Of course, it appears lost on you how many 777-200ER’s there are in service compared to the A330 fleet - further, the -200LR is a niche airplane but a far better seller than the A340-500.

Like it or not, had the A350 entered service within twelve months of the 787, the almost “giveaway” like deals on the A330 would not have existed - although I would not be surprised to see you both deny and dismiss that.

The A330 is a stopgap for the A350, period. Compared to the 787, its yesterdays newspaper.

One would get the impression following the news and forums but the A330+A350 have sold pretty well during the last few years.

Not including the hot selling A330, but including the slow selling 777-200/ER/LR is taking a ride with reality IMO.

That could be the farthest from the truth. The B787(-8) specifically addresses planes such as the A330….It is a plane which Airbus actually has neglected, hence why the B787-8 has sold more than TWICE the amount of the B787-9 and A350-8 combined!

Its a four way powerplay.

“They could do a longer stretch (6m) with a larger MTOW increase (15-20t), but this will require a new undercarriage geometry (six-wheel trucks) and as such a new wingbox will be likely needed”

Assuming this is the B789..this is pretty close to a hypothetical B787-10…

If Boeing can get the B787-10 to around
260t, it will make the A359 toast (this B787-10 would be 5t lighter than the current A359)…even if the A359 will be able to fly farther and/or have a higher payload…I dont’ see anything further than a B787-10 (possibly a HGW version)…I think the
A359 right now in its current iteration is a B787-10HGW…”

… in the long-term, I don’t see any way around it…the B777 will have to be replaced with newer and better technology…and a
larger wing profile..

They could do a 3m stretch and 5t MTOW increase to the 787-9. This would allow the existing wings, engines, and undercarriage to be used, but would offer the least-competitive option. It would make a great A330-300 and 777-200 replacement, but it would come up short in both range and payload over range to the 777-200ER and A350-900.

They could do a longer stretch (6m) with a larger MTOW increase (15-20t), but this will require a new undercarriage geometry (six-wheel trucks) and as such a new wingbox will be likely needed. Such an MTOW increase would also require a more powerful engine both to lift the extra weight as well as to improve field performance with the wing (which is good for 290t, but likely suffers from field performance issues at that weight). Such a move would allow for a possible longer stretch and MTOW increase to challenge the A350-1000.

The 777-200LR and 777-300ER are already likely at their MTOW limits, so the goal would likely be to reduce the MEW (Manufacturer’s Empty Weight). Moving from Al to Al-Li for the fuselage and wing panels would lower weight, as would building the center wingbox out of CFRP and Al. Every ton of weight that can be taken out of the 777 is another ton of payload it can carry or one less ton of mass it has to tank and burn fuel for.

The issues facing Boeing include:

Different airlines want different things for a “787-10″

The current 787 backlog means any 787-10 would likely not become available until 2016 to 2017 - 3 or 4 years after the A350-900 and 1 to 2 years after the A350-1000.

Boeing would likely prefer to have actual 787-8 flight test data to help refine their numbers for the 787-9 and 787-10, but that program is now running around 12 months behind.

Airbus has yet to publish the final specifications for the A350 and will not do so until the end of the year.

I tend to think we’ll hear something more concrete around the UK air show this summer. It could very well be the formal announcement of the 787-10 with some very hazy details with firm configuration announced in Paris 2009. Airbus is taking close to 18 months from initial announcement to firm configuration of the A350, so Boeing could offer very generous and flexible purchase rights for the 787-10 in July to get airlines to at least tentatively commit.