According to the British 'Financial Times', Boeing CEO Kelly Allenberger said on July 19 local time, on the eve of the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, that the company expects to have sufficient financial strength by the end of this decade, and will officially launch the development project for a new generation of narrow-body aircraft. Boeing is still 'restructuring its financial situation', and this process will take several years.
Boe has already begun preliminary design studies for the new aircraft and is investing "time and funds" in evaluating different technical solutions. However, a specific configuration has not been determined yet. Ottoberg said that the company needs to ensure that funding, technology, and market conditions are ready before officially launching the new model project.
Oltberg said that Boeing's top priority at this stage is to complete the airworthiness certification for the 737 MAX 7, MAX 10, and the long-delayed 777X, and to accelerate the delivery of these models. Only after these related projects are completed will the company be able to allocate more funds and engineering resources to the development of new aircraft.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Aviation Administration is likely to approve the 737 MAX 7 by the end of July. Oetberg expects that the larger MAX 10 will be approved shortly thereafter, with the aircraft still undergoing two more flight tests. The 777X is still awaiting approval from regulatory authorities. Boeing has not planned to display this aircraft at this airshow, but instead has kept the test aircraft in the United States to continue the certification process.
Otterberg said that airlines currently focus more on the reliability of existing aircraft and engines, maintenance costs, and shortages of spare parts. The readiness of the market to accept new aircraft may even be "less than a year ago."
Otteberg also admitted that Boeing currently does not lack orders. “The real challenge is delivering these orders.” The company still needs to improve its production management, including simplifying the operation instructions for production line employees, strengthening the training of new production line personnel, and reducing the problems where tasks that should be completed in the previous process are delayed until later stages.
In terms of technical routes, Boeing is relatively cautious. The current benchmark proposal still favors the use of traditional ducted engines, rather than the open fan engines that Airbus is testing. Oetberg emphasized that Boeing will not rush into launching new model projects until it confirms that the related technologies are mature.
Airbus previously stated that it plans to launch a new generation of narrow-body aircraft in 2030, aiming to bring the A321 series into operation by the second half of the 2030s. In response, Ottoberg said that the difference in project launch times between the two parties being one or two years is not crucial. The most important thing is to develop aircraft that truly meet customer needs.
