Delta Wanted The Boeing 797

One of the largest airlines in the U.S, Delta, was among the few companies to express interest in a Boeing 797 publicly.

Slotting into the middle of the market space, this prospective clean-sheet single-aisle would’ve looked to replace the 757 and 767.

However, the 797 was never released, leaving Delta without the plane it desired. So, what happened and what’s next?

What Is The Boeing 797?

The 797 program garnered significant attention throughout the 2010s, during which analysts believed Boeing was at a critical juncture, facing a key decision.

If Boeing had decided to proceed with the 797, the consensus is that the jet would have, for its size and capabilities, fit perfectly between the 737 MAX and the 787.

Early reports suggested that there would be two variants in the 797 program, with an overall capability to fly 4,500 to 5,000 nautical miles, and the capacity to replace the 757 and some 767 variants adequately.

With hindsight, the jet would have competed against offerings such as the now-released A321XLR and attempted to capture market share from the broader A321neo’s success, possibly even posing an alternative to the smallest A330-800.

The one selling point for the 797, and indeed of interest to Delta, would have been its clean-sheet nature, as the jet incorporated the latest technologies available at that point.

Delta Wanted The 797

Delta is among the few global carriers or leasing providers to have openly called for the release of a prospective Boeing 797 in a bid to elevate their single-aisle flying capabilities.

In February 2018, as NMA conversations intensified before the crashes involving the MAX jets, Ed Bastian, the CEO of the airline, expressed a desire for the American manufacturer to move forward with the launch of a proposed middle-of-the-market jet.

The decision to move towards a proposed 797 was primarily fueled by their firm reliance on the 757 and 767 fleet types; however, equally important was the knowledge at the time that these jets were beginning to show signs of age and a replacement would be necessary at some point.

However, while some 787s helped replace the 767, Delta was part of a collective that felt Boeing needed to offer a streamlined single-aisle jet larger than the 737 MAX that bridged the gap between the MAX and the Dreamliner, to replace those above aging twin-engine types adequately.

The enthusiasm was evident from the beginning, and it made sense. The airline has always been a significant operator of the 757 and 767; it recognised that a replacement was needed, and with the 797 slotting between these two types, it felt that this was the best option for the continued transition towards new-generation fleet types.

After a quiet period and two major incidents, Delta’s interest in the Boeing 797 would once more reignite by the mid-to-late point of 2019, with reports from Bloomberg suggesting concrete interest in purchasing up to 200 of the type.

The middle of the market sector has long been documented as a critical one. Analysts predicted before the turn of the decade that the market would see up to 4,000 aircraft orders in its lifetime; therefore, there is considerable potential for Boeing to capture some of this.

In a late 2019 interview with Bloomberg, Bastian said he anticipated Boeing would move ahead with the 797, and the carrier itself had a significant need for the type as it progressed with retirements of its 757 and 767 fleets.

But What Happened?

While receiving support from one of the industry’s largest players, the Boeing 797 never came about, at least not for the moment, with plans for the jet shelved.

The move meant ceding the middle of the market to competitor Airbus, which has had free rein to innovate and develop the next-generation A321XLR, capitalising on the available market share itself.

Boeing’s decision not to proceed with the 797, affectionately known as such, was hailed as a frustrating move by airlines, who hoped the type’s release would be the right one, as the planemaker battled one of its most challenging periods since conception.

At the end of the 2010s, following the crashes of two 737 MAX jets in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Boeing’s priorities shifted dramatically. A focus on innovation was no longer emphasised; instead, there was a priority on navigating the newly identified problems with production and its most popular single-aisle jet.

Meanwhile, the emergence of a global pandemic one year late put airlines into preservation mode, rather than focusing on growth. Paired with 737 MAX groundings and delays to the 777X program, it meant resources were fundamentally allocated elsewhere.

Boeing was left scrambling to rectify the wrongs of many years, during which safety had been set aside in favour of a sharp focus on output and certification rates, to achieve them as quickly as possible to keep up with competition and please airline customers.

These corners cut would come back to bite Boeing, the effects still being felt today despite considerable progress having been made after solid investments.

All this meant that, despite interest from Delta and even the leading Australian carrier, Qantas, in what a possible 797 could offer for their fleet renewal efforts, it was a decision that wouldn’t make sense internally for the manufacturer, given all it was facing.

What’s Next For Delta?

Without the ability to have the Boeing NMA at Delta’s disposal now more than ever, the competitor product, the A321neo, has become a staple of the Delta fleet and will continue to be for decades to come.

A commitment also exists for the 737 MAX, but all in all, Boeing’s decision not to move ahead with the 797 has seen the U.S carrier move more towards Airbus to power its fleet in the long term.

Additionally, the prospect of an order for over 200 planes was not awarded to the 737 MAX; instead, Airbus secured the deal.

Despite all this, given what Boeing was encountering at the time, analysts say that an NMA launched would have only complicated matters further.