Flight International – 11 June 2019

ightglobal.com 11-17 June 2019 | Flight International | 37

PARIS

Widebody rivalry

accounts for just over 20% of each type’s order-
book. In delivery terms, the region contributes
18% of the 787’s total and 12% of the A350’s.
There is a marked contrast between the two
types in Boeing’s home market, North Ameri-
ca. It is a key region for the 787, accounting for
15% of the type’s orders and 16% of deliver-
ies. By comparison, North American custom-
ers represent less than 10% of A350 orders
and 4% of deliveries.

MIXED RANGE
As outlined earlier, the overlap of the Airbus
and Boeing widebody product lines involves
a mix of all-new and derivative aircraft. With
the A380 now removed from Airbus’s long-
term planning, the A350 is now central to its
battle with Boeing in the widebody segment.
Speaking in January, after having reveal-
ing the airframer’s 2018 order and delivery
numbers, Airbus chief executive Guillaume
Faury conceded that “the Boeing team has
done a good job on the long-range” sector in
order terms over recent years, but was
resolute about Toulouse’s intent to change
the dynamic: “We are looking forward to the
years to come with our product range – the
A350, which is gaining a lot of support from
the customer community and a lot of
credibility, and the A330neo. I think the fu-
ture is ours.”
If Airbus is to deliver on this intent, a key first
step must be to drive the A350 beyond the land-
mark of 1,000 firm orders. Watch this space. ■

A350 relies most heavily on Asia-Pacific

market, which has taken 58% of deliveries

Airbus

Airline customers who have ordered both A350 and 787

Operator A350 variants 787 variants

Aeroflot Russian Airlines A350-900 787-8/9

Air China* A350-900 787-9

Air France A350-900 787-9

Avianca A350-900 787-8/9

British Airways A350-1000 787-8/9/10

China Southern Airlines A350-900 787-8/9

Ethiopian Airlines* A350-900 787-8/9

Etihad Airways A350-1000 787-9/10

Hainan Airlines* A350-900 787-8/9

Japan Airlines A350-900/1000 787-8/9

KLM A350-900 787-9/10

Lufthansa A350-900 787-9

Qatar Airways* A350-900/1000 787-8/9

Singapore Airlines* A350-900 787-10

Thai Airways International* A350-900 787-9

Turkish Airlines A350-900 787-9

United Airlines A350-900 787-8/9/10

Vietnam Airlines* A350-900 787-9/10

Virgin Atlantic A350-900 787-9

*Currently operating both types Source: Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer (May 2019)

Airbus A350/Boeing 787 leading details

A350-900 A350-1000 787-8 787-9 787-10

Seats 300 350 242 290 330

MTOW (t) 280 316 228 254 254

Range (nm) 8,100 8,400 7,360 7,640 6,430

List price ($m)* 317.4 366.5 248.3 292.5 338.4

*2018 for Airbus, 2019 for Boeing Source: Manufacturers