<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cAAl:
Five to 5.5 hours is a long time to fly with one engine inoperable. But I agree with everyone that ETOPS 300/330 will spell the end of new 747 orders and give the 777 a big advantage over the Airbus line. </font>
According to what I hear, getting the A340-500 and the B777LRs to fly long hours (16+ hours?) in commercial operation requires the first operators of both types to jump through some regulation hoops. Was told that Airbus' support in that regard was one of the reasons why SQ went for A340-500s rather than the B777LRs, even though they have a bunch of B777s on order. Of course not having to get ETOPS certification for the A340 may have contributed to that decision.
Also heard of rumors of a possible BAE/Boeing merger. That should be a dandy... I wonder what that would do to Airbus? ...
