able to do on the 900ULR clearly we
can deploy on the 1000ULR as well.
“We are looking at both options.
I am convinced that we have at least
one if not two products that could do
the mission.”
Airbus has not published seating
data for the the A350-900ULR,
stating only the long-range variant
was capable of flying more than
20 hours and had a range of up to
9,700nm based on a “typical high
premium cabin”.
The A350-900ULR features a
modified fuel system, which increases
the fuel carrying capacity by 24,000
litres (from 141,000 litres to 165,000
litres) over the standard A350-900
without the need for additional
fuel tanks. This is achieved through
modifications to the layout of the
piping and valves within the fuel tank.
There is also a performance
improvement package with larger
winglets, a slight twist to the
wing compared with the standard
A350-900, as well as changes to the
flap fairing and belly fairing. Max
takeoff weight is 280 tonnes.
Meanwhile, the current A350-1000
has a range of 7,950nm, a maximum
takeoff weight of 308 tonnes and a
maximum fuel capacity of 156,000
litres, according to Airbus figures. It
can carry 366 passengers in a typical
seating configuration.
Schulz described the discussions
with Qantas as an iterative process.
“So at the beginning, Qantas could
have the temptation to put many,
many seats and then the reality might
be a bit different,” Schulz said.
“What we need to understand is
these are not markets that exist today.
“These iterations have started but
they are far from being concluded.”
Qantas likely to have Australia-United
Kingdom nonstop market to itself for
now
One-time Qantas shareholder and
alliance partner British Airways (BA)
is the last remaining European airline
flying its own aircraft to Australia.
And with the United Kingdom’s
other flag carrier Virgin Atlantic more
focused on the trans-Atlantic given
its alliance with Delta Air Lines and
with Air France-KLM a part owner,
BA was seemingly the only one likely
to contemplate Australia-UK nonstop
flights.
However, the chief executive of
BA’s parent company International
Airlines Group (IAG) Willie Walsh
said there were no plans to follow in
Qantas’s footsteps.
“We’re not looking to do direct
flights from Heathrow to Australia,”
Walsh told delegates at a CAPA- Centre for Aviation conference in
Sydney on June 6.
“Codesharing is an option but in
terms of using our metal, we’re not
considering it.
“Personally, the idea of sitting on
an aircraft for 21 hours to get from
Heathrow to Sydney, I don’t know, it
just doesn’t appeal to me.”
Locally, Virgin Australia too has
shown no ambition for ultra-long-haul
flights.
While BA was not keen on
Australia-UK nonstops, Airbus’s
Schulz said there were other airlines
aside from Qantas looking at ultra
long-haul aircraft.
“There is an interest for other
operators who have ultra long-range
missions to look at these options and
look at these possibilities,” Schulz said.
“I can think of at least three
different operators who have, I would
say, for a part of their network, the
kind of ultra long-range mission
would be...quite similar to Project
Sunrise.”
While Boeing’s Hulst noted the
interest in the Boeing 777-8X for
Qantas’s Project Sunrise challenge,
as well as from Air New Zealand’s
ambition to offer an Auckland-New
York (7,671nm) nonstop service, in
this part of the world, he was keen
to point out the 777-8X also needed
the flexibility to fulfil a range of
missions required from other airline
customers.
“Airlines are very focused on an
airplane that fits more than just a very
small subset of markets, they want an
airplane that has versatility; whether
you’re Qantas or whether you’re an
airline in the Middle East or anywhere
else in the world,” Hulst said.
“You want an airplane that’s most
efficient in its class and it’s the most
flexible in terms of where it can be
deployed in the network.
“I would focus less on the ultimate
range of the aircraft and focus more
on the fact that this aircraft has the
most range capability of any airplane,
current or future, and it is also more
efficient than other aircraft in its class.
“Airlines need the capability but
they also need the versatility, you need
to be able to deploy it on multiple
routes or it won’t make sense, it won’t
buy its way into a fleet.”
There have been 326 orders for the
777-X program, comprising 53 for
the 777-8X and 273 for the 777-9X,
according to the Boeing website.
Meanwhile, Airbus has logged
847 orders for the A350 program,
comprising 679 for the A350-900
(including the seven A350-900ULRs
for SIA) and 168 for the A350-1000.Sunrise
‘I can think of
at least three
operators
who have the
kind of ultra
long-range
mission
similar to
Project
Sunrise.’
ERIC SCHULZQatar Airways uses the Boeing
777 -200LR (pictured here at
Miami) on Auckland-Doha,
currently the world’s longest
nonstop air route.ROB FINLAYSON