An Old Dream

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the newest, most efficient and most luxurious aircraft in the hanger, but it is the last gasp of the old 20th century aviation industry rather than the beginning of 21st century aviation. Its launch in 2007 was the most successful commercial airplane launch in history taking orders for 677 airplanes worth more than $110 billion. The Dreamliner’s maiden flight took place on 15 December 2009 and it is now entering service in 2011, three years later than intended.

For passengers, the aircraft is a step forward with a higher cabin pressure equivalent to 6,000ft – compared with 8,000ft for most other high altitude passenger aircraft – so headaches and fatigue should be reduced. The passengers on board the first scheduled flight by All Nippon Airways (ANA) last Wednesday also liked the spacious feel of the larger windows. Passenger comforts that grabbed the headlines were the toilet with a window and a bidet with a variety of spray options.

For aircraft construction, new methods have been used including the use of carbon fibre composite materials. According to Boeing, it will use twenty per cent less fuel per passenger than similarly sized aircraft. The 787 is a further evolution of the standard design, squeezing a little more efficiency and improvements from a model with similar operating characteristics to the stable of aircraft it hopes to replace. In a highly regulated and conservative industry, in which fuel is largely free of tax, this is the safe direction. The 787 is not a dream, but a statement that aviation intends to defend business-as-usual for as long as possible.

There are other designs, such as blended wing technology and the use of buoyancy as a component of lift in hybrid air vehicles, which could make dramatic reductions in the emissions from aviation, but there is no business case to bring these technologies to market until society demands that aviation is transformed for the 21st century.

Boeing will be using commercial judgement in planning its future models but it will be very wary of taking any action that may undermine sales of the Dreamliner before banking the $110 billion of advance orders. Commercial reality means that dreams of greener aviation will be kept under wraps until the Dreamliner production line has been running for many years.

Peter McManners is author of Fly and Be Damned: What now for aviation and climate change? Advance Orders now being taken on Amazon.