Airbus broke down the advantages of the A350-1000 compared to the 777X series, making some interesting points. In terms of airport compatibility, the A350-1000 has the same ground handling as A350-900, same ICAO category and ground maneuverability as the 777-300ER, which is crucial when it comes to gate availability. The A350-1000 is the same size as the 777-300ER, but that does not mean it has the same seat count.
The 777-300ER has 5 doors, but the -1000 has 4 doors. “Because we have 4 doors, and they have 5 doors, the -1000 will have more seats,” said Sophie Pendaries, Head of Airbus Product Marketing. This allows for one additional row on the 350 as opposed to the 777-300ER, but keeps the same footprint. “To compete with the A350-1000, 777-9X has fallen out of its airport box. To avoid falling outside the airport box, our competitor is studying wingtip fold, but Airbus is looking at simplicity,” added Pendaries.
“Why does Boeing go so far? They need to stretch the 777 to be able to compete. We don’t believe they do it for specific market needs, but we believe they need it to do so to compete against the A350-1000. We do not believe that the 777-9x will be in a position to reduce its maximum takeoff weight. The A35-900 will deliver in 2014 what the 777-9x will deliver in 2020.”
Based on the article “Airbus Gives Major A350 XWB Program Update: Rival 777X In The Crosshairs” published in Airchive
No comments:
Post a Comment