Boeing and the B757 replacement - Curt Lewis

Boeing plans new aircraft go-ahead decision by end-year

Despite spending months pleading for patience, Boeing executives are now telling employees a launch decision for a new airliner aimed at the "middle of the market" (MOM) could be made by the end of the year.

In an all-hands meeting with employees on 10 February in Seattle, Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Ray Conner said the new project could receive a go-ahead decision as early as 2016, sources say.

Since at least 2012, Boeing has identified a gap in the market between the single-aisle 737 Max 9 and the twin-aisle 787-8. A two-year series of discussions with customers revealed a consensus for an aircraft with about 20% more range and payload than a 757-200.

Until now Boeing executives revealed no urgency behind a launch decision. In fact, only a day before Conner's address to employees, Boeing vice-president of marketing Randy Tinseth said his time "have a lot of time to work through it" before making a decision.

But the 737 Max 9 has struggled to compete against the Airbus A321neo, which is outselling Boeing's re-engined product by more than a five to one margin. Sales of the 787-8 also have cooled off since the introduction of the stretched 787-9.

But the company has a six-year backlog of major commercial projects already in development, starting with the entry into service of the 737 Max 8 next year. The 787-10 is scheduled for delivery in 2018, followed by the 777-9 in 2020 and then the 777-8.

A MOM aircraft is not likely to appear before 2022, giving Boeing at least six years to complete development if a programme is advanced later this year.