The End of Boeing's Reign Over the Oceans

With Singapore Airlines' Airbus A350 flight from Singapore to New York, covering a distance of over 15,000 kilometers and setting the record for the longest flight in the world, the reign of the Boeing 777 as the longest-range aircraft in the world has come to an end. Now, the Airbus A350-900 ULR is the longest-range aircraft in the world. Prior to this recent record, the Boeing 777-200LR held the record for ultra-long-haul flights, covering 14,535 kilometers from Doha to Auckland, operated by Qatar Airways. The Boeing 777 held this record for years, and before that, the Boeing 747 was the longest-range aircraft in the world. Even Boeing's domestic competitors could not rival Boeing in this segment of the market. The production of the Boeing 747 was considered a major revolution in the passenger aircraft manufacturing industry at its time. The Boeing 747-100, with four engines and a two-deck structure, had the capacity to carry up to 480 passengers. This high passenger capacity on long-haul routes, which was more than double the capacity of aircraft at that time, practically transformed the global air transport market and reduced prices, making air travel accessible to many people on long routes. At that time, McDonnell Douglas, another major aircraft manufacturer in the U.S., also tried to defeat Boeing in this market segment but ultimately failed and merged with Boeing. Notably, the groundwork for the longest flights in those years was laid by Iran Air. The managers of Iran Air realized that they needed a longer-range aircraft than the regular 747s for direct flights between Iran and the United States, so they ordered the SP model from Boeing. This aircraft, which has a shorter fuselage and a taller vertical tail than the 100 and 200 models, had the capacity to carry more fuel. With the delivery of the Boeing 747 SP, Iran Air began its direct flights between Tehran and New York, which at that time was considered the longest non-stop flight in the world. However, the 747s were not very economical for long-haul flights. They had four engines and high fuel consumption. Therefore, Boeing designed the 777. For the first time in the design of a passenger aircraft, all stages were carried out with the help of design and simulation software. The CATIA software played a significant role in the design of this aircraft. The Airbus A300 in the 1980s and 1990s was a twin-engine aircraft and managed to capture part of the medium-range market, surprising analysts. The success of this aircraft was due to its twin-engine design and reasonable fuel consumption. Boeing used this idea to develop the Boeing 777. The diameter of a 777 engine is the same as that of a Boeing 737. The engine of this aircraft is also considered one of the strongest passenger aircraft engines in the world. This aircraft was born in 1994. Airbus was, of course, the main competitor to the Boeing 777 for many years with the Airbus A340. However, the A340 had four engines, a shorter range than the Boeing 777, and higher fuel consumption. Therefore, more companies leaned towards purchasing the Boeing 777. Over the past twenty years, Airbus has managed to surpass Boeing in various market segments with its different models. The A320 series is the main challenge to the Boeing 737. In the medium-class segment, for years, despite the presence of the A300 series, Boeing had no say, and with the arrival of the A380, the Boeing 747 was no longer the largest passenger aircraft in the world. However, in the long-range segment, Boeing remained unmatched. With the introduction of the A350, Boeing felt threatened, but still, various types of the A350 were weaker against the Boeing 777 until Airbus introduced the A350-900 ULR model. In the ULR model, the maximum capacity of the center tank is utilized. The extra fuel carried in the ULR model weighs more than 9 tons. With the added weight of the fuel carried, the cargo capacity in this model has decreased. The A350-900 ULR has similarities to the A350-1000, which is a stretched version of the A350. The A350 project began in 2006. The A350 is the first Airbus aircraft that uses carbon fiber reinforced polymer instead of the lightweight aluminum alloys commonly used in the aviation industry for its fuselage. This aircraft was designed to compete with the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787, and its first model hit the market in 2013. The A350-1000 was built to compete with the Boeing 777 and, according to Airbus, its fuel consumption is 25% less and it weighs 30 tons less. Recently, Airbus introduced a plan to utilize space in the cargo section to create a suitable area for placing beds for passengers. With the reduction of seats in long-haul flights and the decrease in cargo, it is possible to use part of the cargo space in the lower part of the aircraft for creating a sleeping area or playroom. Iran Air had also ordered 16 A350-1000 aircraft, but with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, Airbus currently cannot deliver these aircraft to Iran. If these aircraft were delivered to Iran Air, the company could have transformed its long-haul operations after years.