747-8I Order Drought To End
May 16th, 2008
As the Farnborough Air Show draws near, the work behind the scenes for a certain airplane has also drawn significant interest.
After losing the most eagerly awaited fleet replacement order of 2007, British Airways’ decision to select the Airbus A380-800 was met with surprise and questions were raised about the future of the 747. While the 747-8F has notched up a variety of customers, its sister ship, the 747-8 Intercontinental has thus far, Lufthansa as its sole customer (aside from several VIP orders too).
But that landscape may change in the future.
With airline discussions having gone on for many months now, FleetBuzz Editorial.com can reveal that Etihad Airways is one of the key customers that may be a 747-8I customer by the end of this year.
Image copyright of FleetBuzz Editorial.com
Sources within the airline confirmed that an order evaluation is to be announced during 2008, but did state that the 777-300ER will likely get the nod for its future needs. Speculation has also been rife that the 35 unidentified 787’s ordered earlier this year are also for the Abu Dhabi based airline.
Etihad also operates the gas guzzling A340-600 model, one of which was destroyed prior to delivery at Toulouse late last year.
Ironically, Arab rival Qatar Airways is poised to dump its inefficient A340 fleet as it takes more 777’s - Etihad is also likely to do the same while oil/fuel costs continue to rise.
Campaigns at other carriers for the 747-8I continue and Boeing doesn’t rule out the possibility of garnering more orders for its most iconic product. Securing Etihad would not not only be a boost to the 747, but the Arab carrier would be able to take delivery of the said model before the A380’s it has ordered, due for delivery during 2013.
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Entry Filed under: Aeroplane, Aerospace, Air Transport, Air Travel, Airbus, Airbus A380, Airlines, Airplane, Airplane Order, Airplanes, Airport, Airports, Aviation, Boeing, Boeing 747-8, Boeing 747-8F, Boeing 747-8I, Boeing 777, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787, Dreamliner, Etihad Airways, Farnborough Air Show 2008, FleetBuzz.com, Travel
10 Comments Add your own
1. NYC777 | May 16th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Wow that is great news. I suspect that EK might jump on the band wagon for few eventually. This report is lending more creedence to the rumor that the 35 x 787s are for EY. Looks like Boeing will have a lot of good news at Farnbourough.
2. Aurora | May 16th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
If they do order the 748I, what does this portend for the four A380s that EY has on order? Would they follow the LH example and operate a mixed VLA fleet or cancel their A380s?
3. Tani Taniwha | May 16th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I hope that this latest speculation is on the money for the promising but slow selling i model. It surely deserves more orders and in particular, mre opportunity to prove it’s worth against the 380 and 777.
I’m sure, once in service, it will raise a few eyebrows regarding it’s effetiveness, if Boeing’s past history is anything to go by.
4. Chris Wallace | May 17th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Well EY has deferred their A380s, so they may feel that the plane is too large for them. However, might they also feel the same of the 747-8I?
Also, what does EY value more? Passengers or cargo?
In terms of raw lift, the 777-300ER will put 70t into the air. A 747-8I will offer another 7t on top of that, but both fall far short of the 91t the A380-800 can put into the skies. However, the 77W is the best cargo hauler while the A388 is the worst. The 747-8I falls somewhere in the middle.
As EY already has five 77Ws, adding to that fleet makes sense - either in companion with or replacement of their existing A340-600 fleet.
The 747-8I would certainly carry more cargo then the A380-800, so if cargo is the priority of EY, it likely makes more sense then the A380-800. However, Airbus doesn’t seem to be willing to let any A380 customers get away, and Boeing has shown with BA they will only go so low to secure a 747-8I order - even a “critically strategic” one.
So I am inclined to think Airbus will convince EY to stay with the A388 and forgo the 747-8I.
5. Levent | May 17th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
The 747 as it was all new in the end of the 60s was also a very bad selling aircraft i think. The big sucess started after it entried service.
i mean, the 748i cant be such a bad airplane. Otherwise a professional airline like lufthansa would never have ordered such a big number of them. And they eventually want to go for more, up to 50 748i s.
6. James Baloun | May 19th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Does it make sense to establish a route using a 747-8I with fewer seats to fill and later switching to the A380 when the route becomes more popular?
7. keesje | May 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I would be nice to have a second airline order passenger 747’s. It has become awfully silent since 2002.
I think EY’s Hogan recently said the orders will probably include additional A380 superjumbos. So it would become a mixed VLA fleet.
http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10192001.html
For sometime Ethihad is rumored to consider ordering order 100 aircraft for 20 billion.
I think they might prefer the A350-900 over the gas guzzling 777-200ER/LR or endlessly delayed 787-10 to speak in Boeing777 language
8. BOEING777 | May 19th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Keesje - compare the A340 to the 777 family. Naturally, the newer A350 will be better than the previous 777 models - for the here and now, the 777 guzzles far less fuel than A340’s.
As for the 787-10, it is undefined - to call it “delayed” is highly misguided for something that has never been launched.
9. keesje | May 19th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Boeing777, I think the launch of the 787-10 has been delayed several times.
Ask SQ, QF, EK or CX.
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/07/08/10137640.html
I think every fleet manager proposing ordering the 747-8i to his board will have a hard time defusing unfavourable public comments from folks like ILFC’s Udvar H, SQ’s Seng, QF’s Dixon and BA’s Walsh.
ILFC’s Udvar:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/aerospace/archives/125748.asp
BA’s Willy Walsh:
http://www.fleetbuzz.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=18427&mode=threaded&pid=88788
SQ Chew:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/336825_a38026.html
QF’s Dixon:
http://www.fleetbuzzeditorial.com/category/qantas/
10. BOEING777 | May 20th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Semantics- it remains an undefined airplane. You cannot launch or “delay” something that is not a static design.
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