Is the Airbus A350-1000 the successor to the Boeing 747-400? For Qantas, it certainly seems that way. Without the A380 continuing production, it looks like Qantas is looking to Airbus' second-biggest aircraft to fill in the role left by the queen of the skies. But how do they compare?

What are the details?

Qantas has made moves to select the Airbus A350-1000 for Project Sunrise and, in part, to fill in other areas of the Qantas network. Parts that used to be operated by the Boeing 747-400.

As Qantas is likely to buy 12 of the A350-1000s and was the only operator of the 747-400ER in the past, we thought they would be the best two aircraft to compare (Qantas did not order the Boeing 747-8i, the latest in the 747 series).

Naturally, this comparison will be a little unfair as the two aircraft were designed and built decades apart. Thus there have been plenty of developments in technology and aircraft design since then.

Airbus A350-1000 vs Boeing 747-400ER

Model

A350-1000

Boeing 747-400ER

Cockpit crew

Two

Two

Seating

369 (54J+315Y)

416 (23F @ 61" + 80J @ 39" + 313Y @ 32")

Exit limit

480

660

Overall length

73.79 m / 242.1 ft

70.66 m / 231 ft 10 in

Wing

64.75 m / 212.43 ft span, 31.9° sweep

64.44 m / 211 ft 5 in

Aspect ratio

9.03

7.91

Wing area

464.3 m2 / 4,998 sq ft

525 m2 / 5,650 sq ft

Overall height

17.08 m / 56 ft 0 in

19.41 m / 63 ft 8 in

MTOW

316 t / 696,661 lb

412 t / 910,000 lb

Fuel capacity

158,791 L / 41,948 US gal

241,140 L / 63,705 US gal

OEW

155 t (342,000 lb)

187 t (412,300 lb)

Cargo capacity

44 LD3 or 14 pallets

28 LD1/LD3

Cruise speed

Mach 0.85 (488 kn; 903 km/h) Typical, Mach 0.89 (513 kn; 950 km/h) Maximum

Mach 0.855 (504 kn; 933 km/h)

Range

16,100 km / 8,700 nmi

14,045 km / 7,585nmi

Takeoff (MTOW, SL, ISA)

2,600 m / 8,500 ft

3,260 m / 10,700 ft

Engines (2×)

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB

GE CF6

Maximum thrust

431.5 kN / 97,000 lbf

62,100–63,300 lbf (276–282 kN)

Passengers

The Boeing 747-400ER really takes advantage of that second deck to push the overall carrying capacity of the aircraft. Looking at the exit limits, you can see that the upper level of the Boeing 747 allows airlines to carry an extra 150 passengers if needed.

However, in real terms, we can see that the 747 can carry more passengers plus three cabin classes compared to the Airbus A350-1000. It is likely that Qantas will not feature first class on its A350 fleet as the world falls out of love with the category.

Cathay Pacific Business Class
Cathay Pacific Business Class. Photo: Cathay Pacific

Range

But the range is where the Airbus A350-1000 has the 747 beaten. The newer engines, winglets, and composite design allows the A350 to fly over 1,000 more nautical miles than 747. This is doubly impressive when you see that the A350 carries 100,000l less fuel than the 747.

For Product Sunrise, Airbus has said that they are modifying the MTOW of the aircraft to allow it to take additional fuel with full passenger capacity for Qantas' needs (Project sunrise is around 17-18,000km.

project sunrise route
Prior to the pandemic, Qantas was operating a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with only 40 passengers on board to study the effects of ultra-long-distance flight. Photo: Qantas

Cargo capacity

Another item that is rather surprising is the cargo capacity of the aircraft. The A350-1000 seems to have a massive cargo hold compared to the Boeing 747-400ER. This is because of the single 3,240 US gal (12,300 L) body fuel tank in the forward cargo hold that gives the 747-400ER its extra range. The A350 does not need to make any such sacrifice.

The A350 is lighter, more efficient and can carry more cargo. It might not carry as many passengers as the Boeing 747, but in a world of more direct thinner routes (like Perth to London), passenger numbers are less important.

What do you think of this analysis? Let us know in the comments.