Chapter 208: First time! A large twin-engine passenger plane flies across the ocean!
The edge of the Jianchuan work area is close to a village. In the middle of the work area, there are only various airlines, airport groups and government-related agencies. There are no entertainment venues, not even restaurants. Only when you reach the edge near the village does the atmosphere of life begin to feel a bit like life.
However, this place cannot compare to those high-end restaurants in the city center. It is just a bunch of small restaurants, but it still has its own unique flavor.
Xu Cang and Xiao Lingyun found a husband-and-wife restaurant and ordered a plate of fried beef noodles. Without saying a word, they ate half a plate of beef noodles. Only then did they have the energy to talk. Neither of them had eaten breakfast, so they started to feel weak after walking a few steps.
Xiao Lingyun was used to eating beef noodles, but for Xu Cang, eating this thing too quickly would make him a little sick of it. He asked for a bottle of Coke and started drinking again.
After satisfying the burning hunger, he ate more casually. Xiao Lingyun asked first, "Xu Cang, you haven't told me yet, why doesn't Bombardier have a single order for the CS100? This is too outrageous! Their business jets and regional airliners are selling well."
"Do you know why, after all these years, only Airbus has truly stood up in the mainline passenger aircraft market?"
Xiao Lingyun was stunned. This question really stumped him. However, he still speculated: "I heard that Airbus is supported by almost all of Europe. Europe's industrial technology is so strong, so it's not too strange right?"
Xu Cang put down his Coke and said, "How about you evaluate the Bombardier CS100 aircraft from an industrial perspective instead of a commercial one?"
"What can I say?" Xiao Lingyun laughed dryly. "I work in finance. I can only judge whether the Bombardier aircraft is good or not from a business perspective. However, the fact that they can't sell a single one shows that this model is not favored by the market."
"Market, where is the market?" Xu Cang asked with a smile.
Xiao Lingyun was stunned at first, but he was indeed a rare talent. He reacted immediately, his eyes gleaming, "That's right, it has no market. Canada can't possibly become its final base... So, the reason why Airbus can rise is... the European market!"
"That's right! From an industrial perspective, the CS100 is a good aircraft, at least it can keep up with the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737. But why did Airbus survive while Bombardier suffered such a big setback when entering the trunk narrow-body aircraft market? The technical gap is not the key. The key is that when facing a market with an old king, only when there is a large enough market to retain can there be a possibility of rising, otherwise it will be rootless."
"Airbus is very lucky because it not only has the industrial and technological capabilities of Europe, but also has the support of the huge European civil aviation market. Whether from the perspective of official policy or national sentiment, Airbus can sell good aircraft as long as it produces them. But Bombardier is facing a world market that has been almost divided up. Where is its private territory? The weak market in Canada is not worth mentioning at all. The CS100 is like a newborn baby. It has just been born and has to directly compete with two adults. Can it handle it?"
Xiao Lingyun still found it hard to imagine: "But Bombardier's business jets and regional airliners are pretty good after all. How come it's so bad this time?"
"Business jets and regional jets were originally reserved by Airbus and Boeing for others to enjoy. How big are those two markets? It's better not to be too extreme. Look at Embraer, which only makes business jets and regional jets. Isn't it living a comfortable life? However, Bombardier also has some tricks. At the beginning, it defined CS100 as a regional jet, fearing that it would arouse the vigilance of Airbus and Boeing. But who can hide such a trick? Of course, not receiving an order this time is also an unexpected situation. Bombardier is not an unknown small company. Relying on the previous channels, it can still sell some, but it's just a few big cats and small cats, which can't become a big deal."
Xiao Lingyun seemed to understand what he said. He was not only concerned with capital operation, but also needed sufficient knowledge to do related work. However, after wasting a few years, Xiao Lingyun was indeed a little behind the times and needed to recharge himself.
"You asked me to keep an eye on Bombardier before. It shouldn't just be for this short selling, right?"
"It's not Bombardier Company, it's Bombardier Aerospace. I only want Bombardier Aerospace." Xu Cang said with a smile, "Let's see if there is a chance to separate Bombardier Aerospace from it in the future."
Xiao Lingyun smacked his lips. "No way? Bombardier is one of the world's top 500 companies, and Bombardier Aerospace is one of its more important subsidiaries. The purchase would cost nearly 10 billion US dollars."
"It's okay, its stock price will continue to fall." Xu Cang said with a smile.
"Hmm?" Xiao Lingyun smelled something immediately: "Do you still want to short sell?"
"No!" Xu Cang shook his head: "It will slowly rot away. If we really want to short it, we have to do it ourselves. The target is somewhat obvious, and the return will not be very high. Please help me keep an eye on Bombardier. It won't be long before it rots away enough for them to sell Bombardier Aerospace."
Xiao Lingyun raised his eyebrows: "During this period of time, I have learned a lot about your situation. You are so concerned about Bombardier Aerospace, you are not thinking of making your own domestic large aircraft, right?"
"What's wrong?" Xu Cang said with a smile: "Is it not possible?"
Xiao Lingyun hesitated a little and said, "That's not the case. I'm not a professional, so I don't know if there is such a soil."
"Only if there is a market and a plan can it blossom and bear fruit. You asked me if I have the soil, my answer is yes, but do I have seeds? Not yet! So, I have to cultivate them." Xu Cang said: "Do you know why I didn't do these capital operations before? First, it is not easy to find an agent who is suitable for you. Secondly, I have recently felt that the airlines make money too slowly, so slowly that I can't grasp the opportunities of the times. I need to open up a stable additional source of income!"
"So what are you going to do with the money? Develop the airline?"
"Hahahaha!" Xu Cang laughed so hard that he fell forward and backward, causing the restaurant proprietress to look at him strangely.
Xiao Lingyun was not annoyed by Xu Cang's reaction, and even laughed himself: "Did I say something interesting?"
Xu Cang waved his hand, gradually fading his smile, and put the Coke bottle aside: "Brother Xiao, will you always win in gambling?"
"How is that possible? How can you always win at gambling?"
"No!" Xu Cang raised a finger: "The banker can always win."
"Can you make money all the time by doing stocks, finance, and investment?" Xu Cang pointed to the sky: "Only people there can do it. I don't think I can do it in this lifetime."
"But working in civil aviation..." Xu Cang's expression suddenly became solemn: "I will be the one who always wins."
…
Asking Director Liu for the controller was only half successful, but for Xu Cang, who had not held out much hope to begin with, this result was already quite good.
Of course, under Xiao Lingyun's operation, the good news of earning 80 million with 30 million was enough to make Xu Cang feel better about his slightly regretful mood.
After this incident, Xu Cang finally understood why so many people like to engage in capital. It is too easy to make money. Working in the real industry is hard, but you can't make so much money. Who would want to do the real industry?
However, Xu Cang still had some things he was persistent about. In the past, he probably wouldn't have been able to save enough money to realize his dream in his lifetime by relying on the airline, but now it was different.
Even if he was reborn and knew a lot of information in advance, it was not easy to cash in on this information. At least before he met Xiao Lingyun, Xu Cang had to spend a lot of effort to do those things in the US stock market.
Now, I mainly give Xiao Lingyun some directional hints, and the specific operations are all handled by Xiao Lingyun, so that he can give full play to the information advantage he has.
With a little satisfaction, Xu Cang returned to Erhai Lake. Originally, Xiao Lingyun was going to do something in Jianchuan, but he suddenly wanted to see the true face of Xu Cang's airline, so he took a plane and went to Erhai Lake together.
The flight Xu Cang was on was basically full, and from chatting with the crew he learned that the occupancy rate on the return leg was about the same.
Xu Cang also asked about the crew's shift schedule and found that the company was doing OK, with most crews making two round trips a day, or four short segments. If they were busy, they could make three round trips a day, or the so-called "death six segments."
Don’t underestimate these six sections. The flight time for each section is less than an hour, but if you really fly down, your soul will almost fly away.
The basic six stages of death are to fly Jianchuan-Erhai round trip in the morning, then Jianchuan-Tuofeng round trip, and finally Jianchuan-Erhai round trip. However, strictly speaking, this is not a true six stages of death, because there is a full four-hour stopover between Jianchuan-Tuofeng and the second Jianchuan-Erhai, which is enough to even exit once.
The real six death sections should be completely glued together, and it would be best if there were 40 minutes of stopover time in between, so that the pilot would have basically no chance to breathe.
However, Spring Airlines is not strong enough, has little say, and is not strong in deciding flight schedules. This has resulted in poor connections between flights, such as the six-segment, four-hour stopover, which could have even squeezed in a round trip within the province.
Of course, Spring Airlines has just started, so it is normal that it does not have much absolute power over airport schedules. However, it cannot rely entirely on government help in the future. Once the company is on the right track, even if Xu Cang is unwilling, he must start to build good relations with Jianchuan's air traffic control bureau and the airport.
Unlike other airlines' start-ups, Xu Cang knew Director Liu, the third-in-command of the Air Traffic Control Bureau. This was a good start. He would need to visit him from time to time to maintain the relationship.
Even with the smaller ARJ21, it takes less than an hour to fly from Jianchuan to Erhai Lake. Overall, Xu Cang's riding experience was good.
When getting off the plane, Xu Cang glanced at the cockpit and found that there were still two pilots operating this time, and the crew capacity configuration was a bit high.
Xiao Lingyun and Xu Cang took a walk around the company's courtyard and then went to the Erhai Lake to enjoy the scenery. The team from the National Planning and Design Institute was personally sent to the car by Xu Cang and driven to Jinghong, where there was a special person responsible for receiving them.
After seeing off the people from the National Planning and Design Institute, Xu Cang felt a little tired. It was easy to get sleepy when flying. However, when he returned to the dormitory, Qin Xin came to visit him.
In front of Qin Xin, Xu Cang was not at all restrained. He leaned back on the bed, yawned, and asked first: "I saw that the crew of Feijianchuan-Erhai is operating with two pilots today. Why is the configuration so high? Two pilots cost a lot of money."
"It's difficult to fly over Erhai Lake, and those pilots haven't flown there much before, so they're not sure. So we arranged for two pilots to fly at the beginning. Once they get familiar with the conditions at Erhai Airport, we'll resume the normal crew configuration later." Qin Xin explained, "I checked with Lu Jinghua, and he also felt that it was difficult to operate at Erhai Airport, so it was necessary to have two pilots at the beginning."
After all, not everyone is Xu Cang. Even ordinary captains feel psychological pressure when flying to Erhai Airport. Not to mention, they had rarely flown to plateau airports before in Guoda Airlines, so they really needed an adaptation period.
"Well, that does make sense." Xu Cang accepted this statement, even though he felt that Erhai Airport was a little more difficult and it was a waste to operate with two pilots.
Qin Xin pulled a small stool and sat on the bedside: "Xu Cang, Xiaoxiao said that you spent 30 million from the company account, is this true?"
Lu Xiaoxiao was originally from Shandong Airlines, and came to Spring Airlines just to do a market analysis at the invitation of Xu Cang. But after coming here, she felt that she got along quite well with Qin Xin, so she submitted her resignation report to Shandong Airlines and stayed at Spring Airlines.
Lu Xiaoxiao is good at managing money. All the company's money has to go through Lu Xiaoxiao anyway.
"Yes, that's the case." Xu Cang suddenly thought of something and asked with a smile, "Is it okay, boss?"
Qin Xin wrinkled her nose: "Are you acting first and asking for permission later?"
"Not really! Only in the relationship between superiors and subordinates, one must act first and report later." Xu Cang snorted, "Yes, I spent 30 million, but soon, there will be an extra 80 million in the account!"
"Eighty million? Where did it come from?"
Xu Cang naturally would not hold back when talking to Qin Xin. Of course, apart from the information advantage he gained from his rebirth, he told Qin Xin everything else, including Bombardier and Xiao Lingyun.
Qin Xin naturally understood the knowledge of capital operation mentioned by Xu Cang. In fact, Xu Cang was the half-baked one, while Qin Xin was relatively proficient. The whole operation was actually very simple, but the explosion of orders for Bombardier's new C-Series aircraft was really incredible. Even if Xu Cang explained Bombardier's predicament a little, Qin Xin still felt that Xu Cang was really bold.
"You are so confident in your own judgment that you will not intervene and just wait for Bombardier's stock price to plummet naturally?"
Xu Cang grinned: "It costs money to develop the company, and it costs money for my own business. It's a bit too slow to make money just by relying on the airline. In fact, I don't like this way of making money, but I can't just not make money, right?"
"Why don't you make money when you have it? Do you think you can always make money? Even Warren Buffett, the stock god, doesn't always make money. This way of making money comes quickly, but you lose it quickly. Moreover, once you get used to this easy way of making money, you won't be used to the way of making money in a down-to-earth way in the future."
"I know. I know it."
"People who are addicted to gambling like to say they know the situation." Qin Xin rolled her eyes: "But I'll trust you this time. If you need money, can you tell me first?"
"Then I'll give you a number? And you have to explain clearly where it is used? I don't think you will understand it."
"Why do you care whether I understand or not? Just tell me the truth." Qin Xin didn't dwell on this issue too much, and turned to talk about other things: "After Director Hu's introduction, the heads of some other airports in the province came here. Basically, other airports in the province have the hope of operating commercial flights. Two of them are already ready for commercial flight operations, and they just invited us to move in."
"Does that mean they are also inviting other airlines to come?" Qin Xin nodded, "That's what I mean. As far as I know, Tiandong, Muhua, Feiyu and other companies may move in. However, the two airports also want to intervene in the airlines' ticket pricing, hoping to set the price lower, especially for intra-provincial routes. In comparison, since we have an agreement with the Jianchuan Municipal Government, it is not a big requirement for us. However, other airlines may not be able to accept it."
"It's better if you can't accept it, just let us fly all the routes. It's not easy to save face. However, when we become popular, the situation may be different. We still have to seize the time when other airlines are reserved. In addition, because of policy subsidies, we basically won't lose money on domestic routes. The difference is how much we make. Therefore, we should open domestic routes if we can, and occupy the entire market first, otherwise we won't have such a good opportunity in the future."
"However, even if all the provincial routes were connected, it would probably not be able to absorb twenty ARJ21s. We still have to develop some nearby provincial airports," said Xu Cang.
"Well, we are discussing it now. Although Qianxi Airport is the provincial capital airport, it does not have many flights, which is quite welcome to us. It should not be difficult for the bureau to approve our application. However, Shancheng Airport is more difficult. The passenger volume of Shancheng Airport is even greater than that of Jianchuan Airport, so it is not easy to get a flight schedule there. As for Rongfu Airport, it is even more difficult."
The three major hubs in the southwest are Chengdu, Shancheng, and Jianchuan. Among them, Chengdu is the most exaggerated. The passenger throughput of Chengdu Airport is among the best in the country, and the temper of nature is justified.
Xu Cang smacked his lips. "The routes at Qianxi Airport still don't make much money. They are just to keep the ARJ21 from sitting idle. The routes at Shancheng Airport are somewhat profitable, but they are not essential. We have to spend the money to smooth things over. We don't force it to succeed. But this is the Chengdu Airport that needs a lot of effort. Is the airport really unyielding? Not really."
"How come it's not that serious? Our marketing department went to the airport to find someone to ask about the situation, but they didn't even see anyone." Qin Xin snorted, "I've never seen such a big-name airport group. I guess Hanjing Airport is not as big-name as them."
Xu Cang smiled and said, "What if they develop into the second largest airport in the country in terms of throughput? They are confident and it is normal for them to have a bad temper."
"Can Chengdu Airport develop into the second largest airport in China? Is it true?" Qin Xin thought about it for a while, but still felt that it was unreliable.
Not to mention that the airports in Hanjing, Shanghai and Yangcheng should be firmly ranked among the top three in the country. Others like Tianhe and Xianchi airports in the central part of the country are also developing rapidly. It is impossible for Chengdu Airport to be ranked second .
Qin Xin obviously had some stereotypes, but these were all insignificant little things. Because Hanjing, Shanghai, and Yangcheng did gather the best civil aviation resources and had the most high-quality routes.
However, this does not mean that these three companies have the highest throughput.
Qin Xin was very annoyed when she saw Xu Cang's half-smile: "What's your expression? Even if Rongcheng Airport can develop in the future, they are too lazy to care about us. What does it have to do with us no matter how well they develop?"
"It's okay. We'll have a chance to solve it later. The Jianchuan-Chengdu route is very good. It would be best if we could make three round trips a day."
Qin Xin chuckled. He hadn't even stepped into someone's house yet and was already fantasizing about working three shifts a day? His imagination was a little too rich.
Qin Xin was very unhappy about the matter at Rongcheng Airport, and there was no solution for the time being, so she simply brushed it off and talked about something else: "By the way, the ticket sales of Jianchuan-Erhai, Jianchuan-Tuofeng, and Tuofeng-Erhai in recent days have been counted, and the average occupancy rate exceeds 80%. Among them, the occupancy rate on Jianchuan-Erhai is the highest, Jianchuan-Tuofeng is slightly lower, and Tuofeng-Erhai is the worst. However, even the worst Tuofeng-Erhai route has a occupancy rate of nearly 70% so far. The Jianchuan Municipal Government is very satisfied with this situation and said that if the subsequent operation is good, they hope we can open more routes within the province."
"Just open it. For example, for the Jianchuan-Erhai route, I think we can add one more flight. Four flights a day is enough, I think, and the same goes for other routes." Xu Cang pondered.
Qin Xin was startled: "Do you think four flights a day is the limit for connecting the provincial airport with Jianchuan?"
"It depends on the situation. In the province, Jinghong Airport will have the greatest value in the future, with a value greater than that of Erhai Lake and Yulong Lake combined. This is the first tier. After that, it will be Yulong and Erhai Lake, which are the second tier, and the rest are the third tier. In the future, when Jinghong Airport develops, we can accommodate as many flights as possible, and we will never have to worry about passengers. As for Yulong and Erhai, we need to be a little more restrained. In the peak season, six flights a day is the limit. In the off-season, four flights a day is a bit too much. Three flights is still better. As for other third-tier airports, we will have about three flights all year round. As for the connections between airports in the province except Jianchuan, we will adjust them according to the routes."
Qin Xin frowned in confusion: "Yulong? Does Yulong have an airport now?"
"Of course there is an airport. It was opened to traffic five years ago. It's just very small, smaller than the original Erhai Airport." Speaking of the Yulong Airport, Xu Cang couldn't help but think of the miraculous operation he completed at Yulong, where he turned out from an ultra-low-altitude spiral and directly cut into the short five-side landing. That was truly the pinnacle of his skills, and there has never been a better time to demonstrate his unparalleled art of control than that time since then.
"However, considering the time, Yulong Airport may start the first phase of expansion. I wonder if we can get involved?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Xin immediately became alert: "What are you doing? Are you going to invest in Yulong Airport like you did in Jinghong Airport? Do you want to own all the airports in the province?"
"No, no, just one at Jinghong Airport will do, just one will do." Xu Cang said hurriedly.
Qin Xin snorted in dissatisfaction: "But speaking of which, in the last meeting with the heads of the provincial airports, the head of one airport asked if we could help them replace their navigation equipment. They want a blind landing equipment. Their airport only has VOR now, but it is foggy in winter and VOR approaches are impossible. Only blind landing can operate all year round. In return, our airport can have great priority at that airport."
"Do you really think I'm a cash cow?" Xu Cang curled his lips. He guessed that the news that he had booked Jinghong Airport and wanted to renovate the entire airport had spread, and some people in charge of other airports started to have some strange ideas.
Xu Cang's money didn't come from the wind. Of course, even if it came from the wind, Xu Cang couldn't just spend it carelessly. Not all the airports in Yunshan Province were so valuable that Xu Cang could pay for them.
"Which airport? You have a pretty big face."
Qin Xin recalled: "It seems to be some Zhong... Zhongdian."
"Zhongdian?" Xu Cang exclaimed, feeling as if he had heard this voice somewhere before. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to Xu Cang's mind, and he jumped up in surprise: "Shangri-La..."
…
Xu Cang actually found himself at the airport of the future Shangri-La. He felt that life was really a dream.
Shangri-La first appeared in a foreign novel in the 1930s. It is a secret place of paradise on earth and a fictional place name. However, whether the Shangri-La in the near future is the paradise on earth described in the novel is a matter of debate.
However, with the name of Shangri-La, it will become a tourist destination in the future. However, it is not that popular, even a little lower than Erhai Lake and Yulong Lake.
However, in terms of making money, Erhai and Yulong Airports are far behind Shangri-La Airport. The reason is that Shangri-La Airport is a high-altitude airport, and the ticket price is naturally much higher than Erhai and Yulong, and this is recognized, so there is still a lot of room for price increases.
When Xu Cang thought that he could book all the future flights at Shangri-La Airport, he felt that he had accomplished a lot. Although a set of blind landing equipment was very expensive, it was worth it. Especially since it had not been renamed yet, it would not be this price after it was renamed.
However, the sudden expense of an additional set of blind landing equipment disrupted Xu Cang's original spending plan, and it seemed that he needed to plan it carefully again.
However, when Xu Cang was thinking about how to spend the money, Spring Airlines welcomed an uninvited guest, who turned out to be Si Weimin, the chairman of Muhua Airlines.
There was mostly wilderness near the airport, with no shelter from the wind. It was winter now, and Xu Cang was afraid that Si Weimin would be frozen, so he did not let Si Weimin get off at the Spring and Summer Aviation Base. Instead, he drove straight to the Erhai city area with Si Weimin and let Si Weimin stay in a hotel in the city.
After about an hour's journey by land, the two first found a hotel to stay in. Si Weimin's secretary was sent away to take care of some chores, while Xu Cang and Si Weimin found a seat in the hotel's tea room to drink hot tea and warm themselves up.
As Si Weimin put down the teacup, there seemed to be a look of aftertaste on his face: "The Nanjian tea from Erhai Lake is indeed unique. I will bring some back later. However, it is also very cold here in winter. There is no windbreak in your base. What if my granddaughter gets frozen?"
"Oh, our company dormitories are all equipped with heating equipment, so you won't be cold. Linglong has already left on the flight, and you didn't tell me in advance that you were coming, so you came here for nothing?"
Si Weimin smiled and said, "You now have flights from Jianchuan to Erhai Lake, so it's not a big deal to come here. At most, I have to change planes. However, it's windy season in Erhai Lake now, and it was really bumpy when we first approached at low altitude. The ARJ21 is small and has poor wind resistance. If a larger plane were to fly, it wouldn't be so bumpy."
Xu Cang curled his lips and said, "Old man, are you here to experience the flight service of our Spring Airlines?"
"Not really. I'm not that idle yet. I came here mainly for three things..."
Xu Cang raised his eyebrows, feeling a little guilty: "So many?"
It would be unreasonable for Xu Cang not to feel guilty. After all, the person in front of him was his creditor, and he owed him real money.
"Yes, this time I came here to check on my Linglong, to see how she is doing here and whether she is being bullied."
Xu Cang quickly said: "No, no, I almost worship her as a Bodhisattva, how dare I bully her!"
"I'm not just going to listen to your words. When Linglong comes back, I'll ask her in person." Si Weimin snorted, "Also, when will you pay off the rent you owe? This has been delayed for more than a day or two."
Upon hearing this, Xu Cang quickly laughed and said, "Old man, you don't know! Linglong is a very delicate girl. We have spent a lot of time and effort on her life, fearing that she would feel uncomfortable. Besides, look at the shabby building of our company. We are really out of money. If you ask us for money again, we will have no money to improve Linglong's life."
If Xu Cang was paying the rent, then he would definitely move a little. But in line with the principle of delaying as much as possible, Xu Cang started to cry poor again.
"You kid, don't think that you can owe money and not pay it back just because my granddaughter works for you." Si Weimin knocked the ground with his cane: "Xu Cang, this money is not mine. If it was mine, it wouldn't matter if you paid it back later. This money has to be put into the public account. If you keep dragging it out, it will have a bad impact, and I can't help you."
Xu Cang immediately became serious: "I know, I know, but we are really short of money recently..."
"Two months. I'll give you another two months. This is the final deadline. I don't need you to pay the interest on the overdue payment. Just pay off the principal."
After hearing this, Xu Cang didn't dare to ask for anything more and nodded quickly.
"That's the rent issue for now. The next thing is the most important."
"Hmm?" Xu Cang also restrained his relaxed expression: "Grandpa, what's the matter?"
"Some time ago, you participated in the final test of the Boeing 777. It passed the test, so there is no obstacle to the commercial operation of the Boeing 777." Si Weimin smiled and said, "We at Muhua will also have several 777s soon. As for how to use these 777s, there is no clear conclusion yet, but one of the methods has been determined, and I think we need to invite you to participate."
Xu Cang was startled: "What?"
Si Weimin's smile gradually disappeared, and he turned sincere and serious: "Xu Cang, in the past, transoceanic flights were dominated by large passenger planes with three or four engines, but the emergence of the Boeing 777 broke this established rule. In any case, the fuel consumption of twin-engine aircraft is always much lower than that of three or four engines. Moreover, the ETOPS standard is no longer a problem, so we have an idea... twin-engine passenger planes for transoceanic flights!"
