Emirates Airline presses Boeing for information on 777 successor

President Tim Clark said: "We're working closely to get to specifications we're happy with.  That means layouts, the seats, the galleys, getting the weights righ, getting the fuel burn."

 

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Emirates is keen to be the launch customer for the 777X family and all signs are pointing towards an industrial launch of the program by Boeing at the Dubai Air Show this winter.

 

“While the headline figure of 275 Boeing 777Xs looks like a staggering amount, if you consider the current 777 fleet Emirates has, coupled with those 777-300ERs that are still to be delivered, the carrier is arguably looking at a conservative amount of jets when all said and done.”

 

Ahmad adds: “With Boeing looking to get final FAA approval to get the 787 back in the air in a matter of weeks, this will then pave the way for far more aggressive marketing of the 777X family - particularly as Airbus has not really scored major success with its A350-1000, which would still be considerably smaller than both the 777-8X and 777-9X; both models which Emirates is vying to be launch customer for.

 

“More worrying for Airbus is that any significant 777X order would spell the end of Emirates interest in growing their A380 fleet, given that the costs, range, fuel burn, passenger count and field performance of the 777X family would negate the need to buy a bigger jet - especially since the A380 is also suffering heavy depreciation given its limited market appeal, whereas the 777 is the polar opposite.”