[photopress:air_Boeing_787_Dreamliner_simulater_in_Seattle_1.jpg,full,alignright]Cathay’s first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft has two huge General Electric engines which give it fuel efficiency. Nowadays, with the price of fuel, that is desperately important.
The delivery of Cathay’s first 777-300ER last month also means a better sleep for long haul passengers. First and business-class seats, but of course, electronically recline into fully flat beds. But economy class provides seats that recline within a fixed shell to boost space.
The story is that Cathay had research showed passengers want more comfort, privacy and control over their immediate living area. One would have thought a chat with any ten passengers would have brought precisely the same result.
[photopress:Air_cx_dreamliner_1.jpg,full,alignleft]Cathay’s investment coincides with the fact that the total number of travellers passing through Chinese airports rose 17% last year and is expected to grow by 14% annually through 2010.
Eleven airlines, including Cathay, now serve the Vancouver-to-Asia market. Canadians’ visits to China surged 56% in 2006.
Cathay predicts that, by 2020, China will have 12 million aircraft movements a year – up 400% from today.
Boeing forecasts that Asia-Pacific air traffic will expand at 6.3% a year for the next 20 years.
Of the 8,350 new jets Asia will need during this period, China alone is expected to account for about 3,000 new aircraft deliveries.
The illustration is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Engineering flight deck simulator in Seattle.
Source: Canada.com