MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON
Company faces battle to maintain credibility after switch from high-speed focus
Boeing is aiming to finalise key design elements of its new mid-size widebody airliner, given the project name "7E7", by mid-2003 and be in a position to start seeking launch commitments a year from now.
The switch in product development focus comes as the US manufacturer struggles to maintain credibility with customers following its recent decision to scrap the Sonic Cruiser project.
The twinjet study was dubbed Super Efficient Airplane when it emerged last year as a successor to the Sonic Cruiser, promising 20% lower operating costs than current aircraft in the category. Mike Bair, former head of Boeing's Commercial Aviation Services division, is the programme's senior vice-president.
According to Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice-president of marketing Randy Baseler, two versions of the 7E7 are planned - a 210-seater and a 250-seater in three class layouts - with a range of around 13,000-14,800km (7,000-8,000nm) and a cruise speed of Mach 0.84-0.85. "We are still evaluating the fuselage cross-section, and which model should be developed first," he says, adding that Boeing is aiming for a 2008 entry into service. A market for "2,000-3,000 aircraft over the next few decades" in this category is forecast.
The key question that Baseler hopes will be answered in the next six months is whether to give the 7E7 a seven or eight abreast economy cabin. The seven abreast layout would be similar to the current 767 configuration, while the eight abreast version would be narrower than the nine- or 10-abreast 777 but slightly wider than the eight-abreast Airbus A330/A340. Baseler says both designs will be capable of accommodating 18.5in (470mm)-wide economy seats, and LD-3 containers in the cargo hold. "Whichever cross section we choose, the aircraft will have wider economy seats than the A330/A340," he says, adding that the eight-abreast version will feature a double-lobe configuration.
As currently defined, the 7E7 resembles a "mini-777" with 777-300ER-style raked wingtips. Baseler says that details such as cross section, configuration and launch sequence will be decided with airline input over the next six months.
The aircraft will have all-new engines which will be key to the promised operating cost savings, says Baseler. Other cost savings will come from advanced aerodynamics and new structures technology.
Initially the 7E7's main rival will be the Airbus A330, which Airbus vice-president customer affairs John Leahy says could be updated into an effective competitor by "hanging the new engines on it".
Source: Flight International
