Having lost a seemingly insurmountable amount of ground against arch-rival Airbus, the embattled aircraft manufacturer Boeing is rumored to have resurrected plans to create a so-called clean-sheet aircraft design for the first time in more than two decades.
The plans were revealed by anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, who were able to share details of a previously undisclosed meeting that Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg had with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce in England earlier this year.
The meeting was, it has been claimed, was to discuss an engine that would power the new aircraft. While the development process is in the early stages, the sources also claimed that Boeing is already working on an updated cockpit for its new aircraft.
The aircraft is said to be a replacement for the 737 family – a design that dates back to the mid-1960s, but which last went through a design iteration with the launch of the controversial MAX range in 2017.
Following the fatal crashes of two 737MAX jets several years ago, Boeing has been primarily focused on resolving multiple issues with its existing line-up of aircraft and achieving certification for the long-delayed 737MAX-10 and Boeing 777X.
Having taken the reins at Boeing Commercial Airplanes last August, however, Ortberg now appears to be secretly plotting the development of a brand new single-aisle aircraft.
It’s not yet known whether Boeing plans to completely replace the 737MAX family with a brand new aircraft type, or whether the manufacturer might initially focus on a longer-range model that is able to directly compete with the Airbus A321LR and A321XLR.
Boeing has, for many years now, been toying with the idea of a mid-sized airplane known as the NMA concept, and sometimes referred to as the 797.
It had been suggested that Boeing had considered a narrow dual-aisle concept to combine efficiency with passenger comfort. Those plans may, however, have shifted dramatically in the last few years.
A spokesperson for Boeing didn’t confirm the WSJ reports, but did say in a statement: “Our team evaluates the market, advances key technologies, and improves our financial performance, so that we will be ready when the time is right to move forward with a new product.”
New aircraft development is often announced many years before a plane is ready to fly. Boeing will have to gauge demand from airline customers for a new product, and any new design isn’t likely to be flying until the mid-2030s at the earliest.
The truth is, however, that Boeing has lost significant ground to Airbus, especially in the market of long-range flights on single-aisle aircraft. Boeing simply has nothing to compete with the range and efficiency of the Airbus A321XLR – an aircraft that only flew its first commercial flight earlier this year, but that is winning orders from airlines around the world.
