Boeing touts 787 mtce savings vs A330
Monday February 21, 2005
Boeing believes the composite structure and electric systems on its new 787 will lead to significantly lower maintenance costs versus comparable aircraft in use today.
In fact, according to 787 Deputy Chief Mechanic Justin Hale, the company is guaranteeing mature maintenance cost savings of 32% against the A330 at year 12 of operation.
Speaking at a media briefing in Seattle last week, Hale said Boeing is targeting a scheduled maintenance program for the 787 that would allow the aircraft to go 1,000 hr. between line maintenance checks, 36 months between base maintenance checks and 12 years between heavy checks.
By comparison, he stated, the A330 requires line maintenance checks every 700 hr., base maintenance checks every 18 months and heavy checks every six years. As a result, over eight years of operations based on three 3-hr. flights per day, a new 787 would require 14 fewer line checks, two fewer base checks and one less structural check than an A330, which would allow the former to operate 131 additional flights during the period.
However, Boeing does not know how the aircraft will size up against the new A350, which Airbus began offering late last year, largely because the manufacturer has not released much information on that aircraft.--Loren Farrar
(The A350 aluminum fuselage will have a shorter time between maintenance checks in comparison to the composite fuse of the 787. If the design of the 350 hasn't been frozen yet with an aluminum fuselage then AB might decide to copy BO and spin composites ones out like 787s).
World patent for a composite airliner fuselage?