Do you think Boeing is going to... ?

Question

Do you think Boeing is going to... ?

Do you think Boeing is going to make an airplane bigger than B-747

I'm not talking derivatives of B-747, alike B-747 8.

I mean bigger than B-747 that's about the same as A-380 or bigger than A-380 ?

thanks a lot ;)

Answer 1

Mc Donnell Douglas ( now part of Boeing) at one time had thought of building the MD-12 that would have been a dbl decker but they did not get any orders (early 90's)

Answer 2

Boeing has consistently said it will not make a double decker like the A380.  Some say that the A380 will be a bust and never make a penny profit for Airbus.  Airbus doesn't have that many orders for the A380 and some of them are being canceled.  Adding another A380 would just make the market for that size plan even worse.  The Aircraft is also too heavy for most runways around the world.  

Boeing opted to make the B787 dreamliner instead which is in the sweet spot of the airline industry.  It will sell very well.  Next is a new B737 which should also sell well.  Why build a looser?

Answer 3

While I do not know the future, I must respond to the doomsayers who regard the A-380 as a failure.  I might remind them of the B-747 which had the same issues with poor initial sales, runway and service issues and so on.  Most runways can cope with the weight of the A3380, which has a lower load per wheel on the runway surface than a B-747.  

I should also note that most of the negative information and attitudes about the A380 come from the US, which is generally pro-Boeing, and the A380 represents a mass-transit philosophy that is anti-thetical to that whick Boeing currently espouses: medium haul aircraft flying directly, rather than the hub-and-spoke system that better serves the Airbus.  It should be noted that bulk of US aviation routes are part of the hub and spoke design.  I do not doubt that the 787 will be a success too, but it better serves the US than it does much of the rest of the world, especially the growing Asian region linked to Europe.

Answer 4

Not unless the economics of airline travel change drastically.  The A380, after 8 years on the market, has less than 200 orders.  It's hard to see how Boeing could come out with another  super large airplane and make money in such a narrow niche.

Answer 5

I think they will. When the time is right, meaning in 20-30 years time. The A380 now needs 300 orders to break even they have 156.

The market is not yet ready for a super plane like the A380. Boeing had always produced at the right time and I belive when the time is right they will again.

Answer 6

Sure, if their customers want it, and Boeing is able to design a plane that's cheaper to operate than the Airbus A380.

All development of commercial aircraft is decided by customer demand. If they want it, they get it, provided some producer has the funds to develop it!

But the next big news in the aircraft- world will be the replacement of the Boeing 737/Airbus A320 series aircraft- they exist in large numbers, and even a 5 % reduction in operating cost will have a big saving in hand for operators.

Answer 7

When? Not in the next 10 years or so. Later than that? Probably.

As air travel grows, higher numbers of people will need to be carried. This is why the B-747 and the A-380 were developed. Who knows what the next 50 years will bring? My crystal ball is cloudy.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 8

Not likely. There just isn't the market for that many very large aircraft. And the expense of developing an even larger aircraft than the popular and proven 747 would be very hard to justify. In fact they've already announce a long time ago that they have no intentions of making anything bigger.

Of course if the market changes dramatically, they could change those plans, but until that happens, no.

Answer 9

Not any time soon. The A380 is a flop and I think it really hurt Airbus. Most airports cannot accomidate for the size of the A380 right now. I think Boeing is going in the right direction in staying with the 787 since that will be a successful money-maker for them.