Boeing’s CEO, James McNerney, reiterated Boeing’s view that re-engining the 737 even in light of Airbus’ A320NEO announcement is not the pathway to success for Boeing.  They continue to believe that if a new 737 replacement is forthcoming in the 2019/2020  timeframe, customers will wait.  I agree.

However, if customers are asked to wait until 2025, I’m not so sure.  There is only so much more additional performance that Boeing can get from either the airframe or the engine on the 737.  Let’s not forget that, in many respects, the current 737 lineup continued to perform well against the A320 in part because of the development of the winglets and the evolving refinement of the CFM engine.  Additional gains are going to be increasingly difficult to find.

Also of concern is McNerney’s announcement that research and development will be going down over the next couple of years and that they intend to cut back on some of their engineering resources which are extraordinarily high (say McNerney) at present while retaining their core capability.   While I understand the cravings for normalcy, this worries me. 

To really get a 737 replacement out in the 2019/2020 timeframe, it’s time to get started now.  You have effectively just 8 years to redesign another technically innovative aircraft that will compete for 20 years or more.  Schedule is more critical in accomplishing this than budget is.  It takes time to design innovative technology and implement it into a product that must be 99% reliable “out of the box”.   Boeing’s schedule for doing so is, in some respects, already eroding.

I think there is more time to consider options for the 777 line than there is for the 737 replacement.  Enough airlines and, in particular, 737 customers have signaled the very strong desire for a better airplane. To act as if you have all the time in the world or even little competition for these people is a bad idea.  Even Southwest acknowledges that they can handle transitioning to a new type and they don’t mean just transitioning to a new Boeing. 

There are 3 SuperLegacy airlines who’ll be shopping in the next 1 to 2 years for fleet replacement and 2 LCC carriers who need to find new efficiency gains in their fleet (Southwest and Ryanair) who could literally place enough orders to pay for the 737 replacement.   Having something that will significantly beat the A320NEO in the stated time frame that also provides for future efficiency and a product line capable of lasting 20 years is almost a necessity rather than something to study for another 2 years.

The 737 replacement won’t be an evolution of the 737.  It will be much more a revolution for single aisle aircraft much as the 787 is for medium capacity, twin aisle aircraft.   Furthermore, I think you would want to have that program on firm footing and about to produce new aircraft as you begin to enter into engaging on a 777 evolution or replacement later in the decade.

So what’s the hold up?

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