Brandon Shaw

The Boeing 787 runs on a software architecture that is fundamentally different from any commercial aircraft that came before it. Rather than dozens of independent avionics computers each running their own embedded software, the 787 consolidates most of its major functions onto a shared computing platform called the Common Core System, with approximately 300 Loadable Software Airplane Parts distributed across roughly 1,400-1,500 locations on the aircraft.

In October 2027, Qantas will begin flying nonstop from Sydney to London on a specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR, covering approximately 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) in up to 22 hours. The aircraft carries 238 passengers in four classes, roughly 162 fewer than a standard A350-1000. In their place: a 5,283 gallon (20,000 liters) rear center fuel tank, a purpose-built Wellbeing Zone, and a cabin where 41% of the seats are in premium cabins.

The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are both composite widebodies that entered service within four years of each other, both pressurized to a cabin altitude of approximately 6,000 feet (1,829 meters), and both designed to replace the same generation of aluminum aircraft on long-haul routes. From the outside, they solve the same problem in similar ways.