It sounds like Boeing is working on developing its first new “clean sheet” commercial aircraft type in over two decades. I’m not sure if that’s refreshing to see and shows that Boeing is trying to innovate, or is just plain confusing, given the aircraft it’s replacing.
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Boeing in early stages of new narrow body plane design
Designing a new aircraft from scratch is a process that can take well over a decade, so any innovation in the future needs to start with a new design now.
Up until now, we’ve repeatedly been told by Boeing executives that the aerospace giant isn’t working on a new commercial aircraft type, and is instead putting all of its efforts into the existing product lines. After all, the company has had its fair share of struggles, between the 737 MAX, 777X, and 787 Dreamliner.
However, it appears that strategy is starting to shift. The Wall Street Journal reports that Boeing is in the very early stages of designing a new single-aisle airplane, which could succeed the 737 MAX, according to people familiar with the matter. This would obviously be part of a long term bid to recover business lost to rival Airbus in recent times.
Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg reportedly met with officials from Rolls-Royce, where they discussed a new engine for the aircraft. Ortberg also recently appointed a new senior product chief in the commercial planes business, whose prior role was developing a new aircraft type. Boeing has also been working on designing the flight deck of a new narrow body aircraft, according to people familiar with the plans.
Again, let me emphasize that this new aircraft type is just in the early stages of development, and plans are still taking shape. Still, clearly, this reflects that the company is starting to seriously look at designing a new aircraft type. It also directly conflicts what we were told in 2022 by former Boeing CEO David Calhoun, who claimed that Boeing wouldn’t work on a clean sheet aircraft this decade.
My take on Boeing designing a future 737 replacement
We knew that eventually Boeing would have to start designing a new aircraft, given how far in advance development has to start. If Boeing has any chance of having a new aircraft type flying in the 2030s, that project needs to start now.
Admittedly investors are torn on these kinds of efforts. On the one hand, these kinds of investments are needed to stay competitive. On the other hand, this is another expense that won’t lead to any revenue for well over a decade, most likely, and Boeing doesn’t have a great track record lately when it comes to getting new planes flying.
I think what surprises me most about this announcement is the type of plane that Boeing is reportedly developing. It sounds like Boeing’s focus is on a pretty direct 737 replacement. In fairness, the jet’s technology is pretty outdated at this point, as 737 development began in 1964.
Part of the reason the 737 MAX has been such a mess is because Boeing just kept pushing the limits of a reliable but outdated aircraft, rather than starting from scratch.
What the company is working on here doesn’t appear to be the “Boeing 797,” as it has been unofficially called, which would be a new midsize aircraft, intended to fill the gap between the 737 and 787, essentially something like a 757 or 767. That has been rumored for a long time, but it seems it’s not in the cards for now either.
There’s a certain irony to working on a 737 replacement when two of the four 737 MAX variants haven’t even been certified yet. What exactly would a fresh 737 replacement look like? I imagine it wouldn’t be about added capacity (since the 737 MAX 7 to 737 MAX 10 offers quite some flexibility), so would it be about range and operating costs? Only time will tell…
Bottom line
Boeing is reportedly in the very early stages of developing a new aircraft type, which would be the first new aircraft concept from Boeing since design of the 787 started in 2003. What’s interesting is that the intent is to create a new aircraft that replaces the 737, rather than the midsize “Boeing 797” concept that has been rumored for a long time.
We’ll see how this all works out — I doubt we’ll hear a lot more about this for some time — but it should get interesting.
What do you make of Boeing working on designing a new aircraft?
737 its basically a design from the late 50's it uses the same fuselage as the 707.
I don’t care what they do. I won’t be flying this plane.
There have been some recent executive meetings of Boeing with Delta and Ryanair. I wonder if they are looking at these two airlines as launch customers of the future Boeing jet?
The biggest gain and most risk is developing a 797 with a new engine. The second biggest gain is doing just one or a new 737 engine. Doing nothing is the cheapest but has risk that will increase with time.
A decision has to be made to build a small 757 replacement, surrendering the market to the A220, E190 or a nearly direct 737 replacement.
Or the possibility of keeping the 737 as a...
The biggest gain and most risk is developing a 797 with a new engine. The second biggest gain is doing just one or a new 737 engine. Doing nothing is the cheapest but has risk that will increase with time.
A decision has to be made to build a small 757 replacement, surrendering the market to the A220, E190 or a nearly direct 737 replacement.
Or the possibility of keeping the 737 as a lower cost option, maybe like the Saab 99 car was kept in Sweden (as the Saab 90) while the Saab 900 was sold?
good for Boeing.
and, yes, they have to start work now including in getting engine manufacturers onboard. Half or more of fuel savings come from the engine manufacturers.
Yes, Boeing needs to get the MAX 7 and 10 certified along with the 777X but Boeing knows that there is no more tweaks that can be made to the 737.
Airbus has handedly taken the narrowbody lead with the A320 family and also has...
good for Boeing.
and, yes, they have to start work now including in getting engine manufacturers onboard. Half or more of fuel savings come from the engine manufacturers.
Yes, Boeing needs to get the MAX 7 and 10 certified along with the 777X but Boeing knows that there is no more tweaks that can be made to the 737.
Airbus has handedly taken the narrowbody lead with the A320 family and also has the A220 which will hit at the heart of the MAX family when it is stretched as it is certain to be.
This also highlights the danger of ordering 500 current generation aircraft with deliveries well into the 2030s as one US airline is doing; they could end up with hundreds of deliveries of older generation aircraft just as their competitors take delivery of the latest that Airbus and Boeing offer.
A question for you Tim, as there is little to no chance that Ben will know the answer ….
Q: Will Boeing ever make MAGA?
From the right side of the pond the belief is a resounding NO!
@AeroB13a
You're asking a question to your original form?
Gosh, Tim, take your BA alter ego to a dementia rehab.
Boeing has flown themselves into a coffin corner with the 737. It’s a massive loss to try to keep updating it, and a massive loss to build a clean sheet design without the AI tools and next gen engines and design ready yet.
What ever they come up with now will only be a stop gap with a short lifespan.
Quote: "In fairness, the jet’s technology is pretty outdated at this point, as 737 development began in 1964."
This is a very surprisingly myopic and patently false comment coming from you, Ben. Wow. The 737 MAX 'technology' is no where near 1964 and this is worthy of a correction. The MAX has modern avionics, new engine technologies and nacelles, new wings, among many other things. The nose and tail are about the only things that...
Quote: "In fairness, the jet’s technology is pretty outdated at this point, as 737 development began in 1964."
This is a very surprisingly myopic and patently false comment coming from you, Ben. Wow. The 737 MAX 'technology' is no where near 1964 and this is worthy of a correction. The MAX has modern avionics, new engine technologies and nacelles, new wings, among many other things. The nose and tail are about the only things that are the same and those are aerodynamics, not technology.
Wow, just so surprising to see you make such a poor statement like this. Your bias for Airbus is clear and certainly your prerogative, but at least make factual statements.
@Kelly
Your commentary makes absolutely no sense and adds zero value to this discussion.
If there was room for a taller landing gear, the 737 might have been in better shape.
The 707 was hampered by a shorter landing gear than the DC-8 but then the 747 came out
'technology' is perhaps the wrong word.
'shape' might be closer to it - the point about a new design is that it could avoid the imbalances which led to the need for MCAS.
Given the experience with the 777X, it makes sense to start now in order to make a projected 2045 launch date.
Start now and launch in 2045? That makes 20 years. By the time the plane is launched it will be already outdated.
What has changed is the deployment of narrow-bodies on tier 2 long-haul routes.
IMO, the perfect time would've been alongside the 787. It was already dubbed the "Yellowstone Y1" project 2 decades ago.
It was overdue a decade ago. That, and there's probably not much more blood they can draw out of the stone that is the 737 frame.
Both overdue and premature. Overdue in the sense that the 737 design is a 1960s one. Apart from stretching the fuselage and adding more capable engines and increasing the range, not much else has changed since the 737-100. Premature in that Boeing is still in the early innings of a turnaround and its quality control and reliability still an open question. Has it sufficiently cleaned up its mess before a new plane design is ready?...
Both overdue and premature. Overdue in the sense that the 737 design is a 1960s one. Apart from stretching the fuselage and adding more capable engines and increasing the range, not much else has changed since the 737-100. Premature in that Boeing is still in the early innings of a turnaround and its quality control and reliability still an open question. Has it sufficiently cleaned up its mess before a new plane design is ready? Does it have the skilled people to bring a new plane to the market?
Technically, a 1950s design. It was an evolution of the C-135.
Almost everything has changed on the 737 since the 1960s. Boeing basically redesigned the aircraft in the 1990s as the 737NG, with a new wing, engines, cockpit and all the stuff that really matters. It’s a shame Boeing doubled down on the 737, however, instead of further developing the 757.