Boeing remains committed to its high-speed Sonic Cruiser study, despite continuing market uncertainty over the project's viability. A firm decision on its future will be taken late this year.
The manufacturer confirms that concerns by some potential customers over the value to passengers of the Sonic Cruiser's proposed Mach 0.98 cruise speed have forced further rounds of in-depth route studies with individual operators, but Boeing insists it is committed to the project. This effort has been a pivotal part of the drive to launch the programme for entry-into-service in late 2007 or early 2008.
"The Sonic Cruiser is our primary product development effort," says Boeing, which says presentations of an alternative, advanced-technology 250-seat "Yellowstone" project is primarily to serve as a "reference" aircraft against which to match the Sonic Cruiser proposal. But it admits the Yellowstone concept is also driven by airline interest.
Meanwhile, Boeing is believed to have identified two distinct Sonic Cruiser versions as finalists, one a mid-wing concept, unlike the aft-wing version seen to date. The study of a supersonic design has been withdrawn.
The Yellowstone concept has attracted interest from carriers in the Sonic Cruiser advisory group, such as British Airways, which advocate the use of advanced technology to reduce drastically operating costs of conventional designs rather than increase speeds.
Industry sources suggest rumours of growing airline interest in Yellowstone are also linked to problems of fitting an unconventional aircraft into the industry infrastructure. Sources indicate that the planned October decision on whether to take the Sonic Cruiser project further forward will not automatically sanction the go-ahead of a new 250-seater family, even if Sonic Cruiser is shelved.
Source: Flight International
