Boeing has started shopping for components to build a replacement for the venerable and controversial 737. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Boeing has held talks with Rolls-Royce for engines to power a new single-aisle airliner to replace the 737. And although the current models bear scant resemblance to the first 737s that revolutionized short-to-medium-haul airline operations in the 1960s, some basic design limitations, like its stubby landing gear, have run Boeing out of options to keep up with the ever-evolving A320 series from Airbus. Airbus’s single-aisle offering’s popularity surged in the wake of two horrific crashes involving the newly introduced Max variant of the 737 in 2018 and 2019. Boeing is now in the process of trying to recover its market share and the new plane may be a component of that.
Boeing, of course, is not confirming the report but they aren’t denying it either. “Our teams continue to be focused on our recovery plan,” the company told the WSJ. “At the same time, as we have done over the decades, our team evaluates the market, advances key technologies, and improves our financial performance, so that we will be ready when the time is right to move forward with a new product.” The company’s apparent overtures to Rolls-Royce have raised some eyebrows. All the 737s made in the last 40 years have used GE/Safran engines.
Why don’t they just dust off the 757? It is a great airplane with similar seating capacity. Just update the avionics, update the engines and tweek the aerodynamics. They never should have quit building it. Don’t waste more money on another clean sheet design that will take a decade to bring to market.
I agree. An updated 757 with a streamlined manufacturing and assembly line makes huge sense. With extra capacity for freight and extended range capabilities what’s not to like?
Maybe a revamped 757 is just not complicated enough.
A 757 with new engines would do the trick. All they would need to do is redesign the door plugs to pop out in flight!
I suspect a re-engined 757 still would not compete with more modern designs in the efficiency race. I would suspect a composite design using 787 technology to move the ball forward in efficiency.
I know this is way off the mark, but maybe Boeing should open a web page to allow folks to suggest what might be smart to incorporate into a new “Neo 737” replacement. Ya, what do we know?