Emirates’ Clark: Boeing 777X discussions to begin soon

It is said that, even if IAG orders the A350-XWB-1000 for British Airways, the carrier could still order Concept B777-9Xs.
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However, some observers have stated that, if IAG were to order Airbus A350-XWB’s, it would not be able to be “launch customer” or to be granted truly preferential financial conditions on any order for B777-9X’s

Clients who commit early to orders of a new aircraft family or model, can be granted “launch customer” status by the airframer, and, thereby, generally receive preferential terms, including steep discounts, versus official list prices.
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On this point, neither IAG nor BA could care about being “launch customer”. First, BA seek never to be launch customer ! BA prefer to leave the teething troubles for the others. On the B777-200, BA were launch customer for the original GE90 ! They lived to regret that, and overturned GE in favour of RR for the B777-200ER. Talk to ANA ! What they regret about their B777's is GE !

BA do not need the ego trip, and do not go in for it. They prefer to leave these status symbols to companies such as Emirates. IAG will leave this sort of thing to Emirates & Tim CLARK ! Also, as a general rule (there may be the odd exception) BA prefer to pass their aircraft orders outside Air Shows, such as Le Bourget or Farnborough.

But BA will obtain conditions virtually identical to those of the launch customer !

In any case, at this stage, this proposed Boeing aircraft is far behind the development schedule of the A350-XWB-1000.

And BA are going to need new wide-body aircraft well before 2020. The A350-XWB-1000 is already in a better place for final pecking order.

And, if Boeing really do offer GE full exclusivity on the wing of this B777-9X, many companies, who really want an engine choice, will walk away to Airbus.

Of course, there is engine exclusivity there, ‘de facto’ (at this stage) on the A350-XWB-900 & -800 variants, and ‘de iure’ on the A350-XWB-1000 !

But there is a MASSIVE NUANCE : GE refused to accept the contractual specifications, and excluded themselves from the competition on A350-XWB. GE refused to compete. It was GE that, in effect, thereby opened the door to RR's exclusivity ! The WHOLE MARKET PLACE KNOWS IT.

In the case of B777-9X, GE is again refusing competition, but, on this occasion, by actively seeking & / or accepting exclusivity without a competition !

And there is no question my being drawn further into the exclusivity issue at this stage.

Suffice it to say that there are Airline Companies that would gladly choose the B777-9X, with RR Engines, but not with GE !

Once again I have to fully agree with Spanner here.
This variant of B777-300ER with GE-115 has an air-frame that has ironed out all the glitches of earlier B777 and has far more robust AIMS cabinet - the heart of the aircraft. The GE engine has remarkable reliability from Day 1. I have not worked on a better designed and assembled engine. For some reason the variant B777-200LR is even more reliable than -300ER.
B777X when it rolls out it has a hard act to follow. But for the A350 with a promise of a better fuel burn, I think the current version of B777 can out sell any other aircraft for the next 15 years.
Boeing has said they will bring the advanced systems from B787 to this aircraft. I hope they are selective, and do not make it a 'Trouble 7' again (That was the engineers nick name for the early B777's).