Would Prefer GE Competitor To Rolls-Royce Turbofan

Boeing stands to lose out on a tantalizing 100-plane order from Middle Eastern airline Emirates, because the largest proposed version of its 787 Dreamliner isn't powerful enough for its tastes.

So says Emirates president Tim Clark, who told Bloomberg the planned 310-seat 787-10 version of the composite plane may overtax its General Electric GEnx turbofan powerplants.

"It needs more thrust," Clark said. "It's not a view shared by Boeing, but my instinct tells me it needs more."

That statement puts both Boeing and General Electric in thorny positions.

The American planemaker hasn't formally committed to building the 787-10, which would compete in the same market as the manufacturer's current -- and popular -- 777-200 model series, as well as the largest version of Airbus's upcoming A350 XWB. GE is the sole supplier of engines on the 777... and has already said it wouldn't commit to a version of its new GEnx turbofan for the A350-900, for fear of competing with itself against the Triple-7.

Of course, neither company wants to lose out on a $20 billion deal, either.

"We're gratified Emirates is interested in the GEnx," said GE spokesman Rick Kennedy. "At this juncture it's premature, because the 787-10 hasn't been formally offered to airlines."

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce will offer variants of its Trent engine family to power both variants of the 787 and A350. The largest planned Trent variant, now slated for the XWB, may also meet Emirates' needs for the 787-10... but Clark wants a choice of engine offerings between the two manufacturers.

The fact the heavily-revised A350 is slated to arrive on the market five years after the 787 enters service (but only two years after the 787-10 would arrive on scene, if it's built) isn't a negative in Clark's eyes, either.

"The A350 is now an airplane we're prepared to study seriously," he said. "They listened, and from what we see of the A350 now it's an essentially good airplane and it matches the 787 offering from Boeing."

Emirates was scheduled to make its decision in time for November's air show in Dubai, though Clark said the current hedging on engines might delay that decision. Stay tuned.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.geae.com, www.emirates.com, www.airbus.com