Smokerr

Boeing 787 vs. Airbus A380 - The Latest Chapter

The reality is that this is not a 787 vs A380 contest, it’s a socialism vs capitalism

It took 30% direct government subsides for Airbu8s to launch the A380 Whale.
Both companies get indirect subsides (call it state aid, tax structure etc), but only Airbus gets both types of aid.

The A350 is the most direct competitor to the 787, but its shaded more to the top of the slot (300 seat) as opposed to the 787 at 250 seats. The A350 is really a 777 competitor, and Airbus has abandoned the slot the 787 occupies (previously A330 which will go on for a time as it will take 10 years for Boeing to fill the orders it has or will get for the 787, which has sold 1,000 before its flown).

The A380 takes the existing structures and materials to as advanced stage as you can, Boeing with the 787 is a complete technological leap in both in materials (composites) and the move to almost all electrical instead of using bleed air off the engines to power equipment.

As Airbus neglected both materials and electrical technology, the A350 is a compromise aircraft. While its mostly composite (the nose is conventional as they could not figure out how to do that in composites) they use a conventional frame made out of composites and large skin sections bolted to that. Boeing uses a spun barrel that is skin and structure all in one. The A350 is conventional bleed air so its old stuff as well.

The 747 actual is smaller than the A380 and will only exist in passenger version if there is enough demand in that slot for it. It will live on another 20 years as a freighter, as the A380 freighter is kaput.

The A380 freighter only fit package freight carriers, (FedEx and UPS) and no one else wanted it (the new 747-8F freighter on the other hand has sold very well). UPS and FedEX have gone different ways to satisfy their freight needs (UPS bought the last production 747 freighters and will convert some late model 747s to freighters and FedEx went with the new 777 freighter).

This is very complicates story, not the simplistic title line presented