The 787-10 Is A Graphic Center Of Travel

Airline strategies have expanded both ends of the scale. Ultra Long Range to regional travel. Those extremes are marked by the A-350 ULR flown by Singapore Airlines and the 737 flown by Southwest Airlines. A graphics display is rendered, intersecting passenger load, distance, and market density. During the formative years of education a class, most of us readers endured, was geometry. Lines intersect an optimal value. This is what Boeing has done with its 787-10. It's not a long thin route hopper like the Singapore A350-ULR nor is it a 737 Max 8 flying to Las Vegas from Minneapolis. It is optimized for 330 passengers going 6,400 miles. 

Most routes travel the world within 6,400 miles and most passenger densities fall within that band. You may call the 787-10 a generalist, meeting the business model of most airlines. The 777X and the A-350ULR are specialists with a limited thin market. Connecting Singapore with NewYork is a very long thin route. However, Singapore Airlines has ordered 49 787-10's and taken delivery for 6 of its type. It has only ordered seven A350-900 ULR's, hence the long thin route commitment and it will launch its first A-350-900ULR this week to Newark, NJ. 

Singapore happens to be in a 5,000-mile circle of the world's most dense population centers. EVA air has ordered 18 787-10's residing in Taiwan opposite of China.

The coincidence of 787-10 capability and population density concentration is no accident. These two airlines have ordered almost 40% of the 787-10's currently booked by Boeing. When the Emirates order is booked by 40 more 787-10 the balance will rise to 51% of the 787-10 ordered by three airlines. Singapore, EVA, and Emirates, totaling 107 787-10 airframes out of 211 787-10 booked.

The real potential is the whole world where 80% of airline travel resides within a  6,400-mile route circle. The long thin route is rapidly becoming saturated and both Boeing and Airbus will want more orders sooner rather than later. However, the market lies within the 6,400-mile route circle and Boeing has that covered as it prepares to deliver 787-10's to United Airlines sooner rather than later.

Expect more 787-10 orders by Airlines plying European airspace. It would safe to say the order book count for the 787-10 may rise to 300 units instead of its current 171 numbers during 2019. Airlines that may be targeted for a 787-10 order have already been contacted and these may include Delta and American to name a few.