Air New Zealand will stick with Boeing to replace its 777-200 fleet. In choosing the 787-10, Air New Zealand hinted it can offer nonstop service between Auckland and New York for the first time. But how?
Air New Zealand will order eight 787-10 aircraft with an option for up to 12 more. Deliveries will commence in 2022 and be completed by 2027. The deal comes with a list price of $2.7 billion, though airlines always receive a significant discount.
Speaking of the new order, Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon stated told the Sydney Morning Herald:
The 787-10 is longer and even more fuel efficient. However, the game changer for us has been that by working closely with Boeing, we’ve ensured the 787-10 will meet our network needs, including the ability to fly missions similar to our current 777-200 fleet.
Nonstop To New York
But beyond the missions of the current 777-200 fleet, Air New Zealand wanted an aircraft that could fly nonstop to New York. The list-range of the 787-10 cannot make the trip to New York. In fact, it offers the shortest range of the entire 787 family. But Air New Zealand hinted nonstop service to New York will be possible by re-configuring the aircraft to offer more premium seats, serving a dual strategy. First, it will allow for more fuel storage. Second, it would advance the goal of the New Zealand government to attract wealthier tourists. Luxon added:
We are all quite united in this drive for value over volume…
We don’t want the joint turning into Cancun or Bali – we need it to turn into Switzerland.
That’s an interesting analogy…
Airbus and Boeing had battled hard for this order. Asked where the ongoing 737 MAX issues nearly cost Boeing the deal, Luxon said:
Boeing is a company that we’ve known for over 50 years. We’re very comfortable.
It is still unclear how the 787-10 would be specifically retooled to make AKL-NYC possible.
New Engines
Air New Zealand will pivot away from Rolls Royce engines and use General Electric engines for the new order. Its Rolls Royce engines have encountered unexpected maintenance issues leading to extended delays and cancellations. That has forced Air New Zealand to lease planes from others, like the old Singapore 777-200 I saw at LAX that Air New Zealand is using on certain routes.
> Read More: The Mysterious 777 At LAX
CONCLUSION
This order is a symbolic win for Boeing as it seeks to emerge from the 737 MAX disaster. Air New Zealand’s conservative order won’t necessarily lead to new routes, but Luxon’s specific mention of New York City makes that a likely new destination, even as we await details about how this is possible with a 787-10.
Air New Zealand’s plan to retrofit its entire longhaul fleet with more premium cabin seats represents bigger news than the new aircraft order. I’ll cover that in more depth in a future story. Air New Zealand New York 787
image: Air New Zealand
“In choosing the 787-10, Air New Zealand can offer nonstop service between Auckland and New York for the first time.” — but they can’t. 787-10 has the shortest range of the 787. It has a range of 6,430 nmi (11,910 km) which could reach SFO and LAX but nowhere near NYC. This couldn’t even fly their IAH route (~12,200 km).
That’s presently true, but I have to imagine the CEO would not have made those statements without some discussion from Boeing on a modification to make such service possible. Maybe it will be on the -9 instead of the -10. I’ve updated the story to make this clearer, but I would not be surprised to see a special variant of the aircraft so that AKL-NYC nonstop is possible.
I think what they are saying and what they are hinting are different.
Hinting: JFK (or EWR) nonstop, 787-10 ordered
Saying: very vague but the truth may be
787-10 ordered
high MTOW 787-9 with few J and maybe premium economy seats
AKL-JFK non-stop
JFK-AKL not non-stop but having a technical stop at an airport with a long runway, which include DEN, LAS, ABQ, DFW, etc.
Ah, poor tourists need not apply.
B737 BBJs routinely have aux fuel tanks in the cargo hold to make them long haul. Typically 7 tanks adding something like 75% more fuel capacity. A 787-10 with fewer passengers/luggage would maybe just need 4 cargo tanks to kick the range into NYC territory. Boeing has sold quite a few 787 BBJs. I doubt the 787-8 BBJ needs extra tanks. Range of a light BBJ version like that is probably huge. But they may well have offered it to the sultans and kings as an option. Which means it’s perhaps an option in the build schematics and could be offered to customers of the 10.
The 359 ULR would have been the obvious choice for AKL-NYC. Boeing must have offered an exceptionally sweet deal. They’re not exactly bargaining from a position of strenth with the MAX debacle.