The 757 entered service in 1983, and more than  1,000 were delivered over the next 20 years.  

It has been a great success for Boeing and popular  with many airlines, in particular with its long  

range and versatile operation in hot, dry,  and high locations. Production ended in 2004,  

and it is now disappearing from airline  fleets, with no real replacement options.

By the 1970s, Boeing had started to see strong  success with its jets. The Boeing 707 is widely  

credited as the first successful aircraft  of the jet age (the Comet was the first,  

but several problems held it back). And the  Boeing 727 had done very well for Boeing,  

opening up new options for jets on shorter  routes and at smaller airports. Until the  

1990s, it was the most produced jet  aircraft (until the 737 took over). 

Boeing, and operating airlines, wanted a successor  to the popular 727. There was a desire for greater  

capacity, and one of the first proposals  was to stretch the 727. But airlines were  

also interested in efficiency, with a preference  for two engines instead of the three-engine 727.  

This would lower operating costs, and ultimately  led to the new clean-sheet design of the 757.

Although it was a replacement for the 727, much  of its design and inspiration came from the larger  

767. Development of the 767 had started earlier,  so the 757 ended up ‘borrowing’ from its design.  

This saved time and cost and is not  uncommon in aircraft development.  

Similarities included the two-person  cockpit and much of the interior fittings. 

Five aircraft were involved  in a seven-month test program.  

This proceeded with surprisingly few delays  and led to an increase in the range quoted.  

It received its FAA certification in December  1982 and UK CAA certification in January 1983.  

The first aircraft entered service with  Eastern Airlines on January 1st, 1983.

The 757-200F cargo variant followed soon and  entered service in 1987 with UPS. Overall,  

80 freighters were ordered, with FedEx Express,  UPS Airlines, and SF Airlines in China the main  

operators. There is also a 757-200 Combi freight  version for combined passenger and cargo use.  

Nepal Airlines was the only  new customer for this in 1986. 

In 2001, Boeing launched a passenger to freight  conversion version – with passenger facilities  

removed, cargo door added, and the fuselage  floor strengthened. The first aircraft to be  

converted were retiring 757-200s from British  Airways. This conversion has been popular  

since – according to data from ch-aviation.com,  there have been 128 conversions to date.

The 757-300 stretched the fuselage by  just over seven meters. Capacity was  

increased to a maximum of 295 (from an  exit maximum of 239 for the 757-200).  

Typical capacity though was 243, up from 200. The 757-300, though, was not a great success,  

with only 55 aircraft built. The increased size  led to a reduction in range, and it ended up  

as a fairly niche offering. The widebody 767  offered a greater capacity than the 757-200,  

without compromising on range. But the 757 could  access smaller airports. It also came late in the  

development of the 757 (the 757-200 had been in  service for 16 years when the -300 launched).

The 757 is known for its range and its performance  in hot and dry and high-altitude environments.  

This makes it a very capable and versatile  aircraft that has suited many airlines well. 

The 757-200 offers a range of  3,915 NM (7,250 kilometers).  

This is much higher than other narrowbodies.  For comparison, the 737-800 has a range of 2,930  

NM (5,765 kilometers) – and also a lower  typical passenger capacity of 162 versus 200.  

The newer and larger 737 MAX 10 still  falls short of the 757 on range. 

With this range, the 757 can easily handle  US coast-to-coast flights as well as offering  

transatlantic narrowbody routes. Icelandair  has even operated it on a few one-off flights  

from Reykjavik (KEF) to San Francisco (SFO)  – a distance of 3,653 NM (6,765 kilometers). 

In more regular service, Delta Air Lines has  operated the 757-200 between Atlanta and Brasilia,  

Brazil – a route of 3,542 NM (6,560 kilometers). Its performance has also set it apart from other  

narrowbodies. Importantly, it has a higher  thrust-to-weight ratio. It can operate from  

shorter runways, with a lower take-off speed, and  has higher performance in thin air environments. 

With this performance, US airlines have been  able to schedule it widely, including hot,  

dry, or high altitude airports such as Denver and  Bogota. It can also serve smaller runway airports,  

giving it a big advantage over widebodies such  as the 767 (and even the 737 at some locations). 

One interesting side-effect of its design is  that it produces powerful wingtip vortices  

(more in some cases than 767 or 747).  

This has reduced somewhat with winglets, but  the 757 is classified as ‘heavy’ by air traffic  

controllers to acknowledge the impact of  this and the aircraft spacing required.

The 757 has been especially popular with US  airlines, with all of the major legacy airlines  

(American Airlines, United Airlines, and  Delta Air Lines) operating it. American  

Airlines operated the largest fleet of  142 (including many acquired from TWA).  

It retired them in 2020 amidst  pandemic-related fleet simplification. 

Following American’s retirement, Delta Air Lines  became (and remains) the largest 757 operator.  

As of June 2021, it still operates 127  aircraft. United Airlines still operates 72. 

The 757 remains a popular freighter option, which  is likely to outlast passenger use. FedEx Express  

operates 109 aircraft, UPS Airlines operates 75,  DHL Air operates 23, and Chinese SF Airlines 36.

The 757-200 has also seen plenty  of specialized uses. It has been  

a popular choice for government use, used for  presidential transport by Mexico, Argentina,  

Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and the US. While the US Air Force modified 747s that serve as  

Air Force One are more famous, the government  fleet also includes 757s (with designator C-32).  

These serve as ‘Air Force Two’ when  carrying the Vice President – but also  

are used by the President. The aging 757s  (between 22 and 30 years old) were due to  

be replaced, but this has been halted. NASA previously used a 757 for its ARIES  

(Airborne Research Integrated Experiments System)  program for safety and operations research. And  

the New Zealand Air Force operates two converted  Combi aircraft for transport and VIP use.

The 757 boomed in the early 1990s, with more than  100 aircraft being delivered each year at peak.  

This had slowed by the early 200s. And the events  of 9/11 and the slowdown in aviation followed  

significantly reduced demand for the 757 (with  smaller widebodies becoming more popular).  

Orders being swapped to the 737 (most notably from  Continental Airlines in 2003) sealed its fate.  

Production of the 757 ended in 2004, and  Boeing delivered the final aircraft in November  

2005 to Shanghai Airlines – the 1,050th 757 built. 

The 757 has suffered several earlier than  planned retirements during the pandemic. As  

already discussed, this saw the early retirement  of American Airlines’ fleet, amongst others. 

As of June 2021, 508 aircraft remain in use with  46 carriers. With aircraft aging, there could  

well be more retirements before we are fully  out of the pandemic, but we are likely to see  

the 757 in service for some time. Delta has not  confirmed further retirement plans as yet. United  

Airlines is more likely to retire aircraft with  orders for A321XLR aircraft set to replace them.

Boeing ended production of the 757  without developing a direct replacement.  

The 737 MAX offers neither the range nor the  hot and short-field performance of the 757  

(although it does improve efficiency).  Many view this as quite a loss for Boeing. 

The upcoming A321XLR is being seen by some  airlines as a good replacement option.  

It will offer an impressive range of up to 4,700  NM (8,700 kilometers), taking narrowbody flying  

further than ever before. But it won’t match the  757s performance in hot and high environments. 

American Airlines was one of the  first airlines to opt for the A321XLR,  

and it has 50 aircraft on order – likely  to take up many of the old 757 routes.  

United is doing similar, also  with 50 aircraft on order. 

As for Boeing, there’s still no confirmed  replacement. There has been discussion of  

a 757X that would re-engine the 757 and offer  similar specifications, but no plans from Boeing.  

It was denied as a possibility in 2020,  largely due to the 757s high production cost.

The Boeing New Midsize Aircraft (NMA),  also dubbed the 797, was originally seen  

as a replacement for the 757 (but most likely as a  widebody). The idea had seen interest from United  

(a major Boeing customer) and Delta  Air Lines, Qantas, and Icelandair. 

NMA plans were dropped in 2020 though, with  attention and funds diverted by ongoing 737 MAX  

issues, as well as the pandemic. The  launch of the A321XLR also led to a  

re-think of what should be offered. There are plenty of options for  

where Boeing could go next. Re-visiting  757X ideas, a similar re-engined 767X,  

a return to 787-3 plans, or a new clean-sheet  narrowbody are all possible. No doubt it will  

launch something soon or risk Airbus taking over  more of the market. Whether this will offer the  

same features as the 757 remains to be seen. The 757 remains a great aircraft but clearly  

falling out of favor as other  options improve. Feel free to  

discuss its highlights and your thoughts  on any future replacement in the comments.