Air travelling with Boeing 787

Boeing 787

Boeing 787, or Dreamliner, is a mid-sized wide body passenger airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes and scheduled to enter service in 2008. It will carry between 200 and 350 passengers depending on the seating configuration, and will be more fuel-efficient than comparable earlier airliners. In addition, it will be the first major airliner to use composite material in the majority of its construction.

787 design was frozen [1]. With a less rakish nose and a more conventional tail, the final design has superior aerodynamics.

767 sales began to weaken in the face of competition from the Airbus A330-200 in the late 1990s, Boeing began to consider replacement aircraft. As the 747-400 was also beginning to lose traction, the company proposed two new aircraft — the Boeing Sonic Cruiser and the 747X.

The 747X, intended to compete with the Airbus A380, would stretch the 747-400 and give it a composite supercritical wing to improve efficiency. The limited potential market for superjumbos was an issue, however; the earlier Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 widebodies split of a similarly limited market drove both companies out of their strong positions in the commercial aircraft market.

When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred, the global airline market was upended. Airlines were not able to justify large capital expenditures, and due to increased petroleum prices, were more interested in efficiency than speed. The worst-affected airlines were in the United States — those same airlines were considered to be the most likely customer of the Sonic Cruiser. Boeing proceeded to offer airlines the option of using the airframe for either higher speed or increased efficiency. Due to high projected airframe costs, demand continued to evaporate. Eventually, Boeing switched tracks and decided to offer an alternative project, cancelling the 747X once Airbus launched production of the Airbus A380 aircraft

The 787 essentially uses the technology proposed for the Sonic Cruiser in a more conventional airframe configuration (see Features). Boeing claims that the 787 will be up to 20% more fuel-efficient than current comparable aircraft. Roughly one-third of this efficiency improvement will come from the engines; another third from aerodynamic improvements and the increased use of lighter weight composite materials; and the rest from advanced systems. The most notable system advancement contributing to efficiency is a "more electric architecture" which replaces bleed air and hydraulic power with electrically powered compressors and pumps. Technology from the Sonic Cruiser and 787 will be used as part of Boeing's project to replace their entire airliner product line, Yellowstone (of which the 787 is the first stage).

For the first time in commercial aviation, both engine types will have a standard interface with the aircraft, allowing any 787 to be fitted with either a GE or Rolls-Royce engine at any time. Engine interchangeability makes the 787 a far more flexible asset to airlines, allowing them to change from one manufacturer's engine to the other's in light of any future engine developments which conform more closely to their operating profile. The engine market for the 787 is estimated $40 billion USD over the next 25 years.

April 26, 2004, the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) became the launch customer for the 787, then still-known as the 7E7, announcing a firm order for 50 aircraft to be delivered beginning in 2008. ANA's order was for thirty 787-3, 300 seat, one-class domestic aircraft, and twenty 787-8, long-haul, 230 seat, two-class aircraft for international routes such as Tokyo Narita-Los Angeles. The aircraft will allow new routes to be opened to minor cities not previously served, such as to Denver.