There Is A New Mom on The Block, 787-10

Yes, you read it right, the 787-10 is Asia’s MOM and here's why:

• Groomed for 330 seats
• Range 6,450 miles
• 25% fuel efficiency improvement over models it Replaces (777-200).

What gives with the MOM (middle of the market) moniker? Well Boeing has been deciding what to do with its 757 replacement. Its done nothing that would please Winging It in this case. It hasn't announced a new champion MOM. The 737-9 MAX is a replacement for the 737-900 NG. However, stumbling on to this idea, Boeing suckered punched its rival with the 787-10 offering and roll-out.

The new MOM arrived expanding seating for high density markets going intercontinental. Isn't that what the 757 was designed to do? Fly the pond packing customers on-board. That smells like a MOM template after all and the A321-NEO doesn't pack the same efficiency as the 787-10 does when loading its 330 passengers, and it can't pack the passengers on board like the 787-10 does (second mention in a row). The A-321-NEO doesn't do the Pacific Rim. The 787-10 does with room to spare.

Price is a concern for mid wide body buyers when it comes to any MOM customers. However, the world grew significantly bigger when the 757 was taking its dive 13 years back.

You may think this proposition of being a MOM replacement is ludicrous however, listen to the sales pitch first and catch a glimmer at this devious concept. The A-330 is a minor league player with all its versions. The A321-NEO is bleeding Boeing red. The A-321 price is 126 million listed. The A-330 starts at 231 million and then goes up to 287 million at the top where the 787-10 goes for $306 million. Big price indeed but will customers go for it?

The Middle of the Market 787-10 is for an extended range while getting the bang for the buck. The A-321NEO is a lady in waiting for someone to knock her off her perch. The newest A-330-900 NEO rendition is a fence straddle and tries on the cheap irritate the 787 family.

However looking deeper when the 757 stopped production the largest market in the world had not yet emerged. China grew into a big sphere of commercial influence and can reach everywhere it needs to go under 6,000 miles. This is where the 787-10 model comes in, carrying a higher capacity. The A-321 needs two aircraft to the one 787-10 to get the job completed for moving copious amounts of Chinese passengers going under 6,000 miles. Eva Air saw this and ordered 24 787-10's. Singapore came back and ordered an additional nineteen 787-10's while totaling its own fleet size upwards for 49 of the 787-10's. In all that is an Asian fleet compliment of 73 of the 787-10's ordered before China even weighs in on the aircraft.

Boeing could have made the 787-10 fly a bit further but didn't need to from its own research. The 787-10 can reach 90% of the world's destinations with its range of 6,430 miles. It will probably fly farther than that after testing is complete in 2017. Engine refinements with actual performance numbers will tell if they engineered it correctly.

The single aisle MOM is dead and makes way for the giant 787-10 serving 330 passengers every time it lands. Having the A-330-900 NEO range is not as important as it seats forty-three less revenue seats than the 787- 10, and about a dozen seats less than the average 300 seat 787-9. The only damage was done to the 787-8 comes from the A-330-900 NEO, which acts as a straw replacement after Airbus failed A-350-800 attempt. However the 240 million 787-8 asking price is considerably better than the Airbus A-330-900 NEO. 

The seat capacity and range capability are the 787-10's strong attributes which beats out its competition for many reasons. It has not been mentioned how efficient this aircraft will be once loaded with passengers. It should be Asia's Middle of the Market work horse.