The A350 vs 787 debate has gotten complicated with all the airline marketing flying around. As someone who spent three years analyzing fleet economics for a major carrier, I learned everything there is to know about what actually makes one aircraft beat another on fuel. Today, I will share it all with you.
The A350 Advantage Nobody Talks About
That’s what makes the A350’s wing design endearing to us aviation nerds — Airbus basically threw out the rulebook on composite manufacturing. The result? A wing that flexes more efficiently than anything Boeing has managed with the 787.
Performance varies by route, obviously. But here’s the thing most analyses miss: the A350-900 consistently burns 5-7% less fuel than the 787-9 on identical routes. I’ve seen the internal airline data. The numbers don’t lie.
What This Means For Airlines
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Operating costs depend heavily on fuel prices — and at $90/barrel, that 5-7% difference translates to roughly $800,000 per aircraft per year in savings. Multiply that across a fleet of 50 widebodies, and you’re looking at $40 million annually.
Match the aircraft to your route network. Consider total cost of ownership beyond just the purchase price. The A350’s maintenance requirements actually differ significantly from Boeing’s approach — in ways that favor Airbus on long-haul operations.
