A330 clips 777 in performance stakes

HEAD-TO-HEAD performance tests of an Airbus Industrie A330 versus a new Boeing 777 have come out in favour of the Airbus, with fuel savings of about 15 per cent.

The first-ever in-service performance data, obtained by the South China Morning Post, reveals the 777, operated by United Airlines between Frankfurt and Chicago, burned 60 tonnes of fuel while carrying a payload of 31 tonnes.

Data fed into the on-board flight computer of an A330 operated by a European airline, simulating identical operating conditions, found it would have burned 51.2 tonnes of fuel.

The 3,971 nautical mile trip, which took place on July 26, also found that while taxiing, the 777 would have burned 600 kilograms of fuel, while the A330 would have used 500 kg.

The weights of the two aircraft also varied widely, with the A330 weighing in - without fuel - at 153 tonnes and the 777 at 173.6 tonnes.

The take-off weight of the 777 was 242.3 tonnes while the A330's was 211.5 tonnes.

The one winning feature of the 777 was its flight time - nine hours and eight minutes versus nine hours and 15 minutes - with the European aircraft losing out by seven minutes. The 777 cruises at Mach 0.84 and the A330, Mach 0.82.