Boeing’s new interest in a potentially larger version of the 737 Max presents a “great opportunity” for a geared turbofan engine, says Pratt & Whitney vice-president of marketing Jim Speich.
Boeing once evaluated P&W’s geared turbofan for the 737 Max, but ultimately selected the CFM International Leap as the exclusive engine for the three variants now in development.
With the Airbus A321neo out-selling the 737 Max 9 by a five-to-one margin, Boeing is now considering options for a larger product that could be available years ahead of a notional “middle of the market” (MoM) aircraft, a concept for replacing the 757 and 767 in the mid-2020s.
“Of course, it would be a great opportunity for Pratt,” Speich says, speaking at a P&W press conference on 10 May at the Regional Airline Association’s annual convention.
“Would it work out in the end? I’m not sure,” Speich says. “It’s sort of up to Boeing where they go with it. But we’re actively talking with all airframers.”
The 737 Max 9 is offered with a 28,000lb-thrust version of the Leap-1B engine. Both CFM and P&W also offer higher-thrust versions of the Leap and geared turbofan engines for the A320neo, rising up to the 35,000lb-thrust generated by the PW1100G for some versions of the A321neo.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
