A very useful review; Thanks. Aer Lingus have a great A330 product - the Business Class cabis has served us well (living close to MAN, it is easier for us to transit through DUB than wait for "London Airways" to get us into LHR then hit delays at T5 (or get around to LGW again for a clapped-out 777-200ER!!!) by which time we are out over the Atlantic. Would love to see more A380s in the skies.
There is also the two huge benefits if you travel through Dublin. Firstly you don’t pay the ludicrous APT and if travelling in Business then your saving thousands every few flights. Secondly clearance for US clearance so you arrive in the US as a domestic arrival
Hi Mark, a great video, thank you. This is a subject I’ve been mulling over for a few years as the 777-200ER gets older and in need of replacement. I agree it could make sense to add to existing models across Boeing and Airbus to build resilience, capacity and ease of introduction to the fleet. Economies of scale would benefit the operations too. I agree, that adding new models would not make sense in my opinion as the fleet is already more fragmented now compared to the simplicity during the 80s, 90s and 00’s of a 747, 777, 767 fleet. I expect an announcement may come in the next few months during 2025. Thanks again.
@@benoitbourdaire4194 oh I think it’s a very attractive option but these planes have been sat rotting for five years. I just don’t think it’s practical and if it was I think BA would have done it by now…
@@markstrainsplanes I've seen some of the Thai A380s parked up on taxiways at BKK on trips there last year and in the last couple of weeks. They appeared to have no storage mitigations - certainly no engine covers and no obvious door/hatch/window seals. Not good in a hot and humid place like Bangkok! I've also read that Thai had accepted bids for their fleet of 6 aircraft on an 'as is, as where' basis so the buyers would have to go to Bangkok to fix them up enough to fly them to a proper maintenance facility like Manilla to get them ready for operation. If BA's current fleet of A380s aren't very reliable in service because of their time in storage, I shudder to think what the Thai ones would be like!
@ Peter - I agree. Not because I want to see BA ‘s A380 fleet capped at 12 planes. I’d really love to see arrival of a further six frames but everything you say just reinforces my view. They would need enormous investment and even then there may be hidden issues from humid exterior storage.
Like the analysis and generally agree, I would be surprised if the options on the A350-1000 haven’t already been taken up as line slots are guaranteed therefore earlier delivery, maybe some of the announced orders to undisclosed customers. Could even be an extension to the 18. Also agree on the 787.
I think the only suitable replacement for the Gatwick/Trent 800/GE90 777-200ERs is the Airbus A350-900 - similar capacity but those Trent XWBs are better at dealing with Caribbean climates than the 787-10 which are best for East Coast US and Middle East. They should also seriously consider taking up the options for the A350-1000.
BA initially struggled with the A380.. most airlines do but they have matured into a great bonus on those busy routes. Yes I think they will take perhaps a cpl of RR powered A380,s Yes they have been stored for a period of time but in a very dry climate so they are still within capable aircraft. BA have fully capable engineers who can go over the aircraft with a fine tooth comb and select the best. Yes the interior will have to be changed but the A380,s are in line to get the new interior! Now re the new club suites, they will drive down the number of club seats on board so say in a A380 which presently have 98 club seats on board, when the new suites are fitted your going to have significantly less seats. Yes much more updated and comfortable but that’s a huge loss of revenue
I heard Air New Zealand are planning on going to an all 777 long haul fleet, that would free up 14 787-9s there at some point, maybe not enough capacity on the 9s though.
Great Video! What are your thoughts on the Gatwick 777-200’s fleet most of which are 24 years old. I would think that a 787-10 or A350 would be a suitable replacement. I guess the 777 X will be a challenge given delays and issues with the MAX knocking confidence in certification. Having a single fleet type of 777’s based at Gatwick will give operations an advantage given they can easily switch aircraft if inbounds are delayed or aircraft go technical, but having a mixed fleet while they start to adopt a new aircraft type will create a mismatch in maybe range but more likely capacity that would cause a few headaches, although the ability to move a replacement aircraft from LHR to LGW (and visa-versa) might mitigate this. My money would be on the 787-10, but would love to hear your thoughts as the current long-haul 777 are getting old! Do you think they would have to operate a mixed fleet for a while before they find a suitable replacement or do you think there will be a few “second hand” 787’s making there way to Gatwick as a stop gap?
Thanks. I think it’s unlikely that BA would move LHR aircraft to LGW in current configuration and conversions are expensive. So whatever BA decide is final solution will be transitioned to quickly. It’s cheaper to order a new plane with Gatwick config than order a new Heathrow plane then convert a Heathrow aircraft to Gatwick configuration. A new 787-10 in Gatwick configuration would probably seat 38/49/219 which is a decrease on current 77S/77T seating but not disastrous and I indicate this is an option although I think BA would be better to upgrade to a bigger A350-1000 but that’s just my opinion !
Thank you for a very good presentation. I am no expert but I am surprised that the members of the IAG family do not seem to choose to mix the fleets around ? I am thinking particularly of the Iberia long haul aircraft. I see they have a number of Airbus 330 aircraft in their fleet. I understand that Air Lingus also use the A330 family. Would it not be possible to create a pool of A330 aircraft with a common layout to be shared ? You could brand them as One World alliance planes . I doubt the passengers would really care about this. I think you are being very optimistic about the delivery times for the 777-9 so using the Airbus 330 short term especially for the Gatwick routes where Premium Economy / Economy are more important would seem sensible but please feel free to reject his suggestion given your knowledge of the subject.
Nice summary - seems realistic too! Thanks
Airbus have made the a350 cabin wider and now 10 abrest is the same seat width as a 10 abrest in the 777
A very useful review; Thanks. Aer Lingus have a great A330 product - the Business Class cabis has served us well (living close to MAN, it is easier for us to transit through DUB than wait for "London Airways" to get us into LHR then hit delays at T5 (or get around to LGW again for a clapped-out 777-200ER!!!) by which time we are out over the Atlantic. Would love to see more A380s in the skies.
There is also the two huge benefits if you travel through Dublin. Firstly you don’t pay the ludicrous APT and if travelling in Business then your saving thousands every few flights. Secondly clearance for US clearance so you arrive in the US as a domestic arrival
Hi Mark, a great video, thank you. This is a subject I’ve been mulling over for a few years as the 777-200ER gets older and in need of replacement. I agree it could make sense to add to existing models across Boeing and Airbus to build resilience, capacity and ease of introduction to the fleet. Economies of scale would benefit the operations too. I agree, that adding new models would not make sense in my opinion as the fleet is already more fragmented now compared to the simplicity during the 80s, 90s and 00’s of a 747, 777, 767 fleet. I expect an announcement may come in the next few months during 2025. Thanks again.
Really insightful. British airways should deffo look to grow their Airbus A350 network
Very good vidéo. Only disagreement is on the used A380. Even BA said they were an attractive option at the right price. Time will tell! All the best.
@@benoitbourdaire4194 oh I think it’s a very attractive option but these planes have been sat rotting for five years. I just don’t think it’s practical and if it was I think BA would have done it by now…
@@markstrainsplanes I've seen some of the Thai A380s parked up on taxiways at BKK on trips there last year and in the last couple of weeks. They appeared to have no storage mitigations - certainly no engine covers and no obvious door/hatch/window seals. Not good in a hot and humid place like Bangkok! I've also read that Thai had accepted bids for their fleet of 6 aircraft on an 'as is, as where' basis so the buyers would have to go to Bangkok to fix them up enough to fly them to a proper maintenance facility like Manilla to get them ready for operation. If BA's current fleet of A380s aren't very reliable in service because of their time in storage, I shudder to think what the Thai ones would be like!
@ Peter - I agree. Not because I want to see BA ‘s A380 fleet capped at 12 planes. I’d really love to see arrival of a further six frames but everything you say just reinforces my view. They would need enormous investment and even then there may be hidden issues from humid exterior storage.
Like the analysis and generally agree, I would be surprised if the options on the A350-1000 haven’t already been taken up as line slots are guaranteed therefore earlier delivery, maybe some of the announced orders to undisclosed customers. Could even be an extension to the 18. Also agree on the 787.
Great video,very informative and i totally agree with your analysis
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think the only suitable replacement for the Gatwick/Trent 800/GE90 777-200ERs is the Airbus A350-900 - similar capacity but those Trent XWBs are better at dealing with Caribbean climates than the 787-10 which are best for East Coast US and Middle East.
They should also seriously consider taking up the options for the A350-1000.
Love these updates! Thanks
Glad you like them!
BA initially struggled with the A380.. most airlines do but they have matured into a great bonus on those busy routes. Yes I think they will take perhaps a cpl of RR powered A380,s Yes they have been stored for a period of time but in a very dry climate so they are still within capable aircraft. BA have fully capable engineers who can go over the aircraft with a fine tooth comb and select the best. Yes the interior will have to be changed but the A380,s are in line to get the new interior!
Now re the new club suites, they will drive down the number of club seats on board so say in a A380 which presently have 98 club seats on board, when the new suites are fitted your going to have significantly less seats. Yes much more updated and comfortable but that’s a huge loss of revenue
I heard Air New Zealand are planning on going to an all 777 long haul fleet, that would free up 14 787-9s there at some point, maybe not enough capacity on the 9s though.
Please mention the fact that none of the B787 10s do not have bunks for the crew to rest on a long hauls. 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼
Great Video! What are your thoughts on the Gatwick 777-200’s fleet most of which are 24 years old. I would think that a 787-10 or A350 would be a suitable replacement. I guess the 777 X will be a challenge given delays and issues with the MAX knocking confidence in certification. Having a single fleet type of 777’s based at Gatwick will give operations an advantage given they can easily switch aircraft if inbounds are delayed or aircraft go technical, but having a mixed fleet while they start to adopt a new aircraft type will create a mismatch in maybe range but more likely capacity that would cause a few headaches, although the ability to move a replacement aircraft from LHR to LGW (and visa-versa) might mitigate this. My money would be on the 787-10, but would love to hear your thoughts as the current long-haul 777 are getting old! Do you think they would have to operate a mixed fleet for a while before they find a suitable replacement or do you think there will be a few “second hand” 787’s making there way to Gatwick as a stop gap?
Thanks. I think it’s unlikely that BA would move LHR aircraft to LGW in current configuration and conversions are expensive. So whatever BA decide is final solution will be transitioned to quickly. It’s cheaper to order a new plane with Gatwick config than order a new Heathrow plane then convert a Heathrow aircraft to Gatwick configuration.
A new 787-10 in Gatwick configuration would probably seat 38/49/219 which is a decrease on current 77S/77T seating but not disastrous and I indicate this is an option although I think BA would be better to upgrade to a bigger A350-1000 but that’s just my opinion !
Great report, can you share a link to the data sheets? Thanks
Thank you for a very good presentation. I am no expert but I am surprised that the members of the IAG family do not seem to choose to mix the fleets around ? I am thinking particularly of the Iberia long haul aircraft. I see they have a number of Airbus 330 aircraft in their fleet. I understand that Air Lingus also use the A330 family. Would it not be possible to create a pool of A330 aircraft with a common layout to be shared ? You could brand them as One World alliance planes . I doubt the passengers would really care about this. I think you are being very optimistic about the delivery times for the 777-9 so using the Airbus 330 short term especially for the Gatwick routes where Premium Economy / Economy are more important would seem sensible but please feel free to reject his suggestion given your knowledge of the subject.
At present the businesses share some activities but are very separate brands . That might change but it’s not showing signs of happening soon.
Now you know why lufthansa kept the 747
I wish I was a British Airways first officer ✈️💫😏
Are you Mark Hopwood the MD of First Great Western?
@@flyboy747uk My proper job but you’ve caught me dabbling with my hobby!!