Boeing 757
The majority of 757s are in domestic service with U.S. carriers, most notably
American Airlines and
Delta Air Lines. American operates the largest fleet of 757s and Delta comes in at a close second only by about 20 planes.
United Airlines,
Continental Airlines,
US Airways,
America West Airlines, and
Northwest Airlines also operate the type. Some airlines, such as
Icelandair, Continental Airlines, American Airlines and
ATA Airlines use the aircraft for transoceanic flights. For many airlines, like
Royal Brunei and
Royal Nepal Airlines, the 757 provided them an economical intercontinental airliner allowing such airlines for the first time service to European cities. For many third world airlines, the 757 is also a perfect substitute to the aging Boeing 707s in their fleet.
The 757 is a popular aircraft for holiday/
charter Airlines in the
UK currently
Thomas Cook Airlines,
First Choice Airways,
Monarch Airlines,
Titan Airways,
Excel Airways,
Astraeus and
Thomsonfly. The 757 can reach South Africa as well as places nearer to Britain such as Amsterdam and Paris.
After initially successful sales, the sales of the 757 went down dramatically from the middle of the 1990s onwards. The 757 was first bought mainly by airlines wishing to tap long and thin (as well as young) routes. However, as the routes matured, the 757 was replaced by widebody airliners with better economics.
On the short haul market, airlines consider the 757 too big as it is profitable only when it is at least three-quarters full. The short haul markets are better served by the Boeing
737 and Airbus
A320 families of airliners. Should the passenger load reach three-quarters, the
A321 and the 737-900 are more economical. Although neither have the range of the 757, they fulfill the requirements of 90% of the routes served by the 757. The 757 became the victim of changing market condition rather than technical obsolescence. However, the 757 has found new life among many American airlines, its range enabling it to economically service "long-thin" trans-Atlantic markets such as Copenhagen, Glasgow and Shannon from East Coast hubs.
The 1,050th and last 757 destined for
Shanghai Airlines rolled off the production line at Renton on
October 28,
2004. The 757-200 is being replaced in the short term by the 737-900ER, and in the long term by the
Y1. The 757-300 is being replaced by the
787-3 widebody.
For purposes of
air traffic control spacing, 757 variants are treated as "heavies", because of their pronounced tendency to produce very powerful
wake turbulence.
Although production has ceased for the 757, blended winglets are now available from
Aviation Partners Inc. as a retrofit to increase fuel efficiency and range. Winglets on the 757 have only been approved for the -200 series, and are pending approval for the -300 series. American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Icelandair have commenced fitting them to some of their fleets, targeted at longer range routes which are too far for 737 or MD-80 aircraft but not popular enough to operate a B767 or A300. Northwest Airlines, and Finnair both will fit their 757-200 with winglets. It is speculated that installation will begin in late 2006 or early 2007. http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/15042225.htm
| 757-200 | 757-200F | 757-300 |
|---|
| First flight | February 19, 1982 | August 2, 1998 |
|---|
| Crew | 2 | 2 | 2 |
|---|
Passengers
(2 class) | 200 (12 + 188) | 243 (12 + 231) |
|---|
Passengers
(1 class) | 228 | 280 |
|---|
| Cargo capacity | 1,670 ft³ (43.3 m3) | 8,430 ft³ (239 m3) | 2,370 ft³ (67.1 m3) |
|---|
| Empty weight | 128,730 lb (58,390 kg) | 141,330 lb (64,110 kg ) |
|---|
| Max. takeoff weight | 255,000 lb (115,680 kg) | 272,500 lb (123,600 kg) |
|---|
| Fuel capacity | 11,489 US gal (43,490 l) | 11,276 US gal (42,680 l) | 11,466 US gal (43,400 l) |
|---|
| Operating range | 3,928 nautical miles (7,275 km) | 3,150 nautical miles (5,834 km) | 3,467 nautical miles (6,421 km) |
|---|
| Cruising speed | 540 mph (868 km/h) 530 knots (982 km/h) |
|---|
| Ceiling | 41,000 ft (12,500 m) |
|---|
| Length | 155 ft 3 in (47.32 m) | 178 ft 7 in (54.47 m) |
|---|
| Wingspan | 124 ft 10 in (38.05 m) |
|---|
| Tail height | 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) |
|---|
| Powerplants | Two Rolls-Royce RB211, Pratt & Whitney PW2037, Pratt & Whitney PW2040,
or Pratt & Whitney PW2043 high-bypass ratio turbofan engines,
rated at 36,600 lbf (163 kN) to 43,500 lbf (193 kN) thrust each |
|---|
As of 2004:
*Hull-loss accidents: 6 with a total of 568 fatalities
*Other occurrences: 2 with a total of 0 fatalities
*Hijackings: 5 with a total of 283 fatalities
Manufacturers website
* Boeing 757 Family
* Production of Boeing 757 will be stopped in 2004 (Boeing news release)Other websites
* Boeing 757 Production Lists at www.plane-spotters.net
* 757.org.uk - Boeing 757 reference site at www.757.org.uk
* B737-757-767 training aids - interactive instrument panels at www.artietheairplane.com
* Boeing 757 at the Aviation Safety Network Database
