• 

  Boeing

  Stock Code:

  BA

  Date Founded:

  1916-07-15

  CEO:

  Dave Calhoun

  Headquarters Location:

  Chicago, USA

  Key Product Lines:

  Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

The widespread and versatile nature of the Boeing 787 means that, if you're flying long-haul, there is a decent chance that your aircraft will be from the 'Dreamliner' family. However, as well as optimizing operational efficiency on existing routes, the 787 has also made a name for itself as something of an enabler for new city pairs.

300+ new city pairs served since its launch

To be precise, Boeing's data, as explained in a media presentation last week by Darren Hulst, the company's VP of Commercial Marketing, shows that the 787 has enabled the opening of 327 new city pairs since its launch. For an aircraft that only entered commercial service just over 10 years ago, this seems an impressive figure.

The advantage of the 787 in accessing new markets is that it has a shorter takeoff distance than older Boeing widebodies such as the 777 and 747. This is just 2,600 m at MTOW and sea level for the 787-8, compared to 3,380 for the 777-300ER and 3,185 for the 747-400 (per data from Modern Airliners and Plane & Pilot).

To list just one example, this has allowed TUI to operate rare widebody services from South Yorkshire's Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) to Orlando, Florida. Regarding the 787's ability to connect countless new markets, Hulst states:

"Over 325 new city pairs that weren't served before are now connected, or have been connected, with 787 aircraft, whether it was the -8, the -9, or, even in some cases, the -10."

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The trend has continued throughout the pandemic

While the coronavirus pandemic initially saw the world become a far less connected place, the 787 has, nonetheless, ultimately been able to keep up its trend of lining new markets. For various reasons, even amid the circumstances of the last few years, the Dreamliner has continued to open new routes. Hulst adds:

"We talk about innovation throughout crises, and there have been over 50 new city pairs connected with 787s since the pandemic began. Whether it's because they wanted to overfly hubs that were closed due to travel restrictions, whether it's because of new revenue opportunities that airlines have seen because of shifting leisure or business travel: almost a sixth of the [787's] new city pairs over the last decade came during the pandemic."

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Recent success

Thus far, 2022 has largely been a year of recovery for the airline industry, with passengers returning in their droves and routes reopening all over the world. As well as enabling the connection of new city pairs, the 787 has also played a role in re-establishing previous links in recent months. In this regard, Hulst explains that:

"Over the course of the last month, out of 50 city pairs, 21 have been reopened by the 787. This is the aircraft that airlines are choosing to restore service, increased frequency and add new city pairs. That has continued, and I think it will continue to accelerate as we move through this decade"

For comparison, Boeing's data showed that the Airbus A330 had reopened the next-most city pairs in the last month, with nine. This was followed by the 767 (seven), the A350 (six), and the 777 (five). This shows the Dreamliner's versatility, and is likely a factor in Boeing dubbing it 'the only complete widebody family.'

Sources: Modern Airliners, Plane & Pilot