Originally Posted by
PLeblond
From everything I have been reading it appears the 787-9 could render the 787-8 redundant. Most carriers who had 787-8 order have switched a large part of them over and almost all new 787 orders are for the -9 & -10. It appears to be a trend as shown by the 767-200, the A330-200, the 777-200 etc. I guess the technology advances quickly enough during the development and build process that by the time an airline is ready to build the stretched version, its almost a 2.0 version in itself.
I have sent an email to some Boeing Wide-body sales people I met on a recent flight. Not sure they can give me the 'exact' information, but I'll follow up with any pertinent information they allow me to share.
Look forward to whatever information you can share from your Boeing contacts.
I'm not sure I'd put the A330-200 on that list. Although the A333-300 range has improved significantly since its entry into service (and it does significantly outsell the A330-200), the A330-200 still has significantly more range and is used on routes the A330-300 can't perform effectively. I'm thinking of routes like Philadelphia to Tel Aviv. The fact that an A330-200-sized aircraft continues to be offered in the A330neo programme (as the A330-800, albeit with a few extra seats) demonstrates that this aircraft isn't obsolete, even if it isn't as popular as the A330-300 (or A330-900 under the neo programme).
Arguably the A330-200 is aimed more at the 787-8 market, while the A330-300 is more of a 777-200ER replacement for routes less than 10 hours.