Boeing 777-300ER upgrade slowed due to 787 problems according to Emirates, Clark

Emirates President Tim Clark told ATW he believes the Boeing 787 will be an outstanding aircraft but its current problems are slowing development of a 777-300ER upgrade sought by a number of airlines to meet the challenge of the Airbus A350-1000.

Clark, who has been a driving force behind an upgraded 777-300ER, told ATW that Boeing was “rightly devoting all its resources to getting the 787 into service.”

“I do not think they will be in a position to move on the 777 upgrade until they have the 787 problems behind them,” Clark said. “It must be so frustrating for them and I feel for them as does the industry. We need Boeing to get this right.”

Clark added that Boeing had been making good progress on the 777-300ER development to meet Emirates demanding goals of a 50 tonne payload from Dubai to Los Angeles.

“I know [our specifications are] a big ask but it will be an unrivaled aircraft if we get it,” he said, noting he called on manufacturers to focus on reliability as the number one criteria in aircraft design. “The knock on effect and cost is enormous of aircraft breakdowns and outweighs minor fuel savings,” Clark warned.

(Geoffery Thomas - ATWOnline News)