Airlines will add more international routes between major and second-tier cities using smaller aircraft, as fuel efficiency continues to redefine long-haul aviation, the head of the team behind Boeing's 787 Dreamliner team says.
Mark Jenks, general manager and vice president of the aerospace manufacturer's 787 operations, said he believed global aviation would move further towards a "point-to-point" model, whereby airlines fly out of more cities on smaller aircraft, rather than use larger aircraft on fewer routes that link with domestic connecting flights.
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Mr Jenks, who has worked on the 787 since its inception, said the Dreamliner's fuel efficiency and long-range had made some routes economically viable for the first time, with 120 new routes opening up using the aircraft since it the first came into operation in 2009.
"The number of new routes it has opened up is really tremendous. You see '87s everywhere, and in the most amazing places right now," Mr Jenks told Fairfax Media on a visit to the company's production plant in Everett, Washington.
"I have a daughter who goes to college in San Jose California - not a big place - and you know you see the 787 in that airport, flying from San Jose to Narita [in Japan]."
Qantas buys dream
In Australia, Qantas will soon join the list of airlines using the 787's range and efficiency to add new routes when it starts flying Perth to London in 2018, on what will be the longest 787 route in operation.
It will carry 236 passengers, less than half the number on its long-haul A380 services.
The delivery later this year of the first of Qantas' eight 787-9s will end a saga that started in 2005 with the order of 45 Dreamliners, a mix of 787-8s and the larger -9s.
!["All the data says that model is the right model." Mark Jenks, general manager and vice president of Boeing's 787 ...](/web/20170126034624im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/q/z/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtyqyc.png/1485394295093.jpg)
But it cancelled and delayed orders in 2009 and again 2012 amid heavy financial losses. Jetstar, however, has already been flying 787-8s around the Asia Pacific region since 2013, while antipodean rival Air New Zealand has nine 787-9s, which it has been flying since 2014, and has another three on order.
Boeing also suffered a series of setbacks and production delays bringing the 787 to market, but Mr Jenks said its operations were now in order and that airlines would gravitate towards it and other low-fuel products.
![Airlines are turning to smaller planes as they fight in a bid to become more efficient.](/web/20170126034624im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/q/z/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtyqyc.png/1485394295093.jpg)
Fuel key
"All the data says that model is the right model. The A380s of the world, the very big airplanes, we have never believed there was the kind of market for those... and I think you're seeing that play out now," he said,
The world's two dominant aerospace producers have both been hit by a worldwide downturn in aircraft orders: Boeing sold 100 fewer jets in 2016 than it did in 2015, and Airbus' sales were down 305.
Justin Hale, Boeing's regional director of product marketing, said he saw an end to the down cycle on the horizon, brought on in part by low fuel prices which had let airlines keep inefficient planes in service.
"Most forecasts are that fuel prices will continue to rise... so we do see a wave of replacement requirements coming," Mr Hale said.
"We think that will turnaround the order situation but at the same time we need to acknowledge orders have been very slow for the past couple of years for all manufacturers."
Mr Jenks was reluctant to discuss the impact of new US president Donald Trump, who has attacked Boeing over the cost of the new Air Force One jet and was elected with protectionist policies that could damage global trade. However he downplayed suggestions Mr Trump posed a threat to Boeing's business.
"The basic dynamics in the market haven't changed," Mr Jenks said.
"Even though there is a lot going on - there is some uncertainty - fundamentally, air traffic is increasing. We still feel very good about where the industry is going."
The reporter travelled as a guest of Qantas.