qantas hot of the press
Qantas proposal for Boeing's non-stop 777 is still up in the air
By Geoffrey Thomas
August 13, 2004
BOEING promises that its 777-200LR will fly the 17,000km from London to Sydney in just over 19 hours - but it's not clear whether Qantas will buy.
Boeing says the latest version of the 777 will commence flying next year, with capacity for 300 passengers and cargo on a non-stop trip to Sydney.
Qantas is considered a prime candidate for the new 777 after Air New Zealand confirmed its order for up to 52 777s and the smaller 7E7s this week.
The Australian airline is evaluating its long-range options to complement its 555-seat A380 to be delivered in the second half of 2006.
These include the 320-seat A340-500/600, more 747-400ERs, second-hand 747-400s and the 365-seat 777-300ER and 300-seat 777-200LR.
The Airbus A340s have cockpits identical to Qantas's A330s and A380s and Jetstar's A320s, making them an attractive option. But analysts suggest that for Boeing to win a 777 order from Qantas, the Seattle manufacturer would have to take Qantas's A330s as a trade-in.
A Boeing executive in Seattle said: "We would be interested in a deal but Qantas hasn't asked us to do that yet."
Boeing took Singapore Airlines's A340-300 fleet off the airline when it committed to more 777s in 1999.
The aircraft manufacturer then took several years to dispose of the aircraft.
The second hand 747-400 option had some appeal for Qantas a few months ago. But the 777 strategy is gaining favour as the availability of 747s has dried up and Air New Zealand ordered the 777.
Qantas faces stiff competition from Emirates, which is offering Sydney, Melbourne and Perth travellers one-stop flights to 22 UK and European destinations.
The 777-200LR would let Qantas introduce non-stop flights from London to any Australian destination and non-stop flights to London from Perth.
Flights to London from the east coast of Australia would need a stop because of headwinds.
If Qantas went ahead with the 777 option - both the 300ER and 200LR - the aircraft would complement the A380 and replace the airline's 747 fleet on routes where the A380 was too big.
Rather than a slightly modified design, the new 777 models have required significant changes.
The wings have been extended, fuel tanks added and the body, wing, empennage and nose gear of the 777s have been strengthened. New main landing gear, wheels, tyres and brakes were installed and the engine struts and nacelles were modified to accommodate the significantly higher-thrust 52,000kg engines.
A Boeing spokesman said that the longer-range Boeing 777s had seat/km costs that were 15 per cent to 18 per cent lower than the competing A340-500 and A340-600s.
It also asserts that the fuel burn is 21-22 per cent lower per seat for the longer-range 777s.