Why Boeing Cancelled The 797

The Boeing NMA, dubbed the 797, was widely considered in the 2010s to be the answer to the dominant A321neo and a replacement for the 757 and 767.

This prospective new clean sheet was also considered groundbreaking. If Boeing had proceeded with it, a substantial market would have been available for the type to thrive in.

However, after much deliberation, Boeing decided not to proceed with an NMA. Instead, it ceded a valuable market to rival manufacturer Airbus, which now enjoys the bulk of the sales uncontested.

Why did Boeing cancel the NMA project, or can it be viewed as a temporary suspension? Was it the right decision, and is there a future for this prospective jet?

The Boeing NMA During The 2010s

A significant portion of the 2010s was taken up by discussion surrounding Boeing’s answer to the 757 and 767. As airlines began retiring these planes, questions arose about how they would be replaced.

While next-gen aircraft such as the 737 MAX and 787 were emerging to be successful planes with truckloads of efficiency, they weren’t ultimately what some airlines were looking towards.

As a result, discussions began regarding the prospect of a middle-of-the-market airliner, dubbed the 797, that would replace these jets and fend off interest in the emerging A321neo.

Prospective variants had been outlined, with a view to the release of an NMA-6X and an NMA-7X, which would seat 228 and 267 passengers, respectively, and have a range between 4,000 and 5,000 nautical miles.

Furthermore, a study from ICF International led to the belief that this aircraft would be able to cement itself in the market with potential interest for some 3,000 to 3,500 aircraft across a 20-year period.

These estimates would vary, with other parties believing it would be more likely to sell over 1,000 units and up to 1,500. Despite these varying predictions, the aircraft had a market; it was just whether Boeing would act on it.

The State Of Boeing…

In 2024, Boeing doesn’t have an NMA released, but why? Firstly, the elephant in the room must be considered, and that’s the state of Boeing.

The last six years have been tough. Since the first MAX incident in 2018 and everything that has happened since then, the state of Boeing has been in despair. New projects have been completely thrown under the rug, and yes, they are notably looking towards this NMA.

While the 777-8F remains the only fresh project launched, despite being based on the 777X, anything else has seemingly been put on the back burner. This comes as the manufacturer has prioritised ensuring the aircraft it puts out is of the highest quality, which it has lacked despite stating this was a priority.

As a result, the colossal resources required to move forward with an NMA may have only been viewed as worth it if they were in a more stable position. Their state, while essential to mention, was also paired with a global pandemic, which meant launching something new was quite risky when there was an unknown regarding demand returning.

The A321XLR, announced just six months before a pandemic, had timing on its side. This aircraft entering service momentarily has been a resounding success and has largely no competition.

Implementing New Technologies

Technology is fundamental to any new prospective aircraft being released or at a conceptual stage. Boeing has remained adamant that whatever new aircraft launches will likely be a clean sheet. Such a clean sheet comes after exhausting all possibilities with existing bodies.

Through discussions from executives and reports across the years, Boeing made it clear that they didn’t believe the current technologies would provide a worthwhile upgrade.

Boeing believes that if an aircraft like this is required, they will return to the drawing board sometime next decade when they feel technologies will have developed. Whatever aircraft is released will have considerable improvements by this point, making it a worthwhile upgrade.

For example, the TTBW is another endeavour being undertaken by Boeing alongside NASA to understand whether these wings can be implemented across its commercial airplanes division.

Timing Of Launch

Market timing is another crucial aspect when considering the NMA and technological advancements. The A321neo derivatives, while having a certification process, were simple from the production standpoint. This ease was thanks to the base model already existing.

Ultimately, a clean sheet is a significant undertaking. As the months progressed and the previous decade ended, any potential decision to move ahead with such an NMA would mean the eventual product wouldn’t enter service for quite some time.

Time is of the essence for things such as these, and while studies will occur at some point, a decision has to be made to progress, or else you risk ending up in a position where it’s too late.

Analysts who watched the NMA development closely believe this played quite a role. Simply put, Boeing ran out of time and reached a point where they wouldn’t have been able to progress with the jet because a market entry would be too late.

Ongoing Problems At Boeing

While Boeing hasn’t moved ahead with an NMA, it still has aircraft variants that haven’t been certified to this day, and customers are hurting.

As the delays continue to mount, whether in the form of MAX variants or the 777X, these are, therefore, the priority. While Boeing has to innovate, it has recently been forced to move engineers away from the TTBW to sort its current commercial airplane division issues.

It wouldn’t make sense for Boeing to progress with something fresh if it could not maintain its current product, let alone the aircraft meant to be released many years ago.

Frankly, the NMA felt like an aircraft that was always stacked up against the odds, and that wasn’t aided by the events that proceeded towards the end of the 2010s and the arrival of a pandemic.

Following this complexity, such as supply chains and turmoil from a cultural standpoint, left Boeing with more problems than imagination.

As the industry moves into the mid-2020s, Boeing has left Airbus uncontested in the sector, with the upcoming A321XLR set to be a game changer and thrive.