777-200LR will carry more pax than the A340-500

Boeing insiders are claiming that the 777-200LR, which will roll out in Jan. 2005, will be able to carry 50 more passengers than the A340-500 under Singapore Airlines’ rules as indications grow that the company is ready to get keener on 777 pricing to shore up market share. To date, the dash 200LR has locked up only a handful of orders. SIA launched the world’s longest nonstop service from Singapore to Los Angeles last week using an A340-500 configured for 181 seats–64 in business and 117 in Executive Economy (ATWOnline, Feb. 5). Airline executives would have preferred also to offer first class and have a smaller Executive Economy section. However, they told ATWOnline that SIA’s first-class seat is the same weight as 2.5 business class seats and the carrier was forced to eliminate the cabin because of weight shortfalls. The comments relating to the performance of the 777-200LR versus the A340-500 are the first shots in what appears to be an escalating battle between Boeing and Airbus for the 300-seat market. Cathay Pacific, SIA, Air New Zealand and Air China are considering fleet options for either A340-500s/-600s or 777-300ERs/-200LRs. Recent comments from Emirates officials indicated that Boeing has not done enough with its 777 offerings and Airbus has been able to offset any performance shortfalls with better financial packages.