Hub’s dream on the line [Boston Herald]


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By Frank Quaratiello, Boston Herald

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Jan. 15–Hub business leaders are worried that problems with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner could delay — or even scuttle — anticipated nonstop flights as early as 2015 from China to Boston that would have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy each year.

“The 787 was a real game changer for the region’s visitor industry,” said Pat Moscaritolo of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The 747 and 777 aircraft have too many seats and are very expensive to operate. Airlines could make money operating the 787 nonstop from Beijing to Boston; they would bleed money trying to operate a 747 or 777 nonstop to Boston.”

Before nonstop service from Tokyo to Boston’s Logan International Airport kicked off in April, about 6,000 Japanese visitors spent an average of $3,300 per trip to the region, Moscaritolo said. He estimated that the nonstop flights from Narita Airport have boosted that spending by $80 million annually.

A back-to-back fire and fuel leak at Logan last week and problems with 787s in Japan have left one of the $240 million planes grounded in Boston, and sparked a probe by airline safety officials.

“The direct flight service from Boston to Tokyo is very important to our region’s economy, both making it easier for tourists to travel between these two cities and providing opportunities for New England businesses to connect with markets, products and customers in Tokyo,” said Paul Guzzi, CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. “My expectation is that the thorough review by the FAA will demonstrate the overall safety of the 787, which is an important element of the sustained success of service to Tokyo … and of future opportunities for expanded nonstop service to emerging economies in Asia and Latin America.”

The real prize for Boston would be nonstop flights linking the Hub to cities in China, the world’s second largest economy. Currently, the region hosts 130,000 Chinese visitors a year who spend an average of $7,000 per trip, said Moscaritolo, adding that the number of visitors could double with nonstop flights.

Thirty-five 787s have been ordered by Chinese airlines, some of which are eyeing Boston as a destination, but those planes are awaiting certification by authorities in China. Moscaritolo said the 787’s problem “certainly isn’t going to make it easier for them to get approved.”

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(c)2013 the Boston Herald

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Distributed by MCT Information Services

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