Avianca questions "Volatile Performance" of 787 and United on A321LR/757

[AZflyboy]

(Reuters) - United Airlines is looking at the latest upgraded A321 model from Airbus as well as concepts being touted by Boeing as potential replacements for its Boeing 757 fleet, but does not see a purchase in the near future, a senior executive said on Tuesday.

The airline industry is increasingly debating the future of a potentially promising niche between popular medium-haul aircraft, like Boeing's 737 or the Airbus A320 family, and the smallest wide-body or twin-aisle jets.

The gap includes future replacements for the Boeing 757, which halted production a decade ago.

United Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings (UAL.N), is the second-largest operator of the 180- to 240-seat 757 after Delta Air Lines (DAL.N).

Airbus Group (AIR.PA) has made inroads into an area traditionally dominated by Boeing Co (BA.N), with plans to increase the range of its largest medium-haul model, calling it the A321LR.

Boeing said on Monday it was discussing studies for a plane slightly larger than a 757 with more range.

"We are looking at both," Ron Baur, Vice President of Fleet at United Airlines, told a conference hosted by the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) "The A321LR looks pretty decent, but we will see what Boeing is going to do in the mid-market."

"It comes down to what Boeing is going to do," he said, adding the age of United's 757 fleet meant it could evaluate all options and was under no pressure to make a rapid decision.

United Continental's finance director told Reuters last week he would like to see a replacement for the discontinued 757, which "has a particular sweet spot in our network."

Colombia's Avianca AVT_p.CN, meanwhile, raised questions over the performance of Boeing's latest wide-body jet, the 787-9 Dreamliner.

"Boeing is trying to sell us the 787-9. We are analyzing that option right now, but the performance is volatile," said Jose Yunda, Avianca's director of fleet management.

"If performance improves a little, we would like to take another look," he told the Istat conference.

Boeing had no immediate comment.


I never have been on a 787 nor really read about it and it's performance, guess I am left scratching my head right now. I was under the impression the performance of the 787 was great from what I have heard from others, guess that's not so with Avianca.

Also, United now in the talks about the A321LR to replace the 757, why is it that this has come across before for this market which the 757 has come up again? I wonder sometimes why Boeing hasn't thought about bringing back the 757 in a more new age way and then I am told "737-900." A few of the major airlines seem to be saying lately that the 737-900 just isn't the same as the 757 and it isn't "filling the gap."

Link to article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/10/us-avianca-holding-boeing-aircraft-idUSKBN0M622120150310

 

[typhoonpilot]

I'll address the Avianca question:


Avianca operates from Bogota as their primary hub. Bogota sits at 8360 feet above sea level so performance is a real issue for their operation. They currently operate from Bogota to Madrid, Barcelona, and London with their A330s. The A330 is max takeoff weight and therefore severely payload restricted out of Bogota. The flights will be switching to the 787-8 starting in the summer. The 787-8 is also takeoff weight restricted, but not as badly payload restricted as the A330.

Avianca bought the 787-8 as a replacement to the A330 because of it's better performance out of Bogota. The 787-9 is a larger airplane, but the engines produce only slightly more thrust making it's performance out of Bogota more restricted than the 787-8.

Avianca has ambitions to re-start service to Frankfurt and Paris CDG as well as perhaps some more places in Europe and elsewhere. The Avianca/TACA group is becoming quite formidable and are taking traffic away from the U.S. carriers. They want a larger airplane that is efficient like the 787, but that also has performance that is capable of using it's full potential from Bogota. The statement by Mr. Yuanda might be an effort to get a little thrust increase for the 787-9 to bring it's performance up to a level that makes it a viable aircraft for Bogota operations.



Typhoonpilot

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

Yuck!
http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2015/03/12/boeing-shopping-757-replacement/
http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2015/03/12/boeing-shopping-757-replacement/

 

[USAFplt]

It will be interesting to see how the pressure mounts if carriers are serious about Boeing offering a clean sheet design. I feel both the stretch bus and the 737 stretch 1000000 are band-aid ideas. Both aerospace giants seem paralyzed to take the risk of offering a clean sheet design over the past decade's follies involving the 787 and the 380.

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

I feel both the stretch bus and the 737 stretch 1000000 are band-aid ideas. Both aerospace giants seem paralyzed to take the risk of offering a clean sheet design over the past decade's follies involving the 787 and the 380.

Both mistakes of their own making. Airbus with going ahead with the 380 when the market showed little interest. And Boeing for outsourcing the majority of the work on the 787, which caused catastrophic delays. The market however IS showing strong interest in a 757 replacement. Both here with United, and significant interest in Asia.