The last year has been a year of recovery for global airlines. However, some key trends have accelerated, especially with regard to fleets. Taking advantage of the opportunity to remove older aircraft, carriers are deliberating on their fleet strategy and prioritizing the execution of more efficient and lower-cost operations. A key tenet of this strategy has been versatility, and Boeing is on board and is confident that a strategy to achieve a versatile portfolio of aircraft will be needed in a post-crisis world.
What versatility means
Before delving into the need for versatility, it is important to discuss what it means in this context. Boeing has broken down versatility into three components: capacity, network flexibility and commonalities. All three are major considerations when airlines make decisions about their fleet.
The capacity is reduced to what the plane can really do. In commercial space, it mainly refers to passenger airlines. This includes factors such as seating capacity, load capacity, range, fuel efficiency, infrastructure needs and more. Airlines want to know exactly what they can do with an airplane.
The next component is network flexibility. Once an airline knows exactly what the plane can do, it analyzes where the plane can be deployed through its network. In today’s world, the more opportunities there are, the better. Considering a plane as a narrow one-aisle body, airlines want to be able to deploy that plane in a short jump between major markets a couple of times a day and then want the flexibility to fly the plane in a longer route that takes several hours.
Finally, the point in common is a lot of versatility. Airlines want to minimize the costs of introducing a particular aircraft and like to operate aircraft that know at least something about it. That’s why some major Boeing 737 Next Generation operators selected the 737 MAX as part of their fleet renewal plans. The community also extends to fleet families. Airlines want to be able to choose from a variety of aircraft within a given family to fulfill different missions.
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Worldwide versatility is key for airlines
Narrow planes have led the recovery because short- and medium-haul markets have recovered much faster than long-haul markets. This includes large domestic markets such as the United States. Long-distance routes return slowly, but versatility is also key.
Looking more closely at the fleet changes made by the airlines, this included the withdrawal of numerous four-engine aircraft in favor of modern, efficient twinjets. Aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and 787, and the Airbus A330 and A350 have been taking routes previously flown by Boeing 747, Airbus A340 and A380.
It is crucial to consider all three aspects of versatility in large space. From the point of view of capabilities, the Boeing 787 is little capable of doing. An example of Qantas can be found, which historically used the type to make the first regular scheduled commercial flights between Australia and London. These flights are expected to return.
In addition, other airlines around the world have used the same 787 for more standard long-haul routes. Think American and United, and British Airways use the plane on long-haul routes that connect cities like New York, Washington DC, and Chicago with London, Athens, and more.
However, United also has some important plans for the Dreamliner. Not only has he used the plane on these routes, but he has also added two new long-haul routes to his schedules: Newark in Johannesburg and San Francisco in Bangalore. The Boeing 787 is the only aircraft United has in its long-haul fleet that can serve both routes reliably without having a massive payload.
The 787 not only can perform both routes, but so could previous-generation aircraft, such as the Airbus A340, but the Dreamliner does so at a lower cost, with better efficiency, and improved passenger comfort. .
Narrow bodies are still important
According to Boeing, the single aisle market has remained “resilient”. Medium-sized aircraft such as the Airbus A320ceo and A320neo and the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft have been key aircraft returning to service. Even in this space, versatility has been paramount.
Of the 43,610 aircraft that Boeing believes the industry will need by 2040, 32,660 are expected to be narrow-body aircraft. This is where planes like the Boeing 737 MAX 10 will be key.
Airlines will need more higher caliber aircraft. Boeing forecasts a 4.0% growth in annual passenger traffic (measured in passenger revenue kilometers) per year from a 2019 base. Although many airports are in the process of being modernized and expanded. , the time has come when airlines will be physically forced to add more flights at some airports. In these situations, superior caliber is important.
Also, hubs go nowhere. Although demand and point-to-point traffic have grown steadily, the efficiency of radio networks and operation is unrivaled and the security centers they provide have been essential to the recovery of air travel. To continue to grow connection centers, larger-caliber aircraft will be key.
This is where narrow bodies come in. Take United Airlines, which is trying to correct its caliber problems with a major order for both large Boeing narrow-body aircraft and Airbus narrow-body aircraft. The key aspect for United there was the caliber.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is an example of a Boeing offering a product that fits many of these needs. It is a higher-width aircraft that can make short-haul routes, but it can also make longer routes in the United States. It also fits into a common ground perspective, as airlines can choose from MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 9 and MAX 10 or a combination of these to get a narrow bodywork fleet that suits their needs without sacrificing normalcy and increasing costs.
Over the next 20 years, Boeing will definitely launch some new aircraft models. Expect the manufacturer to continue to offer a versatile aircraft portfolio that fits what its customers need, while remaining focused on efficiency.