When Airbus announced the decision to re-engine the A320 family, as opposed to building an all-new replacement, everyone was looking at Boeing to see how the American giant would respond. Managers and engineers mulled over the issue in Seattle and Chicago while Airbus booked a hefty 1000 orders for the 320NEO (New Engine Option).
Initially it looked like Boeing would meet the challenge head-on and build a completely new 737, the NSA (New Small Airplane) using a lot of composite parts and adopting the 787’s all-electric architecture. In fact, Chairman/CEO James McNerney actually hinted in a speech that for Boeing only the NSA was an appropriate response to Airbus’ re-engined 320 family.
While Boeing could take comfort in the fact that orders for the 320NEO came mainly from existing Airbus operators and no long-established Boeing customers had deserted to the enemy, uncertainty grew over Boeing’s ability to design and manufacture the NSA with service entry around 2015 (when the 320NEO will hit the market). Although the technology that would make the NSA ultra competitive in terms of operating costs is in fact available, bringing it all together is seen as requiring a length of time that is simply not available in view of the Airbus offering’s timing. Boeing’s customers have also signaled that after the initial enthusiasm for a new, advanced aircraft they would prefer to have something earlier even if it was less of jump towards the future.
It is now as good as certain that there will be no NSA form Boeing for the time being. Instead a re-engined 737 will be offered, good for a 10-12 % fuel-burn advantage over the 737NG and an 8 % operating cost per seat advantage over the Airbus 320NEO. At least that is what Boeing is promising.
Matters are further complicated by Boeing’s determination not to stop building the 737NG even when the 737NE, as the re-engined aircraft is likely to be known, arrives. This decision is based on the bitter customer reactions Boeing faced when it cut short production of 737 Classics when the 737NG was introduced. As matters now stand, Boeing simply does not have the manufacturing capacity to build both the 737NG (of which there is a healthy backlog of orders) and the NE at the same time. Major investments in the existing Renton facility or at another location, will be needed to satisfy the combined demand.
Of course the 737NE will not be simply an NG with new engines under the wings. Although most of the benefits will come from the new engines (likely to be the CFM Leap-X), Boeing will take this upgrade opportunity to introduce elements developed for the 787 and the various 737 improvement packages. Some of these will probably be further enhanced and optimized for the 737 and its operating environment.
The single-aisle aircraft of the coming years will be rather boring. Sure, they will have new engines, new interiors and some other important new bits and pieces but for an exciting new product like the 787 in its segment, we will have to wait until some time in the next decade. No doubt both Airbus and Boeing will want to protect their investment in the re-engined aircraft and so any drive from any quarter to create something truly new will be kept in check for many years to come. Of course with environmental pressures growing the change in aircraft configuration, when it finally comes, will probably be that much more spectacular.