Out with the old, in with the new

The 787 'Dreamliner' is currently grounded because of safety concerns.

The 787 'Dreamliner' is currently grounded because of safety concerns.

Published Apr 15, 2013

Share

London - It has transported presidents, monarchs and refugees – and provided a piggy-back for the Space Shuttle. Now the plane with a hump could be heading for the dump.

British Airways, the world’s leading Boeing 747 operator, this week announced plans to start replacing its jumbo jets with smaller but much more efficient 787 jets.

The 787 “Dreamliner” is currently grounded because of safety concerns, but Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA’s holding company, IAG, said he was confident of its long-term prospects.

“The aircraft offers a step change in fuel-burn efficiency versus our existing aircraft,” he said.

Cathay Pacific counterpart John Slosar has already made plans to retire the jumbo by next year.

The Boeing 747 was the first wide-bodied passenger aircraft. When it entered service in January 1970, it cut the cost of flying dramatically and opened up the world to middle-class travellers. Until the “jumbo age” began, long-haul air travel was the preserve of the wealthy – it would take months of work at the average wage to earn enough to fly the Atlantic. But once the 747 started flying, there were more than twice as many seats to fill on each flight. The only way to fill them was by cutting prices.

Flying passengers on an old and thirsty aircraft is an expensive business, which explains BA’s plans to retire its fleet of 57 jumbo jets. Some are being replaced by the Boeing 777-300, which can almost match the 747’s capacity. But the airline has indicated that the 787 aircraft ordered this week will replace the jumbo on a one-for-one basis – shrinking passenger capacity.

Every aircraft in the British Airways 747 fleet was delivered in the last century, and the oldest 747 in BA service was built in 1989. The aircraft valuer Ascend Worldwide reported a slump in prices at the start of this year. Many of the aircraft are likely to be scrapped.

The prototype for a more radical option is to be found in a corner of Stockholm’s Arlanda airport, where a former Pan Am jumbo has been converted into a hotel. – The Independent

Related Topics: