Instead of being built in one factory from the ground up, Boeing subcontracted individual suppliers around the globe to deliver subassemblies to Boeing's Everett, Washington factory for final assembly. At the end of 2020, Boeing had produced 992 787s, with more than 500 still on order. Windows are 65 per cent larger than on a standard aircraft window, and the aircraft uses electrical power to control rudder, flaps and elevators rather than the hydraulics used on traditional aircraft. Since its much-awaited (and delayed) commercial debut in October 2011, the Boeing 787 has been a game changer for the aircraft industry.Ĭonstructed extensively from carbon fibre reinforced polymer, the 787's cabin tolerates higher pressure than an all-metal fuselage, making for a more comfortable passenger experience. Boeing 787ĪNA was the launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Qantas is a significant customer with 28 A330s in its fleet while Virgin Australia has three. Turkish Airlines is the largest operator with 63 A330s, followed by China Eastern with 54 and China Southern with 37. The exception is Delta Air Lines, which has 50 A330s, and not a single Boeing 777. US or Middle Eastern carriers lean towards Boeing's 777. The main market for the A330 is the Asia Pacific. Many flyers prefer its typical economy class configuration of 2-4-2 or 3-3-3, against the 3-4-3 setup often found aboard Boeing's 777.Īlthough the earlier A330s sold well, the A330-800 and -900, the so-called neo (new engine option) versions have failed to live up expectations, facing headwinds against Boeing's Dreamliner and even Airbus' own A350. Other variants can carry as many as 440 passengers. The A330-900 carries 257 passengers and has a range of 15,090 kms. Since that time Airbus has produced four variants, the A330-200, followed by the -300, -800 and -900. ![]() Virgin Australia has just two A320s, QantasLink has eight, operated by Network Aviation and all flying within Western Australia.Ĭuriously for an aircraft with a range of over 11,000 kilometres, French domestic carrier Air Inter was the launch customer in January 1994, operating the aircraft between Paris and Marseilles. Even American Airline's A320 fleet could soon be eclipsed by India's low-cost IndiGo, with a total of 730 aircraft on order. In second place, China Eastern Airlines has more than 300 A320s, followed by China Southern. AA now flies more A320s than it does Boeing 737s. Before it merged with US Airways in 2013, AA flew primarily Boeings, while US Airways had more than 250 Airbus A320s in its fleet. ![]() The biggest operator is American Airlines, with 410 of the aircraft type. The A320 was the first aircraft to use a fly-by-wire flight control system, with an electronic interface rather than the conventional manual flight controls. The short-to-medium-haul A320 family also includes the A318, A319 and A321, all shorter or stretched variants of the same aircraft, with 107-230 passengers. In terms of aircraft in the skies, the 737 is still number one. However, that sales figure includes several thousand on order and yet to be delivered. That's despite the 737 emerging two decades earlier than the A320's launch in 1988. ![]() Airbus A320Īirbus' answer to Boeing's workhorse 737, the A320 became the world's best-selling commercial jet aircraft late in 2019, taking the crown from Boeing's 737 with 15,522 sales. Qantas has 75 737s, Virgin Australia 59.Ī surprise operator is the US Navy, which uses its 113 Boeing 737s for surveillance and antisubmarine warfare. All the other top 10 carriers with the greatest number of 737s are either US or Chinese airlines, except for Ryanair, in fourth place. In second and third places, United and American Airlines have only about half that number. Apart from a brief period with Boeing 727s, Southwest has flown no other aircraft since it began operating in 1971. Southwest Airlines has the largest fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, a total of 734. One of those, the 737 MAX 8, was grounded worldwide from March 2019 to November 2020 following failures in its Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System which caused two fatal crashes. Subsequent variants have borne the name "737 MAX". Over the decades the original 737-100 has been replaced by the 737-200, the 737-300 and through the 100s until the 737-900 which made its commercial debut in 2001. The oldest 737 still in commercial service is operated by Canadian charter airline Nolinor Aviation, first delivered to The Netherlands' Transavia Airlines in May 1974.
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