EVERETT – Airbus’ superjumbo jet may have been looming large over the skies of Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, but it wasn’t casting much of a shadow on the Boeing Co.’s prospects.
Just a day before the A380 touched down, the superjumbo’s launch customer, Singapore Airlines, doused hope that the carrier might consider the new 747-8 Intercontinental, Boeing’s closest offering to the A380. But that’s no sweat off Boeing’s back, one industry analyst says.
“I don’t think Boeing was ever very hot on the prospect of a Singapore buy,” said Paul Nisbet, an analyst with the Teal Group.
Boeing competitor Airbus wrapped up the last of its flight for certification with a stop in Vancouver, 110 miles north of Boeing’s Everett plant, on its way back to Toulouse, France, via the North Pole. The 555-seat jet program suffered its third delay in October.
With more than 40 orders for the freighter version of its new 747-8, Boeing still hasn’t logged any requests for its 467-seat Intercontinental.
On Tuesday, Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng told the media his company intends to “phase out” 747s from its fleet, emphasizing the importance of keeping the carrier’s fleet modern.
Although Singapore Airlines has expressed its disappointment with the delayed delivery of Airbus’ A380, the carrier has not canceled its orders for the superjumbo jet.
“We’re still engaged with the manufacturer,” Seng said.
The European planemaker will not hand over an A380 to Singapore Airlines until October 2007, a year behind schedule. Many A380 customers will not see deliveries for nearly two years after the date originally promised.
Earlier this month, FedEx Express canceled an order for 10 Airbus A380 Freighters and put in a request for 15 Boeing 777 Freighters. Despite whisperings of other air carriers’ unhappiness with Airbus’ setbacks, none have followed FedEx’s lead.
As of Oct. 31, Airbus has taken 176 firm orders for its A380 from 16 customers, according to the company’s Web site.
Even with the superjumbo’s delays and the new Intercontinental in the works, it still wouldn’t make sense for Singapore to change its strategy, Nisbet said. With plans for 10 superjumbo jets and a horde of mid-size jets – 19 Boeing 777-300 Extended Range planes, 20 787 Dreamliners and 20 of Airbus’ A350s – Singapore Airlines doesn’t have much need for aircraft with the 747’s seating capacity.
The new Intercontinental would complement the fleets of both British Airways and Lufthansa, along with two or three large Far East airlines, Nisbet said. Several airlines are still waiting for Boeing to finalize the configuration for 747-8 passenger jet.
In October, Boeing did announce plans to stretch its newest 747 passenger plane to allow for a baseline of 467 seats, 88 seats shy of the A380’s seating capacity. In doing so, however, the Intercontinental loses about 200 nautical miles of range.
Some airlines, such as Dubai-based Emirates, have suggested that Boeing should offer two versions of the same plane: one with the extra seating and one with longer range.
For its part, however, Boeing might be waiting for a large airline such as Lufthansa to back up its request for one of the versions with an order.
“They haven’t nailed it down yet in regards to what they’re doing with it,” Nisbet said.
Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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