Boeing’s new mid-market airplane (NMA) was widely expected to be a twin-aisle offering.
But with the rising trend for using single-aisle aircraft for ever-longer flights,
could Boeing reconsider this strategy. Speaking to Simple Flying, Dr. Joe Leader, CEO of the
Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), said he believes that single-aisle could work,
as long as it’s comfortable to fly. Boeing’s gap in its lineup has been ripe for a new
product for several years. The niche that was previously filled by the 757 and 767
has no replacement, leaving a wide gap between Boeing’s largest 737 and the smallest 787.
The NMA colloquially known as the 797, has been an anticipated development for many years.
With narrowbody aircraft becoming ever more capable in range, there’s some movement in
this niche, but not yet by Boeing. Speaking to Simple Flying, Dr. Joe
Leader commented on the rising trend of long-haul single-aisle aircraft, telling us the following…
“What the 787 and A350 were primarily used for over the past decade,
I see single-aisle aircraft taking a greater role over the upcoming decade. I’m still hopeful
for Boeing’s conceptual mid-market aircraft, the 797 … I cannot wait to see
the offering.”In the past, the 797 has been touted to be a smaller twin-aisle aircraft,
capable of very long routes with lower demand. But with Boeing taking its designs back to the
drawing board, could a single-aisle A321XLR competitor be more the focus?
At this point, we just don’t know. Boeing could well stick to its plan of a twin-aisle,
fast turnaround point-to-point aircraft, something to replace the 767, or it could go more down the
route of a narrowbody that builds beyond the 737 and fills the shoes of the 757 instead.
Airbus has somewhat cornered the mid-market already, with its long-range A321LR and
forthcoming A321XLR. While these aircraft don’t quite fulfill the brief of an NMA,
they come very close, and certainly a lot closer than anything Boeing has on the table right now.
At a recent CAPA Live event, Steve Udvar-Hazy, Chairman of Air Lease Corporation,
noted that Boeing lacks a true competitor to the A321, saying,
“For an airline that needs aircraft in the 200 seat or 200 seat plus category and can operate
a mixed fleet of A320s and A321s, that is where I think Boeing right now has an Achilles heel.
The [MAX] -10 is not an A321 direct competitor. It just doesn’t quite have the same capabilities
as the A321 in many areas, whether it’s cargo, range, seating capacity. It doesn’t quite match
up… That’s something that Boeing cannot really address unless they develop a brand new airplane,
and then that’s seven, eight years away. So for the time being, I think we see Airbus having a 60,
65% market share in the single-aisle.”So, whether Boeing develops a dual or single-aisle competitor
is still up for debate. However, the economics of operating single-aisle aircraft on the long-haul
are beginning to show. Dr. Leader believes that a single-aisle could work for Boeing,
but only if it’s a comfortable ride. “It’s always healthy for industry to
have competition. When it comes to these new aircraft concepts, single-aisle will work but
it will have to make sure that the passenger experience is comfortable. Otherwise, the
preference will turn back to dual aisle aircraft.” Do you think Boeing’s new middle-of-the-market
aircraft should be single-aisle or twin-aisle?
Let us know what you’d like to see by leaving a comment.