Boeing’s CEO, Stephanie Pope, addressed workers on the occasion of a new settlement with employees that includes the highest raise in the company’s history and potentially announced the start of the new aircraft program, unconfirmedly called the 797. According to Aerospace Global News, Pope said: “Boeing’s roots are here in Washington – where generations of workers have built incredible airplanes,” confirming that the new contract will allow the team in the Puget Sound region to “build the next Boeing airplane,” something she promised will bring “job security for generations to come.”
Back in 2015, Boeing announced that it was planning a new medium-sized aircraft concept as a potential replacement for the 757, excellent but outdated in many aspects. Then Boeing bluntly announced that they were thinking about the 757 aircraft platform but with the same technology and composite construction as the Boeing 787.
Prompted by delays in the development of the 777X aircraft, 737MAX accidents, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Boeing stated in 2020 that the new aircraft project is “on hold” and that the company’s focus will be on the current programs – the 777X and 737MAX. They additionally emphasized that the new 737 MAX 10 would be in the same category of aircraft they are planning to develop, which is why positive developments on the 797 project are even less likely.
The silence from Boeing related to the new aircraft lasted until 2022 when the company stated that it would still take time to develop a new generation of engines, which was undoubtedly a comment related to the new aircraft, given that there is no intention to change or option on the existing ones new engines.
Now a statement from the Chief Commercial Officer suggests that a new aircraft may be on the horizon. Unofficial information says that Boeing has already drawn up a schedule according to which the new aircraft will be in service until 2030. Despite all that, there is never enough caution. Although Boeing claims that the 737MAX program is successful with more than 8,000 orders, this cannot negate the fact of the aircraft’s extremely bad reputation and penalties due to two plane crashes, with the certification of the two remaining models (MAX 7 and MAX 10) not yet completed. In addition, the 777X program is also far from certification, especially after the recent discovery of cracks in the test aircraft’s engine mounts. Because of the above, it may be unrealistic to say that Boeing currently has enough human, financial, and moral resources for the development of a new aircraft.
What is known so far about the potential new aircraft is that the target market is 220 to 290 seats. There is no information yet on whether this aircraft will be narrow-body or wide-body, but the wish is that it provides an adequate replacement for the 757 and 767. In addition, it is to be expected that Boeing would “attack” the Airbus A321 (neo, LR, and XLR) with this aircraft, and the smallest A330 (-200). What is currently illogical is that the new, possibly named, 797 would overlap with three existing Boeing models: the 787-8 (240 seats in a three-class configuration), the 787-9 (290 seats in a two-class configuration), and 737 MAX 10 (230 in the densest configuration or 205 seats in the two-class configuration).
Whether Stephanie Pope’s statement was a message of reconciliation and (false) hope or truly a hint of a new aircraft remains to be seen. The only certain thing is that the replacement for the 757 and 767 is about 10 years late and that Airbus with its A321 neo, LR and XLR has a great advantage.
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