Hello All, After looking at the payload-range capabilities of the latest-generation single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft, we are now focusing on the market segment that doesn�t have a new-generation OEM offering. It comprises the 757-300, 767-200ER, 767-300ER, and 767-400ER. To...
Hello All,
After looking at the payload-range capabilities of the latest-generation single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft, we are now focusing on the market segment that doesn�t have a new-generation OEM offering. It comprises the 757-300, 767-200ER, 767-300ER, and 767-400ER.
To help the comparison we will add two latest-generation aircraft: the A321XLR (single-aisle with the most payload range) and 787-8 (smallest twin-aisle).
A word of caution
The words of caution disclosed in a previous article remain valid. We need to add two of them:
The A321XLR payload-range diagram is estimated; The 787-8 has a long-haul cabin and crew rest area in the default OEM configuration, while the others do not. Those two items combined add several metric tons to the aircraft�s structural weight, commensurably reducing the maximum structural payload. So the below diagram is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison.The diagram
Below is the payload-range diagram for all the aircraft:
And payload at various ranges:
| Range (nm) | A321XLR | 757-300 | 767-200ER | 767-300ER | 767-400ER | 787-8 |
| 2000 | 23.0 | 30.9 | 35.6 | 43.8 | 45.8 | 43.3 |
| 3000 | 23.0 | 26.2 | 35.6 | 43.8 | 45.8 | 43.3 |
| 4000 | 21.0 | 35.6 | 42.8 | 42.2 | 43.3 | |
| 5000 | 35.2 | 33.3 | 31.9 | 43.3 | ||
| 6000 | 45.2 | 39.0 | ||||
| 7000 | 30.4 |
An extremely wide segment
The payload-range diagram and table above show that the so-called middle of the market segment is extremely wide.
The 757-300 has the range for US transcontinental operations but not much more (the range is comparable to the 737-9). The A321XLR can do trans-Atlantic operations but they are nowhere near the level of the 767 (a Rome-Atlanta is too much for the A321XLR). The Payload capacity is also significantly lower (20 metric tons vs. the 767-300ER/-400ER). All three 767 variants can comfortably do trans-Atlantic operations, with ranges of at least up to around 5,500 nautical miles. They do not have enough range for most trans-Pacific routes or East Asia to Europe operations. The 787-8 is a long-range aircraft for trans-Pacific operations. In a similar cabin configuration, the aircraft can carry double the payload of the A321XLR. The 757-300 and 767-200ER have similar passenger capacity (the 757-300 has a few more seats), but the latter can carry almost five more metric tons of payload. It shows a twin-aisle aircraft has more structural payload capacity, which is not surprising given the larger cargo hauls.A previous post showed that building a new aircraft with a dedicated and efficient cross-section for the segment between the A321XLR and 787-8 is challenging. Boeing also struggled with pleasing all customers in the segment during its New Midmarket Aircraft studies. US carriers wanted an aircraft with single-aisle payload-range characteristics, while Asian ones wanted more payload for cargo operations.
