Boeing achieved true long-haul prominence in the 1970s when
its iconic 747 family took to the skies. It changed long-distance travel forever.
But Boeing found that it needed to complement the 747 with a smaller widebody design. This
eventually saw the development of the twinjet 767. Let’s take a look at the life of the 767 program…
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You can trace the roots of the Boeing 767 family back as far as 1972, just a couple of years after
the original 747 entered service. After the 747, Boeing soon began developing a smaller aircraft
that would retain its twin-aisle cabin design but for a lower-capacity market than the 747.
Codenamed the 7X7, the jet would be smaller than the Lockheed L-1011 and the McDonnell
Douglas DC-10. Coincidentally, 1972 also saw the newly formed Airbus conglomerate
launch the A300, a twin-engine widebody that would compete with the 767.
Since its maiden flight in 1981, Boeing has since gone on to produce more than 1,200 767s across
all variants. These include the original 767-200, as well as the -200ER, -300, -300ER and -400ER.
The 767-300 also formed the basis for the type’s first cargo variant, which entered
service with UPS in 1995. Boeing briefly offered an even longer-range 767-400ERX version in 2000
but canceled it the next year. Interestingly, it never produced a standard 767-400.
US carriers first operated the 767 on transcontinental and other domestic routes.
Indeed, United first flew the aircraft between Chicago and Denver. In addition to their
increased capacity over single-aisle designs, the 767’s twin-aisle cabin also helped it to
achieve faster boarding times. This subsequently led to higher dispatch reliability and general
improvements in operational smoothness. The advent of ETOPS, otherwise known as
‘Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards,’ led to a boom
in twinjet operations on intercontinental journeys such as transatlantic services.
In recent years, however, the 767 has been in decline. Of course, a factor in this is the
aircraft’s age, with the original 767-200 having first flown nearly four decades ago. Unlike the
737, Boeing has not developed a next-generation version of the 767. Another partial factor in
the 767’s decline is its own success that spurred Boeing to develop the larger 777.
More recently, however, is Boeing's launch of the 787 ‘Dreamliner’ family.
This nine-abreast design is smaller than the 777 series, putting it on a par, capacity-wise,
with some of the 767’s larger variants. Since its introduction in 2011, many airlines have
ordered the 787 as a replacement for the 767 due to its greater range and efficiency, further
contributing to the 767s fall in the last decade. Although, as we have established, the 767 has
been superseded by the likes of the 777 and 787 families, this is primarily the case in
the passenger-carrying domain. In terms of cargo, the aircraft still has an important role to play.
Boeing is reportedly producing a handful of 767 freighters a month.
“[Boeing] continues to see strong market demand for 767 airplanes,
which offer outstanding operational efficiency and payload configuration. Cargo operators around the
world keep the global 767 Freighter fleet busy, flying the model an average of 10 hours a day.”
Boeing still has 97 outstanding orders for the jet with more than a third of these going to FedEx.
Interestingly, 57 of the outstanding orders are for air tanker companies,
showing that, in the domain of air-to-air refueling, the 767 remains a versatile aircraft.
What are your memories of flying on the Boeing 767? Do you have a favorite
variant of the type? Share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment.