The aerospace manufacturing company Boeing has signed a $12.3 billion deal with American Airlines to build 47 787 Dreamliners. American Airlines says it will purchase 22 787-8s along with 25 of the larger 787-9 variants. Assuming both parties follow through with this deal, it will increase American Airlines’ fleet of Boeing Dreamliners by more than 200 percent.
So, why is American Airlines eager to buy Boeing’s Dreamliner? According to Bloomberg, this deal will allow American Airlines to cut back its usage of wide-body aircraft types from five to just three while reducing its operational costs in the process. The Dreamliner is known for its long range and fuel efficient capabilities. Therefore, American Airlines can replace some of its aging long-range jets with the newer, more fuel efficient 787 Dreamliners.
When speaking about the deal, American Airline President Robert Isom explained that his company was considering the Airbus A350 and A33neo as an alternative. However, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was ultimately the better choice for simplifying American Airlines’ fleet, thus prompting the company to buy 47 units. “This was a difficult decision between the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 and A330neo,” Robert Isom said in a statement. “In the end, our goal to simplify our fleet made the 787 a compelling choice.”
This isn’t the first time that Boeing has convinced a long-time Airbus customer to switch to its jets. Earlier this year, Boeing pushes Hawaiian Airlines to buy 10 Dreamliners instead of the Airbus’ A33-800 jets.
With its first flight taking off in December 2009, the 787 Dreamliner is a relatively new long-range jet that’s manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Depending on the specific variant, it’s capable of holding anywhere from 242 to 335 passengers in a traditional three-class seating format.
One of the key selling points of the Dreamliner, however, is its composite framework. In fact, the Dreamliner is the first commercial jet to feature a framework that’s made of primarily of composite, non-metal materials. And with a composite framework, the Dreamliner is lighter than many other long-range jets, including those manufactured by Airbus, which in turn makes the Dreamliner more fuel efficient. Statistics show that the Dreamliner is about 20% more fuel efficient than its 767 predecessor.
American Airlines is expected to receive the first shipment of Dreamliners from Boeing in 2022. The initial delivery will consist of the 787-8s, with Boeing planning to deliver the 787-9s in 2023. Of course, the terms of this agreement may change as Boeing and American Airlines continue to iron out the details. Regardless, though, it appears that Boeing is gaining momentum in its ongoing battle with competitor Airbus.
