Boeing Twin-Aisle Family Provides Unprecedented Value, Flexibility

Boeing today highlighted its twin-aisle family, noting that with the offering of the 777X, it will have an airplane serving every major segment of the market. The 747-8, 777 and 787 Dreamliner families of airplanes offer a complete family with a high degree of commonality that will deliver superior value for operators.

In a briefing at the 2013 Paris Air Show, Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager, Airplane Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, outlined the company's strategy for its environmentally progressive, reliable airplanes in the context of evolving market demand and volatile fuel prices.

"Our development focus to complement and extend today's twin-aisle family means we offer a full array of airplanes that match seat count and range to the needs of the market," said Fancher.

787-9 and 787-10X

As the 787-8 Dreamliner continues its introduction with new operators and delivers on its promise of 20 percent better fuel efficiency, the second member of the family — the 787-9 — makes steady progress toward market entry. Boeing began final assembly of the 787-9 last month on schedule and is set for first flight later this year.

The third and largest member of the 787 family - the 787-10X - is on track and is progressing toward launch. The 787-10X will complement the 787-8 and 787-9 as well as the 777 family to provide maximum flexibility for operators. The 787-10X will set a new benchmark in efficiency, covering more than 90 percent of the world's twin-aisle routes with 25 percent better fuel efficiency than that of its current competitor and 13 percent better than its future competitor.

777-8X and 777-9X

Boeing continues to innovate with the 777X. By starting with the 777 — the most popular twin-aisle flying today — and adding the best of the 787 and 747-8, the 777X will provide breakthrough economics and an all-new interior.

The 777-8X, at approximately 350 seats, will provide exceptional economics over very long ranges or with full cargo and passenger loads over more traditional routes. The 777-9X, at approximately 400 seats, will uniquely serve that market segment for airlines that look to up-gauge. The 777X will be the largest and most fuel-efficient twin-engine jet in the world, with 20 percent lower fuel consumption and 15 percent lower operating costs than today's 777.

Boeing said it is exploring a number of innovations that will advance the passenger experience and create an interior passengers will prefer. For instance, the company is looking at repositioning and resizing the passenger windows to provide more ambient light in the cabin and provide passengers with better views outside the cabin.

Boeing will further leverage the 777's cross-section to introduce new innovations for passenger comfort.

"By taking advantage of the widest cabin in its class, we can create a unique flying experience that passengers will seek out," said Fancher.

747-8

The 747-8, the largest airplane in the Boeing twin-aisle family, is performing extremely well in service. It has received outstanding customer and passenger feedback, with airlines reporting excellent dispatch reliability and utilization and a 3.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency since entering service. Additional gains through a performance improvement package are under way.

Boeing's new Current Market Outlook, released last week, predicts a market size of 8,590 new twin-aisle airplanes over the next 20 years, as airlines update their fleets with new, more fuel-efficient airplanes.