Why Did KLM Choose the A350 Over the 787?
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Published 2023-10-06
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Chapters:
Intro - 0:00
Air France / KLM - 0:56
KLM' Fleet - 3:08
Reason #1 - 4:31
Reason #2 - 5:55
Reason #3 - 6:56
Hope for Boeing? - 8:17
Outro - 11:08
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KLM is the oldest airline on Earth. It’s also one of the most esteemed - proving a vital way of connecting Europe to the world. For years, Boeing and Airbus have fought to sell KLM new planes, and so far, Boeing’s dominated; Nearly all of KLM’s fleet is American made.
So, when news broke that KLM wanted to upgrade its long-haul fleet, everyone expected them to purchase 787s. But last week, they made the stunning decision to order the rival A350 instead. So, why the hard pivot? Why is KLM building its future fleet around Airbus instead of Boeing? Let me explain…
#airbus #a350 #KLM #boeing #777x #787 #777 #airfrance
All Comments (21)
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So, basically Airbus make a plane that's cheaper to run, with a longer range, that's less likely to fall out of the sky, with a lower sticker price, and can deliver it sooner.
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it has to be mentioned too, that KLM are planning on retiring their rather small A330 fleet, so these pilots will have a shorter and easier conversion. plus it proves KLM has been flying Airbus before.. also they ordered a lot of Airbus narrowbodies and are going to use maintenance facilities of AirFrance. lastly, it is not a total turnaround as they are already flying 787s.
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As a customer who only flies economy, the A350 and A380 are my favorite planes for comfort, quietness and facilities. 787 close behind.
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This isn't the first KLM and Airbus shocker. They decided to switch to the A320 family for their B737 replacements not too long ago too
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Having flown on the 787 with BA and on the A350 with Cathay Pacific there is no doubt the A350 is a superior aircraft and extremely quiet on a long haul flight
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Airbus is simply just the superior commercial aircraft manufacturer at the moment.
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KLM did the right thing IMO for all of the reasons you went through. The Boeing of today is a company one can't count on for engineering or manufacturing quality. Once upon a time Boeing led the world in designing and making complex aircraft. But, the money first guys took over and destroyed the engineering integrity of the company. Airbus isn't perfect, but they are more trustworthy than Boeing.
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Amsterdam - Jakarta is a very big route for KLM, and i think the A350 can do that route without stopping while it's pushing it for the 787, so that is also a huge factor.
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I worked on Airbus aircraft since the introduction of the A300 and I was always impressed with their quality and innovative design. Boeing simply lack their former dedication to superb quality and they have sacrificed this in order to satisfy shareholders. The 787 is testimony to that.
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Makes even more sense to go Airbus now when Airfrance-KLM took a major stake in SAS, which is also an Airbus airline.
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As an engineer who works both on the A350 and 787. Trust me, the A350 is in another league: system integration, reliability and passenger comfort. It is very good out of box whereas Boeing are still applying sticking plasters to their highly strung Screamliner.
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The stories of manufacturing issues of the 787 in North Carolina are scary enough to want to use airbus.
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Something you didn't mention: KLM most certainly looked at their low-cost competitors (like Norwegian) and didn't want to deal with more 787-problems. Also: I've never been on a KLM-787 which didn't have some kind of problem (broken windows, seats, entertainment-system, water dripping on me during a trans-Atlantic flight, broken toilets, etc., etc.).
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I believe that the additional width of the airbus also played a role. Every review highlights the added comfort of the a350.
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A major advantage is that the Airbus cockpit configuration / layout is very similar for the whole Airbus family of aircraft.
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As a customer and in view of Boeings past and present, to say it mildly, “quality” issues regarding the 787s and 737s, I feel much much more confident on an airplane built by Airbus thus booking my fights accordingly. The only Boeings I put my foot in are 757 and 767 which, tellingly, are not been built anymore.
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Interestingly, KLM had a smaller A350 order in the past but back then AF and KLM switched their 787 and A350 orders for efficiency and fleet commonality with their other aircraft.
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KLM used to be a Douglas Commercial airline. It flew every DC-model from the DC-2 onward including the rare DC-5, the DC-1 being a one-off and never marketed
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Some years ago now, Delta opted for the 350 over the 787, and again the main reason was availability. Boeing has STILL not fixed the management problems they inherited from McDonnell-Douglas. They wanted to suck more at the military-industrial teat and so lost their emphasis on engineering and efficiency. I doubt they will ever reclaim those lost virtues. Business schools are poisoning business.
