Is It Goodbye To The B748i? [Archive]

benjaavpilot

26th Dec 2012, 09:37

It is evident, there seem to be no trend of interest from airlines to even give the B748i a second look. The current preference has gone to the twins and the only quads getting orders is the A380.

Is Boeing just going to allow the B748i to meet a natural death? or there is no life to speak of to begin with since the Lufthansa B748i is not for the books, the number just does not put on any significance at all?

All the rumored potential B748i has just gone to thin air......this is quite alarming unless Boeing could not care less at all then that is another story :O

Sunamer

26th Dec 2012, 10:45

It is evident..

Evident to who?

according to wiki:
B has 40 orders of 748i and 67 of 748f's.
107 in total.
36 are delivered so far.

A380 has 262 orders and 97 delivered so far.

Keep in mind that
AB flew its first A380 in 2005 and
B did this with its first 748 in 2010...

Hotel Tango

26th Dec 2012, 10:52

I still prefer crossing large expanses of water on four engines as opposed to two. Coincidentally only just yesterday I read a former A330 pilot (now flying the B747-400) admit exactly the same. But like it or not the B777-300 does the job just as effectively, if not better, than a B747-800 does, so I can't see there being a glorious future for it - unless a twin ends up ditching in an ocean because of a double and unrelated engine failure. That would certainly have all the punters in a mad dash to try and book on what quads remain.

glad rag

26th Dec 2012, 11:36

Sunamer, totally different aircraft, Generations [and grandfathers] apart.

;)

NWSRG

26th Dec 2012, 12:24

It's early days yet...if the A380 / 748i / A346 combination works well at LH, and the A380 / 748i / 77W at Korean, then it might suggest that there is room to operate these types together. Given the price of oil, 'right sizing' the aircraft is ever more critical, so the 748i might prosper. What would be a measure of success? 100 frames? 200? Both may be reachable over time. The 777-9X might be the killer, if it ever comes to fruition.

flite idol

26th Dec 2012, 12:31

totally different aircraft

I dont`think anyone thought they were the same aircraft??? But they are the only four engine super wide body jets in production so comparisen is valid I think.

Generations [and grandfathers] apart

The 747-8 is the latest generation of the Jumbo so they are the same generation in terms of technology, design, engines, systems and aerodynamics.

Time will tell:eek:The A380 has many commitments and orders made when the fuel dynamic was very different. Boeing was punting the -8 in a different climate and the order books reflect that but sadly I suspect the future lies with pilotless twins:sad:

benjaavpilot

26th Dec 2012, 15:34

I personally believe that the B748 will surely stop passenger service to go for freight service only!
The twins are more fuel efficient.

benjaavpilot

26th Dec 2012, 15:38

Sadly it seems that the 747-400s days are numbered with major operators planning to retire the type or already has retired it. However threre are still quite a few operators flying the 744.

mutt

26th Dec 2012, 17:11

If you look at the sales, the last two unidentified orders are most likely us.... We get them in May..... with some passenger versions to follow.

crewmeal

27th Dec 2012, 06:22

It is evident, there seem to be no trend of interest from airlines to even give the B748i a second look.

Boeing would have done their homework before investing huge amounts of $$$ in this project as they did with the 747 classics. Remember that not all airports can handle 380's and the 747 is still a popular aircraft. True many carriers have down sized in favour of the 777, but my guess is the 747-8 series is here for sometime.

DaveReidUK

27th Dec 2012, 06:47

but my guess is the 747-8 series is here for sometime

That may well be true, but I'd be surprised if the 747-8i (which is what the thread is about) doesn't continue to be outsold by the -8f by at least 2:1, and probably by a lot more as time goes by.

ARNSpoty

8th Jan 2013, 23:50

highly doubt that the B748 will pass the A380 in production, and i highly doubt that B748 has sealed it's doors...far far away from that.

grounded27

9th Jan 2013, 02:30

The larger they are are the harder they fall. Reminds me of Atlas Circa 2000, global market fell and all were looking for smaller aircraft to charter. The A380 has to have a high volume charter, the 748 slips in just behind then we get into the 777lr and -f. Given this knowledge I do not think it is a concern for Boeing, as the future goes it is a small investment with small risk for the 748, Airbus fails first.

ARNSpoty

9th Jan 2013, 09:40

Boeing has made a great success to the 77W which is clearly visible to the ordering statistics, hence the time differential they've been available. The 77W as hit the sweet-spot for long-haul operators and seems to be a substitute to the B744 for many airlines.
I see that the 77W will be the first model to get a minor or major change, just more efficient to focus on i guess. The B77W is simply the better choice for most airlines.

Despite the B748, I do think the B748F will do significantly better.:)

mutt

9th Jan 2013, 15:07

If rumour control is to believed, we are getting at least 16 of them, a combination of both 8i and 8f...... But i haven't seen anything on the Boeing site to reflect this.

BALHR

12th Jan 2013, 12:04

While its unlikely the 747-8I will be selling as much as the 777-300ER, there are still several potental airlines that could order the place, such as Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Air China* for example...

Its only been operating for 1-2 years and airlines like to wait after its launch in service before seeing if its worth ordering...

*Maybe British Airways (might) be included and Lufthansa might want to order more...

We can judge if it been sucessful in the mid-2020s...

DaveReidUK

12th Jan 2013, 14:19

We can judge if it been sucessful in the mid-2020s... The day of reckoning for the B748 will be well before then.

benjaavpilot

12th Jan 2013, 15:15

oh no guys, personally i dont see any light at the end of the tunnel for the B747, !

BALHR

14th Jan 2013, 09:32

The day of reckoning for the B748 will be well before then.

It takes time for a new aircraft to be established and the 747-I has only been around for 1-2 years, we still waiting on the A380-800s fate..