fiber material, with the same strength and durability. These improvements will drive fuel efficiency improvements and hundreds of pounds of weight reduction from fan blades and the structure needed to support them.

The lower blade count and new carbon fiber composite material will enable GE Aviation to increase the fan tip speed. The increased tip speed will improve the efficiency of the LPT, enabling a reduction in the LPT blade count and contributing to the engine’s fuel burn improvement.

The GE9X engine for Boeing’s 777X aircraft will be in the 100,000 pounds thrust class with a 10 percent improvement in fuel burn over today's GE90-115B. Key features include: a 132" fan diameter; composite fan case and fourth-generation composite fan blades; next-generation 27:1 pressure ratio high-pressure compressor; a third-generation TAPS (twin annular pre-swirl) combustor for greater efficiency and low emissions; and ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material in the combustor and turbine.

GE Aviation has been conducting tests on new materials and technologies for the engine during the last few years. Along with fan blade tests at the ITP Engine testing facility in the United Kingdom, GE Aviation will test a high-pressure compressor rig at GE’s Oil & Gas facility in Massa, Italy, this month. The first engine will test in 2016, with flight-testing on GE’s flying testbed anticipated in 2017. Engine certification is scheduled for 2018.

The GE9X will follow the highly successful GE90-115B engine that entered service in 2004. Rated at 115,000 pounds of thrust, the GE90-115B engine includes such performance-enhancing features as a 3-D aero compressor and wide-chord, swept composite fan blades for greater efficiency. The dual annular combustor emits no more than 40 percent of the hydrocarbons allowed by today's international standards. In addition, today's GE90-115B engines have been enhanced to reduce fuel burn by 3.6 percent from the 2000 launch specification.

More than 1,500 GE90-115B engines have been ordered by customers for their Boeing 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs and 777 Freighters. In 2011, the GE90 engine experienced its most successful order year and accumulated airline and freighter operator commitments for 400 engines, surpassing the 250 engine commitments record from 2007.

Snecma of France and IHI Corporation of Japan are revenue-sharing participants in the GE90 program.

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Video: Emirates' Tim Clark talks about the A350, 787, and 777X

Dubai-based Emirates airline is a behemoth in the world of wide-body aircraft. The airline's president, Tim Clark, is considered a world authority on wide-body aircraft and is always pushing the envelope, demanding increasingly better performance from the two wide-body airframers, Boeing and Airbus SAS.

Watch below, a very informative 16 minute video of Clark talking with Bloomberg's Christopher Jasper, on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show 2013, about Airbus' A350, Boeing's 787-10 and 777X models, and industry demand for wide-body aircraft. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Boeing 2nd quarter deliveries point to slow recovery from 787 fiasco

by Vinay Bhaskara

Chicago based airframer Boeing S.A. reported a 13% rise year over year in aircraft deliveries for the second quarter of 2013, after the resumption of 787 Dreamliner deliveries in May following its grounding earlier this year pushed the total to 169 aircraft, up from 150 a year prior and 137 in the first quarter of 2013.

Boeing delivered 116 737 Next-Generation narrow-bodies versus 109 a year earlier, 16 Dreamliners (against 6 in Q1 2012), 6 747-8 quad-jets, 8 767-300s (passenger and cargo), and 23 777s.

The rise in deliveries marked a positive step in Boeing's recovery from the grounding of its newest product line, the Boeing 787, in mid-January. Since that costly grounding, Boeing reported yet another quarterly profit, launched the largest iteration of the 787; the 787-10, with 102 orders at the Paris Air Show, and made progress towards the launch of the Boeing 777X program. The strong quarterly deliveries simply marks another step in Boeing's road to recovery.

Image courtesy Boeing

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