Revenge of the Dreamliner

Now and then you read articles in the aviation press that suggest the 757 and 717 (aka DC-9) kind of became more popular after their production run ended.

Well it looks like Boeing is persuading the domestic legacy airlines to dump their Airbus orders in favor of the Dreamliner. First it was Hawaiian airlines cancelled the only A330-800 order left on the books (6 aircraft) in favor of 10 Dreamliners. Now American Airlines has cancelled their 2007 order for 22 A350s in favor of an order for 47 Dreamliners.

A350 orders
22| 5 October 2007: American Airlines

45| 10 March 2010 : United Airlines Originally ordered 25 A350-900s for 2016 EIS. Order converted to 35 -1000s on 20 June 2013.Order were converted to 45 A350-900s on 6 September 2017.

25| 19 November 2014 :Delta Air Lines 2017 | 8 deliveries

Delta has already received 8 out of 25 of their A350s, so that order is probably firm. But they still have an order for 25 Airbus A330-900neos which are not supposed to begin deliveries for two years. As Delta inherited an order for 18 Dreamliners from Northwest, and they cancelled that order a little over a year ago, they are unlikely to change their mind again.

One of the selling points of the Dreamliner ould be that it would create new nonstop routes. It had more range than the B767 and B757, but it carried fewer people at less cost than the four engine B747, A340 or A380.

Clearly some of these routes are too long and thin, and owe their existence exclusively to the specifications of the Dreamliner. SFO and LAX to Singapore was not possible with a twin engine plane before now.

Other routes are simply flown on a Dreamliner for the first time. Clearly Boston to London Heathrow has been flown since just after WWII, but Boston to Gatwick was flown for the first time by a Dreamliner.

As of the end of 2017 Boeing claims these new nonstop routes were flown for the first time by a Dreamliner.

1. Austin USA ---------- Gatwick London England
2. Austin USA ---------- Heathrow London England
3. Boston USA ---------- Beijing China
4. Boston USA ---------- Shanghai China
5. Boston USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
6. Boston USA ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
7. Boston USA ---------- Oslo Norway
8. Boston USA ---------- Gatwick London England
9. Chicago USA ---------- Budapest Hungry
10. Chicago USA ---------- Krakow Poland
11. Chicago USA ---------- Venice Italy
12. Chicago USA ---------- Barcelona Spain
13. Dallas-Fort Worth USA ---------- Beijing China
14. Denver USA ---------- Heathrow London England
15. Denver USA ---------- Paris France
16. Denver USA ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
17. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
18. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Gatwick London England
19. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Paris France
20. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Oslo Norway
21. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Barcelona Spain
22. Fort Lauderdale USA ---------- Stockholm Sweden
23. Houston USA ---------- Sydney Australia
24. JFK New York USA ---------- Chengdu China
25. JFK New York USA ---------- Chongqing China
26. JFK New York USA ---------- Fuzhou China
27. JFK New York USA ---------- Budapest Hungry
28. JFK New York USA ---------- Bergen Norway
29. JFK New York USA ---------- Oslo Norway
30. JFK New York USA ---------- Tashkent Uzbekistan
31. Las Vegas USA ---------- Beijing China
32. Las Vegas USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
33. Las Vegas USA ---------- Oslo Norway
34. Las Vegas USA ---------- Stockholm Sweden
35. Los Angeles USA ---------- Changsha China
36. Los Angeles USA ---------- Chengdu China
37. Los Angeles USA ---------- Chongqing China
38. Los Angeles USA ---------- Guangdong China
39. Los Angeles USA ---------- Xiamen China
40. Los Angeles USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
41. Los Angeles USA ---------- Gatwick London England
42. Los Angeles USA ---------- Dublin Ireland
43. Los Angeles USA ---------- Osaka Japan
44. Los Angeles USA ---------- Oslo Norway
45. Los Angeles USA ---------- Warsaw Poland
46. Los Angeles USA ---------- Barcelona Spain
47. Los Angeles USA ---------- Stockholm Sweden
48. Los Angeles USA ---------- Changi Singapore
49. Nashville USA ---------- Heathrow London England
50. New Orleans USA ---------- Heathrow London England
51. Newark USA ---------- Lome Togo
52. Oakland USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
53. Oakland USA ---------- Gatwick London England
54. Oakland USA ---------- Rome Italy
55. Oakland USA ---------- Oslo Norway
56. Oakland USA ---------- Barcelona Spain
57. Oakland USA ---------- Stockholm Sweden
58. Orlando USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
59. Orlando USA ---------- Stansted London England
60. Orlando USA ---------- Paris France
61. Orlando USA ---------- Oslo Norway
62. San Diego USA ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
63. San Francisco USA ---------- Hangzhou China
64. San Francisco USA ---------- Xi'an China
65. San Francisco USA ---------- Chengdu China
66. San Francisco USA ---------- Guangzhou China
67. San Francisco USA ---------- Wuhan China
68. San Francisco USA ---------- Tel Aviv Israel
69. San Francisco USA ---------- Changi Singapore
70. San Jose CA USA ---------- Beijing China
71. San Jose CA USA ---------- Heathrow London England
72. San Jose CA USA ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
73. San Jose CA USA ---------- Amsterdam Netherlands
74. San Juan Puerto Rico USA ---------- Copenhagen Denmark
75. San Juan Puerto Rico USA ---------- Oslo Norway
76. Seattle USA ---------- Shenzhen China
77. Washington DC USA ---------- Casablanca Morocco
    ....
78. Ezeiza Argentina ---------- Gatwick London England
79. Oranjestad Aruba ---------- Manchester England
80. Brisbane Australia ---------- Vancouver Canada
81. Melbourne Australia ---------- Santiago Chile
82. Sydney Australia ---------- Fuzhou China
83. Melbourne Australia ---------- Xiamen China
84. Sydney Australia ---------- Xiamen China
85. Sydney Australia ---------- New Delhi India
86. Melbourne Australia ---------- New Delhi India
87. Brisbane Australia ---------- Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
88. Bridgetown Barbados ---------- Cardiff Wales
89. Brussels Belgium ---------- Shanghai China
90. Brussels Belgium ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
91. Sao Paulo Brazil ---------- Lome Togo
92. Tapoa Burkina Faso ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
93. Phnom Penh Cambodia ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
94. Calgary Canada ---------- Beijing China
95. Vancouver Canada ---------- Xiamen China
96. Santiago Chile ---------- Heathrow London England
97. Wuhan China ---------- Coolangatta Australia
98. Zhengzhou China ---------- Melbourne Australia
99. Shanghai China ---------- Quebec Canada
100. Shanghai China ---------- Québec Canada
101. Chengdu China ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
102. Shanghai China ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
103. Shanghai China ---------- Mexico City Mexico
104. Shenyang China ---------- Changi Singapore
105. Heilongjiang Sheng China ---------- Changi Singapore
106. Varadero Cuba ---------- Gatwick London England
107. Santa Clara Cuba ---------- Manchester England
108. Heathrow London England ---------- Perth Australia
109. Heathrow London England ---------- Ahmedabad India
110. Birmingham England ---------- New Delhi India
111. Birmingham England ---------- Doha Qatar
112. Manchester England ---------- Riyadh Saudi Arabia
113. Manchester England ---------- Phuket Thailand
114. Addis Ababa Ethiopia ---------- Abidjan Ivory Coast
115. Addis Ababa Ethiopia ---------- Manila Philippines
116. Guadeloupe France ---------- Milan Italy
117. Nice France ---------- Doha Qatar
118. Munich Germany ---------- Bogota Colombia
119. Dusseldorf Germany ---------- Narita Tokyo Japan
120. Mumbai India ---------- Toronto Canada
121. New Delhi India ---------- Vancouver Canada
122. Denpasar Indonesia ---------- Warsaw Poland
123. Dublin Ireland ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
124. Dublin Ireland ---------- Doha Qatar
125. Rome Italy ---------- Wuhan China
126. Montego Bay Jamaica ---------- South Yorkshire England
127. Montego Bay Jamaica ---------- Dublin Ireland
128. Montego Bay Jamaica ---------- Stockholm Sweden
129. Narita Tokyo Japan ---------- Brussels Belgium
130. Narita Tokyo Japan ---------- Québec Canada
131. Ota Tokyo Japan ---------- Auckland New Zealand
132. Narita Tokyo Japan ---------- Warsaw Poland
133. Ota Tokyo Japan ---------- Doha Qatar
134. Sepang Malaysia ---------- Amman Jordan
135. Penang Malaysia ---------- Doha Qatar
136. Plaine Magnien Mauritius ---------- Vantaa Finland
137. Plaine Magnien Mauritius ---------- Amsterdam Netherlands
138. Plaine Magnien Mauritius ---------- Stockholm Sweden
139. Puerto Vallarta Mexico ---------- Gatwick London England
140. Puerto Vallarta Mexico ---------- Manchester England
141. Cancun Mexico ---------- Stansted London England
142. Cancun Mexico ---------- Dublin Ireland
143. Marrakech Morocco ---------- Doha Qatar
144. Comoros Moroni ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
145. Maputo Mozambique ---------- Doha Qatar
146. Windhoek Namibia ---------- Doha Qatar
147. Christchurch New Zealand ---------- Guangzhou China
148. San Juan Puerto Rico ---------- Gatwick London England
149. San Juan Puerto Rico ---------- Stockholm Sweden
150. Moscow Russia ---------- New Delhi India
151. Medina Saudi Arabia ---------- Paris France
152. Edinburgh Scotland ---------- Doha Qatar
153. Victoria Seychelles ---------- Heathrow London England
154. Changi Singapore ---------- Heathrow London England
155. Changi Singapore ---------- Amritsar India
156. Changi Singapore ---------- Jaipur India
157. Cape Town South Africa ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
158. Seoul South Korea ---------- Mexico City Mexico
159. Seoul South Korea ---------- Warsaw Poland
160. Madrid Spain ---------- New Delhi India
161. Colombo Sri Lanka ---------- Vantaa Finland
162. Colombo Sri Lanka ---------- Amsterdam Netherlands
163. Paramaribo Suriname ---------- Amsterdam Netherlands
164. Zanzibar Tanzania ---------- Addis Ababa Ethiopia
165. Phuket Thailand ---------- Gatwick London England
166. Bangkok Thailand ---------- Warsaw Poland
167. Kiev Ukraine ---------- Amman Jordan
168. Hanoi Vietnam ---------- Nairobi Kenya
169. Phu Quoc Vietnam ---------- Stockholm Sweden
170. Cardiff Wales ---------- Doha Qatar

A couple of the claims seem dubious to me. Singapore's Changi Airport opened officially on 29 December 1981 , and London Heathrow opened in 1946. It seems unlikely that a Dreamliner was the first plane to fly commercially between these airports, but I suppose it is possible that all flights were out of Gatwick.

The Dreamliner opened 6 routes in Mexico
Mexico City Mexico ----------Seoul South Korea
Mexico City Mexico ----------Shanghai China
Puerto Vallarta Mexico ---------- Gatwick London England
Puerto Vallarta Mexico ---------- Manchester England
Cancun Mexico ---------- Stansted London England
Cancun Mexico ---------- Dublin Ireland

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/dreamliners-longest-trips-face-curbs-on-rolls-royce-engine-woes?utm_source=quora

About 1/4 of the 670 Dreamliners delivered are facing sever engine problems. The FAA is about to limit their ETOPS times which will create much longer routes for TransPacific. Boeing selected two new engines to power the 787, the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and General Electric GEnx. The 787-8 and −9 were intended to have a certified 330 minute ETOPS capability.

The newer 787s rolling out of its factories now are powered either by a General Electric Co. turbine or the updated Trent 1000 TEN, a new variant redesigned for greater durability and are not affected.

The RR Trent 1000 engines were not purchased by the US flagged airlines who favor the General Electric GEnx. In early 2018, of 1277 orders, 681 selected GE (53.3%), 420 Rolls-Royce (32.9%) and 176 were undecided (13.8%)

Norwegian is replacing the Trent 1000 with Trent 1000 TEN on it's B787-9s, and a different RR engine on it's B787-8s.

FAA reduced the ETOPS from 330 minutes to 140 minutes, but the FAA only has jurisdiction over 14 Dreamliners with the Trent 1000 engine. Most are owned by leasing companies in the USA and leased to Avianca in Bogota.

The do not cross area can probably be circumvented with a slightly longer path to Europe.


Trans Pacific operations are severely impacted, so if there are similar rulings by different bodies covering the large number of ANZ or ANA then they will probably have to replace the engines. Norwegian has already scheduled replacements for the older engines.

Aeroméxico's 16 Dreamliners all use GE engines and are not affected.

AL Jazeera reports that it has received and published on August 22, 2018 a transcript of a Dreamliner that had to return to Auckland soon after take off last December fifth.
It is a transcript of Tower-Plane radio communications only.
It is marked confidential and such documents are generally not released by the New Zealand authorities.
Investigations in New Zealand do not focus on blame allocation.

Ten minutes after having been cleared for take off, the plane informed the tower that it had an engine problem and would remain in the area until they had it sorted. Nineteen minutes after take off clearance, the plane broadcast a PAN message that it was returning to the airport and needed radar vectors for a direct return.

Delays and rescheduling still affect Air Newzealand as certain engines suffer compressor blade problems and pilots know that adding power to a critical engine to compensate for the power lost by a failing engine appears to be a risky maneuver.

Air New Zealand has 11 Dreamliners the oldest of which was delivered on 30. Jun 2014. They are equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 1000 which have had

Blade cracking
Corrosion-related fatigue cracking of intermediate-pressure turbine IPT blades was discovered at All Nippon Airways in early 2016. Engines showing excessive corrosion were pulled from service and repaired in a shop visit, more corrosion-resistant blades were developed and rolled-out. HPT blades fatigue was checked and IPC rotor seals inspected but several airlines had to ground 787s. Rolls had to spend $35 million on unexpected “technical provisions” for its in-service Trent 1000 fleet in 2017.

In April 2018, the inspection interval for 380 Package C Trent 1000s was reduced from every 200 flights to every 80 to address durability problems, as the EASA should be followed by the US FAA, reducing ETOPS from 330 to 140 minutes and impacting trans-Pacific flights.

On April 17, the US FAA confirmed this ETOPS reduction.On 19 April, the EASA issued an Airworthiness Directive stating "occurrences were reported on RR Trent 1000 ‘Pack C’ engines, where some IPC Rotor 1 and Rotor 2 blades were found cracked. This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to in-flight blade release, possibly resulting in reduced control of the aeroplane."
EASA inspection rates are increased but ETOPS are maintained.

On 26 April 2018, the FAA limited ETOPS for package C engines.
This limited flights to 60 min from a diversion airport, affecting Air Europa, Air New Zealand, Avianca, British Airways, Ethiopian, LATAM, LOT Polish, Norwegian Air, Royal Brunei, Scoot, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic.

I assume that most planes with two engines will have two engines of the same type and that if one engine has fan blades that are failing the other engine will have fan blades of the same age and same type and that have been subjected to extremely similar flight and maintenance stresses, so I can understand imposing a range limitation and that it will have impact on longer, over-water flights.

It may make sense, but this is the first time I've ever heard of ETOPS being taken away . It is possible to fly across the Atlantic without ETOPS, but you have to fly over Scotland, Iceland,and Greenland to stay within 60 minutes of a diversion airport. I've only ever heard of one route in history that tried to do it, a flight from Israel to Canada, and that was 32 years ago.

Basically the airlines didn't find it worth it to fly that far out of the way, and they simply stuck to 3 and 4 engine jets until the rules were relaxed allowing 90 minutes, then 120 minute, and then longer times. The FAA still figures one engine may go out, but the manufacturer has to show that it can fly that far on a single engine and land properly.


So far 788 Dreamliners have been delivered with the General Electric Engines and 454 with the Rolls Royce engines, but it is only an earlier variant of the RR engines that are having trouble.

The North American airlines ordered all their Dreamliners with the GE engines, so they are not affected.
89 American Airlines
55 United Airlines
37 Air Canada
15 Aeroméxico
10 Hawaiian