Is Boeing Releasing A New Aircraft?

Discussions around Boeing’s possible next commercial airliner will always be fascinating, but this is even more true when considering Boeing’s current state.

2024 has been another troubled year for the American planemaker, with not much going right. However, that hasn’t stopped fresh dialogue from emerging surrounding the release of a new aircraft.

Is Boeing about to release a new commercial airliner, or is it still some time away and a fever dream full of promise rather than firm, solidified developments?

Boeing Hints At A New Aircraft

Towards the midway point of September, thanks to contractual negotiations, there was once more discussion around Boeing’s next commercial airliner.

These fresh developments were the first real talk of a new aircraft in multiple years after Boeing seemingly shut down any prospect of a new aircraft launching in the foreseeable future.

As part of a tentative initial agreement with over 30,000 employees, Boeing outlined its plans for the next half-decade, which involved those who called the Washington state home.

Ultimately, this tentative agreement was rejected by employees, and strike action ensued, but some of Boeing’s essential promises in the deal were fascinating.

Most notably, Boeing said it would commit to a new commercial aircraft as part of this. Furthermore, in a vote of confidence to the 30,000+ employees, all derivatives would be produced in Washington.

Furthermore, the overall production elements such as final assembly, wing fabrication, interiors, wires, and deliveries would occur within the jurisdiction of the union’s 30,000+ employees.

However, there was to be a catch: a commitment to launching the program must come within four years. While this doesn’t mean the aircraft would be flying within six, Boeing would have needed approval from the board of directors and greenlit it on its behalf.

But What New Aircraft Would This Be?

What new aircraft, though, well, that wasn’t specified; in fact, the entire premise of the new commercial airliner is hardly guaranteed, given the seemingly many complexities involved.

Following the overwhelming rejection of the proposal by many of the employees, there’s been further concern about whether this new commercial airliner commitment would be included in the eventually revised contract that gets accepted.

Whatever new aircraft launches would align with previous comments from executives who wanted a new plane to launch sometime in the 2030s, with the latest technology, to prove a worthy upgrade.

Such a new-gen type could replace two necessary aircraft types of focus. Firstly, there will eventually be a need for a 737 MAX replacement and more likely than not, this would need to come in a massively upgraded variant, likely in the form of a clean sheet.

Away from the MAX replacement, there’s still talk of a middle-of-the-market airliner, long speculated to be of interest to Boeing in the 2010s and dubbed by some the 797.

Why No New Aircraft In The 2010s or 2020s?

However, several years ago, Boeing decided not to proceed with such a type. This decision followed concerns about the inability to offer customers a genuine, worthwhile upgrade with the currently available technologies.

Boeing stated it would pause this work and likely return to the drawing board in the 2030s, when new technologies being studied could be adopted on a larger scale.

That is a significant risk. What if the technologies aren’t available, and whatever comes out isn’t that great of an upgrade? Either way, it was deemed the most suitable means to move forward.

Furthermore, Boeing has had a plethora of issues itself. When it didn’t progress with an NMA, it faced production issues, certification troubles, a pandemic, a MAX grounding, and more.

Frankly, many years on, only a few of those elements have been removed, and arguably, they’ve been replaced with much else. So, a new aircraft becomes less optimal when considering that Boeing still has aircraft it needs to certify that was announced long ago.

Is A New Aircraft Coming?

So, is a new aircraft coming? Boeing’s intention was clear in its initial agreement, which involved the eventual production of a new aircraft.

It’s no lie that Boeing, as an aircraft manufacturer, will release a new plane at some point, when that remains the million-dollar question. The conditions involving an approval within four years have given a greater understanding of potential timeframes and a 2030 release.

Ultimately, however, with this being rejected, there is a lot of uncertainty, and whatever contract is eventually agreed upon with the 30,000-plus employees will likely feature details over a new plane.

Despite this, it is difficult to look towards the future, given Boeing’s current state. However, it remains vital as the planemaker charts a course to stabilise and hopefully rebuild to become once more a true industry leader.