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The Boeing 777 is the most successful widebody aircraft program of all time. With over 1,700 deliveries and over 2,400 orders, it’s become ubiquitous with modern long-haul flying, and the aircraft popularized the twinjet configuration for long-range airliners. The most successful variant of the Boeing 777 family was the 777-300ER. With 833 sales, it sold nearly double what the next popular variant (the 777-200ER with 422 orders) logged, and it remains popular even today, more than two decades after it entered service.
Airbus put up a decent fight against the older 777-200ER with the A340-300, as the A340-300 was ordered by a similar number of carriers but in far smaller numbers. The later Airbus A340-600, however, was hopelessly outclassed by the 777-300ER. The 777 ran away with high-margin orders in the 2000s, while Airbus sold fewer than 100 A340-600s. That’s why, when designing its own carbon-composite widebody that was originally going to target the upcoming Boeing 787, Airbus instead went upmarket and designed a larger, more capable aircraft to render the 777 obsolete.
The Airbus A350 XWB, Rival To The Boeing 777
The Boeing 787 is comparable in size to an Airbus A330, but with significantly more range and lower fuel burn. While Airbus initially dismissed the Dreamliner as nothing more than a plastic concept, airlines saw huge potential and gave Boeing their money. Airbus initially responded by taking the existing A330 and giving it composite wings, 787 engines, as well as updated technology, and calling it the A350. Airlines rejected the concept, and this forced Airbus back to the drawing board.
The company, which had no real answer to the Boeing 777 or 787, decided to create a clean-sheet airliner with the technology and fuel efficiency of the Boeing 787, along with the size and capability of the second-generation Boeing 777. The Airbus A350 XWB, named Xtra Widebody, due to its wider fuselage versus the 787, received far more positive feedback, and Airbus found that the clean-sheet A350 XWB was far more popular than earlier concepts for the A350.
The A350 XWB is a majority carbon-composite widebody airliner, with a completely new design that shares nothing with prior Airbus widebodies, and powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, a bespoke powerplant designed specifically for the A350. The A350-900 is the most popular A350 variant, with over 1,000 sales. In addition, Airbus sells the larger A350-1000, which is less popular. Airbus also intended to sell a smaller A350-800, but scrapped the idea as shrinking the heavy and capable A350-900 resulted in terrible operating economics.
The Airbus A350-900 Versus The Boeing 777-300ER
The Airbus A350-900 is the most popular variant of the A350 family, while the Boeing 777-300ER is the most popular variant of the 777 family. The 777-300ER first entered service in 2004 with Air France, and to date, Boeing has delivered 833 examples. It was the first variant of the second-generation 777, and it came exclusively with an updated variant of the General Electric GE90, whereas the first-generation 777 models were also offered with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 as well as the Rolls-Royce Trent 800.
The 777-300ER is equipped with the GE90-115B specifically. This is the world’s largest turbofan engine currently in service, and it formerly held the record for the most amount of thrust ever produced by a jet engine. Although it has been bested in both respects by its successor, the General Electric GE9X, the GE9X will have a lower in-service power rating than the GE90’s 115,300 lbs of thrust as a measure to reduce wear. The GE90 will thereby remain the world’s most powerful in-service motor.
|
777 Variants |
Engines |
|---|---|
|
777-200 777-200ER 777-300 |
General Electric GE90 Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 Rolls-Royce Trent 800 |
|
777-200LR 777-300ER 777F |
General Electric GE90 |
|
777-8 777-8F 777-9 |
General Electric GE9X |
The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB is the most powerful member of the Trent family. Designed specifically for the A350, these engines have become known for their efficiency and reliability, becoming the highlight of the A350. The XWB-84 variant on the A350-900 can generate roughly 84,000 lbs of thrust, which is significantly less than the GE90-115B on the 777-300ER. However, although these are the two most popular members of their families, the A350-900 is in fact sized closer to the Boeing 777-200ER and 777-200LR, while the 777-300ER is most similar in size to the A350-1000.
Which Airlines Have Ordered The Boeing 777X? A Complete List
Around a dozen airlines have placed orders for around 500 Boeing 777X, with the first set for delivery in 2026.
Examining The Other A350 And 777 Variants
The Airbus A350-900’s Trent XWB-84 produces a maximum of 84,000 lbs of thrust. What’s impressive about this is that it’s well below the thrust level of the Boeing 777-200ER, as its most powerful engine option is the General Electric GE90-94B with a rating of 94,000 lbs of thrust. Yet, the A350-900’s range and lifting capabilities are closer to the Boeing 777-200LR, which is powered by the GE90-110B. The GE90-110B can produce roughly 110,000 lbs of thrust, 26,000 lbs more than the Trent XWB-84.
The Airbus A350-1000 is the largest member of the A350, and while it’s less popular than either the A350-900 or the 777-300ER, it’s closest in size to the 777-300ER. The A350-900 is longer than the 777-200ER or 777-200LR, but has a narrower fuselage and, as such, has virtually identical seating capacity. Meanwhile, the Airbus A350-1000 is the same length as the 777-300ER with identical cargo capacity, but still has a narrower fuselage that typically only accommodates nine seats per row in economy, as opposed to ten on the 777.
The A350-1000 is powered by a more powerful version of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB. Dubbed the Trent XWB-97, the A350-1000’s engines can produce up to 97,000 lbs of thrust, which is 13,000 lbs more than the A350-900’s but only 3,000 lbs more than the much smaller 777-200ER’s GE90-94B engines. Meanwhile, the Trent XWB-97 produces significantly less than the GE90s found on the second-generation 777. Compared to the 777-300ER’s GE90-115B, it produces 18,000 fewer lbs of thrust.
Less Thrust Needed Today Than In The Past
In large part, it’s because the Airbus A350 is a majority carbon-composite airliner, with the material making up 53% of the aircraft’s weight and roughly 80% by volume. This greatly decreases its weight compared to a metal airliner. In part, Airbus used the individual weight savings from using composites to design a stronger structure for more capability, but still, the A350 is a much lighter aircraft than the 777. The A350-900 is rated for an MTOW of 283 tons, whereas the A350-1000 maxes out at 322 tons. Meanwhile, the 777-200ER is rated for 297 tons, whereas the 777-300ER is rated for 351 tons.
The 777’s wing was primarily designed for the first-generation 777. While the 777-300ER turned out to be an excellent aircraft, the wing was undersized for the plane’s increased gross weight. This is why the GE90-115B is as powerful as it is, and the GE90 also ended up beating initial fuel burn projections. The A350, however, was designed to target long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights at high weights, so Airbus developed a larger wing for the A350 versus what you see on the 777. In addition, the A350-1000 received trailing-edge extensions to support heavier weights versus the A350-900.
|
A350-1000 MTOW Increases |
Year Certified |
|---|---|
|
308 tons |
Initial |
|
311 tons |
2018 |
|
316 tons |
2018 |
|
319 tons |
2019 |
|
322 tons |
2023 |
We’re no longer seeing major changes in aircraft size or engine power. The Boeing 777 was pioneering for being the world’s largest twinjet and flying with the world’s most powerful engines, but the 777 was developed over 30 years ago. An A350 can fly farther than a 777 while carrying more payload, and it does this with engines less powerful than those on the Boeing 777. Instead, the A350 innovates with its construction, technology, and fuel efficiency as a result of qualities like the engine’s fuel burn and the plane’s aerodynamics.
Boeing 777X Vs. Airbus A350-1000: Who Will Win The Battle For Tomorrow’s Flagship?
The 777X is nearly ready for service, how will it fare against Airbus’ A350?
Less Powerful Engines On The Boring 777X
The Boeing 777X will be equipped with the General Electric GE9X on all three models (777-8, 777-8F, and 777-9). The 777-9, the first variant that will enter service, will be significantly larger than the 777-300ER. Despite its size, the 777X’s GE9X engines will only be rated for 110,000 lbs of thrust in service.
The Airbus A350 gave the Boeing 777 tough competition right from the start. To make the aircraft competitive, Boeing stretched the 777-200LR and 777-300ER to lower its per-seat costs, while the GE9X should be just as, if not more efficient, than the Trent XWB. Perhaps the biggest change, however, is that the 777X is receiving a new carbon-composite wing. It’s the largest wing ever placed on a Boeing airliner, and this will greatly improve fuel burn at cruising altitudes. Meanwhile, the 777X will require less thrust during takeoff than the 777-300ER.
The GE9X produced a record-setting 134,000 lbs of thrust during testing, far more than its in-service rating. This means that, in commercial service, the GE9X won’t be nearing its full power capabilities, resulting in an overall less stressed engine. This should be particularly beneficial for Middle Eastern carriers like 
Emirates and 
Qatar Airways, which operate their aircraft in challenging conditions on long flights. Given this design choice, it’s hardly surprising that Emirates and Qatar Airways have ordered more than 60% of all 777Xs so far.
