787

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More orders, more deliveries, more technology. Mark Broadbent analyses the Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme

More than 70 airlines now operate the three Boeing 787 variants, the 787-8 depicted here as well as the larger 787-9 and 787-10. Boeing

Nearly eight years after the Boeing 787 entered service, the Dreamliner is now an established part of airline operations with all three variants in service.

The baseline 787-8 entered service in October 2011 with launch operator All Nippon Airways, the longer-range 787-9 was introduced in August 2014 with Air New Zealand and finally the higher-capacity 787- 10 debuted in March 2018 with Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Large network airlines, leisure operators and low-cost long-haul carriers all use the Dreamliner, which also holds the distinction of operating the first regular, scheduled, nonstop flights between the UK and Australia.

It is perhaps an understatement to say the 787 programme’s early years did not run smoothly. The aircraft was repeatedly delayed during its development, with the type’s introduction to service occurring more than three years later than initially planned.

As a report from Virginia-based aerospace industry analysts the Teal Group reflects: “Management placed entirely too much trust in the design, integration and financial capabilities of its risk-sharing partners. This compounded the problems inherent in a very aggressive up-front programme schedule.”

The negative headlines continued after the 787’s operational debut. Glitches with the lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries powering the aircraft’s electrical system, with incidents in early 2013 involving battery systems on Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airlines 787s, led to a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive (AD) that grounded all 787s for five months that year.

The 787 returned to flight after Boeing developed further safety features for Li-ion battery systems, including an insulator to isolate electrically battery cells from each other and the battery case, more heatresistant wire sleeving and wiring inside the battery and a stainless-steel enclosure to isolate the battery unit from the rest of the equipment in the electrical bays with a direct vent to carry battery vapours outside the aircraft.

The 787 has settled down since those troubled early days. A maturing production system means delivery rates are rising. Early 2019 saw the 787 operated by more than 70 airlines worldwide on dozens of routes, making the type an increasingly integral part of commercial air transport. There has been an upturn in new business, too. Boeing picked up 109 orders for the aircraft in 2018, the best single year for Dreamliner sales since 2013.

What are the engine issues?

However, not everything has been completely rosy recently. There has been disruption for some operators in the last couple of years due to technical problems with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, one of two engine options on the 787 family (the other being the General Electric GEnx).

Issues related to the durability of parts have affected Trent 1000 Package C engines (the variant of the powerplant on the 787-9) and earlier-standard examples of Trent 1000 Package B engines (the variant powering the 787-8).

These issues are: fatigue cracking on fan blades in the intermediate pressure turbine (IPT); deterioration in the condition of fan blades in the engine’s high-pressure turbine (HPT); deterioration in the condition of the intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) rotor blade; and deterioration in the IPC rotor blade seal.

The problems led Rolls-Royce to implement precautionary inspections, service management actions and flight operations guidance on affected engines.

The FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also issued ADs mandating shorter maintenance inspection intervals and restrictions on the 787’s extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) clearances.

The AD for the Trent 1000 Package C reduced the inspection interval on the engine from every 200 flights to every 80 flights. Regulators also reduced the ETOPS diversion time for Package C engines from 330 minutes to 140 minutes, an especially significant limitation, because the 787-9 is expressly designed for long-range missions.

The result is that operators of Trent 1000-powered Dreamliners have had to cope with unscheduled engine maintenance to comply with the engine manufacturer’s inspection requirements and the regulators’ ADs. Aircraft-on-ground (AOG) rates have further increased as 787s affected by the problems have undergone rectification work to install the fixes Rolls-Royce has developed to enable the aircraft to resume operations with no limits.

According to the latest updates provided by Rolls-Royce, 386 in-service Package C engines and 166 in-service Package B powerplants are affected by the issues, meaning the Trent 1000s on a total of 193 787-9s and 83 787-8s require modification. Meanwhile, operators awaiting new aircraft have experienced delays to anticipated deliveries as Rolls-Royce works to integrate fixes into the production chain.

The issues have forced several operators to lease aircraft to cover for the capacity shortfall. For example, the 787-9’s launch operator Air New Zealand leased Boeing 777-200s during 2018 to sub for its grounded 787s, although the airline said in an earnings call with investors on the 2017-2018 financial year the material impact had a “relatively minor” cost.

Virgin Atlantic Airways leased ex-Air Berlin Airbus A330-200s to cover for the capacity shortfall. Norwegian, which is using the 787-9 as the primary tool to grow its long-haul network, said in its full-year 2018 financial results there were “significant costs” related to the 787 engine issues. The carrier said it has reached a financial agreement with Rolls-Royce, adding its Dreamliner operation “is now running smoothly” and it sees the engine issues easing.

How are the engine issues being fixed?

The Trent 1000 issues have, as Rolls-Royce has noted, “happened at the same time, making it more challenging to resolve”. How is the engine-maker responding?

The cracking on the IPT fan blade was caused by sulphidation, a form of chemical corrosion caused by pollutants in the air reacting with the high temperatures in the hot section of an engine. Rolls-Royce has developed a more corrosion-resistant protective coating for the blade.

The earlier-than-expected deterioration of HPT fan blades and IPC rotor blades was identified after it was found certain conditions caused the blades to vibrate and crack. A modified HPT fan blade design was introduced in October 2018 and a redesigned IPC rotor blade was certified by the FAA and EASA in January 2019. Relevant service bulletins issued to operators and Rolls-Royce said in January introducing the new blades as a retrofit “will take place on a phased basis as production ramps up”.

The certification for the IPC rotor blade followed what the engine-maker called a “fast-paced programme” which began in

Singapore Airlines was the first to introduce the third Dreamliner version, the 787-10.
Singapore Airlines

June 2018 when the first revised blades were installed on a test engine at the company’s Derby facility. Flight-testing of the new parts then took place on the Rolls-Royce Flying Test Bed, Boeing 747-236 N787RR (c/n 21966) in Tucson, Arizona. Rolls-Royce has said some Package C engines remain subject to ETOPS restrictions and an inspection regime continues to manage the IPC rotor blade issue.

A redesigned part is also the fix for the fourth issue, durability on the IPC rotor blade seal on high-cycle Package B engines (those in service the longest), which was identified following what Rolls-Royce calls a “similar inspection regime for the Package B as for the Package C” agreed with Boeing and regulators.

The first redesigned IPC rotor blade seal for the Package B engines is expected to be delivered in 2019. Rolls-Royce stresses the redesigned part was not a response to an in-service event and is “a form of proactive maintenance to catch any issues” before they affect airline operations.

To help introduce all the fixes to the in-service fleet and achieve what Rolls- Royce calls “a zero AOG situation” for operators as soon as possible, the company has increased production capacity at its manufacturing facilities.

Rolls-Royce has also increased maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity for Trent 1000s. For example, in 2018 Delta Air Lines’ TechOps maintenance hub in Atlanta opened an Authorised Maintenance Centre (AMC) for several Rolls-Royce engine models, namely, the Trent 1000, Trent 700, Trent XWB and BR715. The AMC consists of areas for engine assembly and disassembly, kitting out parts, work-in-progress, materials, supplies, life-limited parts and repairs.

Rolls-Royce’s agreement with Delta for the AMC was announced in October 2015, therefore pre-dating the Trent 1000’s problems; but with MRO capacity required to introduce the fixes for the engine, the centre’s opening has clearly happened at a good time. The first engine inducted into the AMC was a Trent 1000 from a Virgin Atlantic 787-9.

Despite the increase in MRO capacity, in December 2018 Rolls-Royce admitted: “The number of AOG remains at a high level. We sincerely regret the disruption this has caused our customers. We are determined and confident that as we execute our plans, we will see a significant improvement in AOG as we progress through the first half of 2019.

”Pilots find the aircraft’s handling to be agile and responsive.” Singapore Airlines

We have a robust solution in place to eliminate these issues from the fleet as quickly as possible. We expect the number of AOG to reduce progressively through the course of 2019. Ultimately, we must eliminate this problem altogether and we are already redesigning specific parts of the compressor and early parts are already in manufacture.”

Rolls-Royce emphasised no durability issues have been discovered with parts on the Trent 1000 TEN, the variant of the Trent 1000 powering the 787-10 and that has been unaffected by the engine issues. However, the company said it is “taking precautionary action to design and introduce a new standard of blade to this engine” later in 2019. The company also notes the Trent 1000 TEN is “subject to similar guidance as the authorities seek to harmonise the regulations for all Trent 1000 models. As new standard blades are installed, full ETOPS capability is restored.”

Rolls-Royce said when presenting its full-year 2018 results in February 2019 that the exceptional charge on the Trent 1000 issues increased from £554 million at the half-year point (June 2018) to £790 million for the full year, which the company said “reflects a contribution to customer disruption costs greater than those anticipated at the half year…Total cash costs [2017–2022] to resolve Trent 1000 issues [are] £100 million higher than earlier estimates, higher disruption partly mitigated by good progress on reducing shop visit costs.”

The company’s results said the 2019 fullyear cash impact on its Civil Aerospace unit of the Trent 1000 issues is expected to be around £450 million, “before declining by at least £100 million in 2020, and reducing materially thereafter”.

The 787’s modern flight deck is praised by its operators.
Alexander Mishin/AirTeamImages

Flying the 787

Boeing says a key strength of the 787 for operators is the aircraft’s modern, advanced flight deck. Pilots clearly appreciate it, judging from comments provided to AIR International by several Dreamliner operators.

Singapore Airlines, which now has a full year of Dreamliner operations under its belt after putting its initial 787-10s into service in March 2018, told AIR International: “The electronic checklist [ECL] is an extremely useful tool for pilots, guiding them as they carry out the necessary procedures. It replaces the conventional paper checklist and pilots can now access checklist electronically to configure the aircraft systems for various stages of flight and conditions. In addition, the ECL minimises any mismanagement of lapses and omission of checklist items.

“The Boeing 787’s flight deck features large landscape-format liquid crystal display screens and a vertical situational display. Pilots find the aircraft’s handling to be agile and responsive. Operational excellence gained from one aircraft type can be seamlessly transferred to another with the high degree of cockpit commonality between the 787 and 777. Our cabin crew are trained in multiple aircraft fleets. Their experience in operating the 777 is certainly of benefit when they are cross-trained on the 787-10s.”

TUI Airways told us: “The flight deck is large and comfortable and very quiet compared to [other] aircraft. From a pilot’s perspective, the aircraft is straightforward to operate and provides the pilot with a number of flight envelope protections adding to the safety of flight. The ECL provides the pilot with a simple and immediately accessible means of checklist completion. Some items in checklists are closed loop, which means that the system detects the position of a switch, lever or system and closes the loop automatically when an action has been taken. This means there are less items for the pilots to check.

“Dreamliners are equipped with dual HUDs [head-up displays] which provide the pilots with flight information in their line of sight, meaning that there is less of a requirement to look in. Full-time autothrottle capability and asymmetry compensation through the flight controls means that engine out handling is straightforward for the pilots.”

Rolls-Royce says it is overcoming issues with the Trent 1000 which have caused disruption for Dreamliner operators in recent years.
Rolls-Royce
Virgin Atlantic Airways 787-9 G-VCRU (c/n 37972) captured on departure from Heathrow.
Ian Harding

Where do orders and deliveries stand?

Despite the Trent 1000 issues, the 787 programme is overall in what the Teal Group analysts call “positive territory”. As the consultancy notes, the 787 is the fastest-selling widebody airliner ever. Boeing’s orders and deliveries data shows that, by early March 2019, total 787 family orders stood at 1,403 aircraft since the programme’s launch in 2004. The total comprised 444 787-8s, 790 787- 9s and 169 787-10s.

There was a flurry of orders when the 787 was launched and for a few years thereafter as customers rushed to secure delivery slots for an aircraft that Boeing says offers savings of 20% in fuel burn, 30% in maintenance costs and 15% in operating costs compared to earlier-generation aircraft in its size class. Business plateaued and then fell away in the late 2000s and early 2010s as delivery dates slipped due to the various development delays affecting the programme. From a single-year sales high of 369 aircraft in 2007, the year of the 787-8’s roll-out, orders slumped to just 13 jets in 2011.

Annual orders for the 787 have rebounded more recently, rising from 41 in 2014 through annual figures of 71 (2015), 58 (2016) and 94 (2017). These totals were followed by 110 orders in 2018, the first year since 2013 Boeing recorded three-digit annual sales for the aircraft.

Last year’s orders included repeat business from American Airlines (for 47 more examples, split between 22 787-8s and 25 787-9s) and United Airlines (13 more). There were new customers in the form of Turkish Airlines (up to 30 787-9s) and Hawaiian Airlines (six 787- 9s), the latter switching a fleet replacement purchase from the competing Airbus A330neo. By March 2019, Boeing had delivered 360 787-8s (leaving 84 orders unfilled), 406 787-9s (384 unfilled) and 15 787-10s (154 unfilled).

Boeing has ramped-up 787 production in recent years. The Teal Group has said if an airliner’s popularity is measured by its build rate, the 787 is the single most popular twinaisle widebody aircraft ever. Twelve are now produced every month by Boeing at the two final assembly sites for the aircraft, Everett in Washington and North Charleston in South Dakota. By comparison, Airbus’ current rate for the A330 is six per month.

Monthly 787 output is set to increase again, to 14 per month. Boeing Chairman Dennis Muilenburg confirmed during a late-January 2019 investors’ call this transition will happen during the second quarter of this year, taking Dreamliner production to 168 units a year. Producing more aircraft matters for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) because it means more airlines make delivery payments. The rate increases on the 787 therefore reflect not only the size of the type’s orders backlog and a maturing production system, but also the Dreamliner’s importance as a source of revenue for the OEM.

How do airlines use the 787?

With so many Dreamliners now in service, it is worth considering exactly how airlines use the aircraft.

The 787’s key advantage for operators is its twin-engine fuel efficiency and range lets carriers start medium to long-haul routes services that would have been unsustainable with older, less efficient equipment.

Smaller operators such as TUI also operate 787s. This 787-9, G-TUIM (c/n 62742), is pictured at Manchester in February 2019.
Enda Burke/AirTeamImages

This has led to the most significant impact of the 787: its role in airlines’ network development. Boeing says more than 200 new city-pair connections have been opened using the Dreamliner since the type entered service.

As the airline industry consultant John Strickland from JLS Consulting, a former network planner, told AIR International: “Airlines can test out routes in a much lowerrisk way. One, they’re not having to put in a 747, A380 or even a 777 [on to the route], so the [fewer] seats you put in, the less you have to discount to fill the plane. Two, they’re burning less fuel.

“The 787 gives the best of both worlds, opportunity and risk reduction. Any aircraft that brings you more efficiency, reduces your risk and exposure in the marketplace and increases your opportunity is an ideal combination.”

Many of the network airlines who make up the bulk of 787 customers have used Dreamliners to open new services. Most strikingly, Qantas uses 787-9s on a direct Perth–Heathrow service, the first scheduled non-stop air route between Europe and Australia. Meanwhile, North American and Asian carriers use 787s on non-stops across the Pacific from the US West Coast, and British Airways has used 787s to start new services from Heathrow to secondary destinations with thinner demand, such as Hyderabad, Houston, Montreal, Muscat and Nashville, among others. BA says the Dreamliner gives the carrier the right configuration and capacity to go into new markets and chase new profitability opportunities.

New routes with the 787 are not just the domain of the largest network airlines. TUI Airways (formerly Thomson Airways) was the first UK carrier to operate 787s in 2013. A spokesperson told AIR International: “The Dreamliner has enabled TUI Airways to fly directly from the UK to the Far East, with routes to Thailand and Vietnam, and also to Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos on the Pacific coast of Mexico. We’re often the first and only UK carrier to open up some of these exciting new direct routes.”

Dreamliners also fly with some of the new long-haul, low-cost airlines that have emerged in recent years. As well as Norwegian, there is Singapore-based Scoot (ten 787-8s and eight 787-9s) and the Canadian carrier WestJet, which recently started flying 787-9s (it has ordered ten). A South Korean start-up carrier called Premia, which describes itself as a hybrid between a low-cost airline and a full-service carrier, has also picked the 787-9.

”Any aircraft that brings more efficiency, reduces risk and increases opportunity is an ideal combination.” John Strickland, JLS Consulting

The 787’s economics mean the type is useful beyond network development, as it can improve the performance of existing routes in an airline’s network by replacing less-efficient older aircraft. SIA told AIR International that as the airline receives more 787-10s over the coming years the aircraft will be, “progressively deployed on more and more routes, replacing Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s as they are retired”.

Smaller operators, such as TUI, primarily serving leisure markets also similarly benefit from opportunities to operate routes more efficiently. The TUI spokesperson told AIR International: “We had high expectations for the 787 with regard to its performance and efficiency, and we are extremely satisfied with it. The 787 operates a range of short, mid and long-haul routes from the UK in summer. In winter, it operates only long-haul routes from both the UK and Scandinavia. The composite structure and revolutionary engines make the 787 extremely fuel efficient, and its ability to operate such a wide range of routes means it’s a huge asset in our fleet.”

This ability to operate different routes is another of the 787’s benefits. All airlines, especially large network carriers, must account for numerous factors (macroeconomics, seasonal travel patterns, competitors’ schedules) when planning routes to ensure they put in the correct number of seats to maximise returns.

This means they appreciate an ability to move around capacity to use an appropriately-sized aircraft and help a route run profitably. With the 787-8’s 242 seats (two-class) and 7,355 nautical miles (13,620km) range, the 787-9’s 290 seats and 7,635 nautical miles (14,140km) range and the 787-10’s 330 seats and 6,430 nautical miles (11,910km) range, the Dreamliner variants offer complementary seat and range capabilities while providing single-type commonality.

Strickland explained: “You don’t have the complexity of different aircraft types with different spares holdings. Flight crews can operate across all variants. You can adjust your allocation of aircraft according to different route strengths, and even make some on-theday, last-minute or ad hoc changes without changing the type or any of the parameters around the operation.”

In short, the 787 variants provide different strings in an airline’s network planning bow. A 787-8 can be used to try out a route, a 787-9 to fly long range and a 787-10 to add capacity where there is a demand for more seats and revenue cargo.

Many Dreamliner customers operate multiple variants. To choose just a few examples, as of early March 2019 All Nippon Airways was using a mix of 36 787-8s and 30 787-9s, American Airlines 20 787-8s and 21 787-9s, BA 12 787-8s and 18 787-9s, Etihad Airways 23 787-9s and five 787-10s, and LATAM ten 787-8s and eight 787-9s.

United Airlines is the first Dreamliner customer to use all three variants. As of early March 2019, it had 12 787-8s, 25 787-9s and four 787-10s in its fleet (with 13 more 787-9s and ten more 787-10s to come). BA will also use all three models from 2020 when it adds the first of 12 787-10s.

Qantas flies its 787-9s on routes including Perth-Heathrow, the first direct air service between Australia and Europe.
Qantas

”The 787-9 is the perfect aircraft to carry out the first non-stop flight between Australia and the UK.”

Qantas

Non-stop to Australia

One of the most notable routes the Boeing 787 flies is the first-ever regular non-stop service between Europe and Australia, a route from Perth to London Heathrow, operated by Qantas’ fleet of 787-9s since December 2017. At around 17 hours long, depending on winds, the daily non-stop service covers 7,828 nautical miles (14,498km), making it the longest yet served with a 787.

Flight QF9 is scheduled to depart Perth at 18:45hrs local and arrive into Heathrow at 05:05hrs local the next day, with the return flight QF10 leaving Heathrow at 13:15hrs local and landing in Perth at 13:00hrs local the following day.

After turnaround in Perth, the flight continues on to Melbourne. The service is operated by four pilots and 12 cabin crew.

The flight is popular, with a Qantas spokesperson telling AIR International: “We’re consistently seeing load factors in the 90s” (i.e. 90%-plus). The 787-9 itself is, the spokesperson added, “exceeding our expectations”.

The spokesperson said: “For Qantas, the capability and operating economics of the 787-9 means it is the perfect aircraft to carry out the first non-stop flight between Australia and the UK. The route continues to be very popular with our customers because of the incredible benefits the non-stop service offers and the enhanced cabin features, which really help minimise jetlag.”

Complementing the systems aboard the 787, Qantas has introduced a new lounge in Perth with what it calls “therapy showers” containing “a special light that can help adjust to the destination time zone, increase alertness and combat the effects of jetlag”.

Qantas also operates its 787-9s to the United States on its Melbourne–Los Angeles, Melbourne–San Francisco and Brisbane–Los Angeles–New York JFK and Brisbane–Los Angeles routes. The airline’s Dreamliners also serve Hong Kong from Brisbane and Melbourne and, from late March 2019, Sydney.

Qantas said: “We’re clearly seeing the strong foundations of building a hub in Western Australia, so we’re excited about the future potential. We would be looking at other destinations, like Paris and Frankfurt direct to Perth, and new routes from Brisbane.”

What about the 787’s future?

The widebody airliner market might be viewed as one amorphous whole, but there are, in fact, different niches within the niche. The 787-8 sits at the lower end of the market, with around 250 seats, where it competes with the Airbus A330-800.

The 787-9 sits in the 250-300 seats area competing with the A330-900 and t he 787-10 is in the 300-to-350 seats category competing with the A350-900. (The area of 350-plus seats occupied by the A350- 1000 and the 777/777X is separate to the categories covered by the 787.)

With the 787 variants established in airline operations, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ product development focus has shifted to other projects, principally the 777X, but also the studies into a new mid-market aircraft (NMA), dubbed the 797 by some (although not by Boeing itself), a possible new aircraft in the ‘middle of the market’ slotting into Boeing’s product portfolio beneath the 787-8 and above the 737 MAX variants.

Although big developments with the 787 itself are unlikely in the short term, this doesn’t mean activity in the market more widely will not impact on the Dreamliner. The new-generation A330 variants that compete with the 787-8 and 787-9 have sold pretty slowly so far, with the A330-800 having just eight orders and the A330-900 variant 230 by early March. This could mean the 787-8 and 787-9 dominate in their respective areas of the market. The Teal Group says the market has the potential for 3,000 aircraft over 20 years.

China Southern Airlines 787-9 B-1168 (c/n 38797) was the 787th Dreamliner to be delivered.
Boeing

”Data generates more opportunities to uncover greater efficiency.” Boeing Global Services

There is speculation Airbus could reengine the A350-900 in the 2020s using new-generation turbofans, but Teal Group Vice-President Analysis Richard Aboulafia told AIR International: “All three engine primes are really too busy right now, and for the next few years, to offer an upgrade.”

This might help the 787, he feels, “as it delays A350 re-engining”. Separately, Aboulafia thinks: “Boeing might choose to redesign the 787-8, to reduce weight and obtain commonality with the larger variants.”

The NMA/797 could also have an influence if it were launched. As Boeing previously confirmed to AIR International, the NMA studies are looking at an aircraft with 220 to 270 seats and 5,000 nautical miles (9,260km) range – close to the 787-8 in terms of seating, if not in range. Boeing has already said the technologies on the 787 will also be leveraged if it develops an NMA/797.

How are the 787’s systems evolving?

The future direction of the widebody market and the ways it will influence the 787 are yet to play out, but in the interim Boeing is not sitting still on the Dreamliner.

Big data has attracted more attention in numerous industries in the last few years. The term, broadly speaking, refers to the gathering of information generated by connected hardware and software and how businesses then use that information to help their operations.

With aircraft, their engines and systems generating huge volumes of data, this is unsurprisingly a pertinent issue in aerospace.

In recent years, OEMs have introduced new digital analytics to provide insights into aircraft health, fleet performance and flight operations, and diagnostic/prognostic tools to support maintenance, engineering, supply chains and inventory.

A spokesperson from Boeing’s Global Services division told AIR International: “Newer aircraft are generating a lot more data. Boeing’s 787 creates over a terabyte of data during a typical flight. This data generates more opportunities to apply analytics in a way that uncovers greater efficiency and allows proactive approaches in aircraft maintenance operations.”

Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ big data products are united under a brand called AnalytX, which powers various maintenance applications designed to optimise and improve aircraft usage. One app is Airplane Health Management (AHM), which uses predictive alerts to let operators evaluate two million parameters on the aircraft in real time, helping them schedule maintenance and minimise disruptions.

The AHM app is available across all Boeing commercial aircraft, not just the 787, but Boeing Global Services told AIR International one undisclosed customer has reduced turnaround times on its 787s by an average of 10% by using AHM. Qantas, United Airlines and Korean Air Lines are among 787 operators who have announced their use of AHM for their Dreamliners.

Another AnalytX-powered app on the 787 is Fuel Dashboard, which lets operators view and analyse fuel usage and adjust operations to improve efficiency. Boeing says the app, “routinely helps customers save between 4% and 7% on fuel costs, equating to millions of dollars in fuel savings and lower fuel emissions”.

There is a separate app for crew optimisation, designed to assist airlines in efficient rostering and crew planning based on real-time data to reduce operating costs by an average of 3%–7%.

Boeing Global Services said the company’s resources, global presence and customer relationships gives it, “a unique ability to positively disrupt the market and generate a robust pipeline of products and services for 787 customers”.

Further aftermarket support for the 787 provided by Boeing includes a Landing Gear Exchange programme for managing landing gear overhauls. Following on from Boeing’s history of similar programmes, 787 operators can exchange landing gear that needs to be repaired or overhauled for another set of certified landing gear from a pool maintained by Boeing, eliminating the need for operators to contract, schedule and manage the overhaul process themselves.

Boeing also provides 787 type rating training at campuses that offer a mix of web learning, fixed based and full flight simulation. Fullmotion 787 simulators are located at London Gatwick, Miami, Shanghai and Singapore.

On board

One of the much-heralded aspects of the 787 when it was launched was comfort for passengers thanks to the lower cabin altitude, the onboard filtration system and inlets drawing fresh air from the outside for air conditioning, LED mood lighting and larger windows.

According to TUI: “The cabin altitude is lower than on a conventional aircraft and the humidity is controlled to provide a fresher feel after the flight. Also, the windows on the aircraft are 30% larger than the conventional aircraft, making the cabin light and airy. There is no doubt that customers choose to fly on the Dreamliner because of these features.”

Another big aspect of the flying experience for passengers is in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFE&C).

Widely available Wi-Fi, smartphones and other connected devices have raised travellers’ expectations on connectivity and content and unsurprisingly airlines introducing the 787 ensure their Dreamliners are equipped with good IFE&C offerings. For example, SIA 787-10s have an IFE&C system based around Panasonic’s eX3 system which the airline claims is a “personalised interactive experience” enabling flyers to create playlists of movies and TV shows, receive media recommendations based on personal preferences and viewing history, and customise and search for entertainment options. SIA told AIR International it has “received positive feedback from our customers about their inflight experience” since introducing the 787-10.

Virgin Atlantic 787-9s meanwhile are equipped with the Vera Touch 2, which offers 11in (279mm) seatback screens in Upper Class (the airline’s name for its first class product) and premium economy and 9in (228mm) screens for economy, with over 500 hours of entertainment (approximately 80 movies, 78 hours of TV and over 305 albums) with a shuffle option when listening to music and connect their own devices to the seatback system. All aircraft have exConnect, Ku Band Wi-Fi from Panasonic. Customers with laptops, tablets or mobile phones can connect their devices to the wireless onboard internet. AI