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LONDON-
Boeing
Co.
General manager
Dennis Muilenburg
The aerospace giant will decide next year whether it will pursue a new commercial aircraft project worth billions of dollars, the first in 15 years.
"We are advancing our business case," Muilenburg said at a press conference Sunday. "Our plan is to make a launch decision on this aircraft in 2019. We are still aiming for a 2025 commissioning date."
The decision is among the most anticipated for the aerospace industry. Aircraft buyers, potential suppliers and rival
Airbus
SE for over a year was waiting to see if and when Boeing could proceed. This would be Boeing's biggest airplane bet since the launch of the 787 Dreamliner program about 15 years ago.
United Continental Holdings
Inc.,
Norwegian Air Shuttle
AS
A and Ethiopian Airlines are part of the diverse group of potential buyers who have already shown interest in the plane. Boeing said he's expecting a market for 4,000 or more planes.
Engine manufacturers, including
Rolls-Royce Holdings
British Plc, Pratt & Whitney Unit
United Technologies
Corp.
, and CFM International, a joint venture of
General Electric
Co.
and France
Saffron
SA,
said they'd be interested in offering a product to power the new twin-engined aircraft
For Boeing, the plane would sit between its 737 single-aisle jet and the 787 Dreamliner.
The bi-lane aircraft, unofficially called the 797 by some industry executives or mid-range aircraft by Boeing, would likely be available in two versions and seat between 230 and 270 passengers. It would have a range of about 5000 miles.
Kevin McAllister,
According to the director of the Boeing Commercial Aircraft Division, there are a large number of cities where airports are full and can not accommodate more single aisle aircraft. This creates the market for a slightly bigger plane, he says, cheaper to buy and operate than a current-generation widebody aircraft.
The plane would aim to service some transatlantic and American routes, or linking North America with secondary cities in Latin America.
Airbus is competing with a mix of aircraft. It features the A321LR, a long-range version of its larger, narrow body, and the wide-body A330neo for similar missions. The European aircraft manufacturer said that he was studying further improvements to his A321LR.
Boeing has largely defined what the new aircraft should look like and is now trying to figure out how to produce it the most economically. "We believe this future aircraft will be more focused on the future production system than on the technology of the aircraft itself," said Muilenburg.
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