From today's Sunday Times
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> Airlines queue up to buy sonic jet
David Parsley
Boeing's sonic cruiser sounds death knell for Concorde
THE RACE to bring Boeing's new sonic cruiser to the skies is
on, with Emirates, the Middle East airline, leading the charge.
Emirates has told The Sunday Times that it is in negotiations
to buy up to seven of the £200m jets, which could be flying
close to the speed of sound within five years. The deal could be
worth £1.4 billion.
But Emirates is facing competition from other groups, such as
American, Continental and Singapore airlines, which are also in
talks with Boeing about ordering the jet.
Emirates said: "The sonic cruiser would certainly fit in well with
our plans for growth. It is obviously early days but we do have a
tradition of being the launch customer for innovations. We were
the first to order the Airbus A380 superjumbo and I wouldn't be
at all surprised if Emirates is the first to place a firm order for
this plane."
Boeing announced plans for the sonic cruiser late last month
after ending its attempt to build a rival to Airbus's 550-seat
superjumbo. The Seattle-based aircraft giant had offered
airlines a stretched version of its Boeing 747 - the original
jumbo jet - but carriers interested in such big planes chose the
A380.
Singapore Airlines has already ordered the A380 but it is also
talking to Boeing about the sonic cruiser. It said: "Our order of
the A380 does not preclude us from taking an interest in the
sonic cruiser. Boeing has spoken to us and we have been
invited to be part of their team to provide input into the design.
We have encouraged them to proceed. This is not a
commitment, but we would like to
see the aircraft developed. Whether we would make a
commitment to the Boeing aircraft depends on the economics.
This plane would be suited to routes with a high share of
business passengers who would pay a premium."
Don Carty, American Airlines' chief executive, has also
approached Boeing and claims his airline will beat Emirates to
place the first orders.
The excitement surrounding the sonic cruiser, which has
amazed even Boeing executives, has also filtered through to
the world's leading engine makers. Rolls-Royce said it was
talking to Boeing about the type of power the jet would need.
Meanwhile, General Electric and Pratt & Whitney are thought
to have joined forces to take on Rolls, working on a variation of
the GE90 engine to power the sonic cruiser to at least Mach
0.95.
There is even talk that Rolls may be working on a supersonic
engine that solves the environmental problems of the sonic
boom.
Boeing also said it was confident of striking its first order soon
for the new jet. One executive said the group would not have
launched such a project unless it had already canvassed
opinion from its customers and received a positive response.
"We are talking to a number of our customers about design
elements of the sonic cruiser," said Boeing. "We do not
announce a project of this scale without being sure it will get off
the ground."
The company believes the sonic cruiser, which is sure to eat
into the market held by Concorde, could be flying passengers
across the world within five years. The jet will cut average
journey times by as much as 20%.
The 300-hundred seat aircraft will also allow people to fly direct
from America's east coast to the Far East.</font>