Dubai’s Emirates Airline is pushing Boeing for additional specifications on the follow up to its 777 before making an order for replacements of the US plane maker’s best seller, it was reported on Thursday.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Emirates president Tim Clark said that the Gulf carrier may need as many as 275 of the aircraft for replacement and expansion.
“We’re working closely to get to specifications we’re happy with,” Clark told the news service, regarding the 777 successor, informally known as the 777x. “That means layouts, the seats, the galleys, getting the weights right, getting the fuel burn.”
He added, however, that the airline did not expect to be ready to make an order at the Paris Air Show in June.
Emirates has ordered 139 of the 777 model, which can seat up to 365 people and cost about $315m at list price. The aircraft’s main competitor is Airbus’s A350-1000.
“While the headline figure of 275 Boeing 777ss 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,” added Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
“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,” Ahmad added.
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