WebProNews

Tag: boeing 777x

  • Boeing 777x Outclasses Airbus A380 Airplane Design

    The Airbus A380, a double-deck four-engine jet, must keep improving its design if it wants to match the Boeing twin-aisle airplane called the 777x, which is scheduled to be used for service within the next decade.

    Fabrice Bregier, CEO of Airbus, said, “After 2020, we will face the challenge of the Boeing 777X, and it is clear that as the challenges evolve, the A380 will have to evolve.”

    Bregier also stated that he has a problem with the way the Boeing 777x was launched. He was referring to the tax breaks that Boeing got from Washington State. In his opinion, the tax breaks given are higher than the overall cost of the program. Bregier said that the total amount of tax breaks given amount to $8.7 billion, and that amount is more than the total amount that was used to develop the plane. He also said, “There are rules in this business and tax breaks are illegal.”

    The European Commission has already voiced their concerns regarding the tax break issue with the U.S. government. However, Bregier stated that it was “not enough” and that the industry needs to look for a level playing field for both Airbus and Boeing.

    Inside the Airbus A380

    Since being introduced in 2000, the Airbus A380 has acquired contracts for 324 planes. Boeing 777x, however, has already acquired 300 commitments and orders since it was offered in November last year. Most of the interested parties come from the Middle East.

    Introducing The Boeing 777x

    The Airbus A380’s biggest customer, Emirates, has been asking for a re-engining program for the aircraft, but Airbus has not yet confirmed the project. With the entrance of Boeing 777x, Bregier remains optimistic that the A380 still has a home in the industry. “If the aircraft was obsolete, Emirates would not have ordered another 50,” he said.

    Airbus is also looking into the possibility of upgrading their 20-year-old model, the A330, to make it more attractive and fuel-efficient. However, the project has not been confirmed.

    Image via YouTube

  • Boeing 777X Contract Rejected By Machinists Union

    Boeing has said that it has no plans to re-open talks with a union representing Washington state machinists after they soundly rejected an eight-year labor contract extension on Wednesday that would have seen the company’s newest jetliner built in Washington.

    The company has however vowed not to re-open talks with the defiant workers and has said it will look very broadly at where to build the aircraft and will offer a statement in the coming months. “Boeing is keeping all options open” Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner told a news conference on Saturday

    The contract offered last week would have kept the production of Boeing profitable while raising the health care costs of the workers. Although the deal would have resulted in 20 years of work building Boeing 777x, the international Association of Machinists members voted 67% against the deal. The union mall was charged with cheers when the vote was announced. The union members may have given up their chance for the Boeing jobs, but they said that the contract was too grave to accept.

    One of the plans is for Boeing to consider building key parts of the 777X jetliner, including wings, outside a US state or in Japan, where it has already received an offer.

    Boeing said that they needed to strike a balance between the desire to build the jet in the state while working under a ‘competitive cost structure’.  “We are very disappointed in the outcome of the union vote,” read the Boeing statement that followed the vote.  “Without the terms of this contract extension, we’re left with no choice but to open the process competitively and pursue all options for the 777X.”

    Reacting to the vote, the president of the international Association of Machinists District 751 congratulated the members by saying they had “preserved something sacred” by voting down the contract.

    Although the company has said it is looking broadly and has already started listening to offers from other states, it hasn’t officially stated that the offer was ‘take it or leave it’ for Washington.

    (image via Wikipedia)