Boeing says it will have a replacement for the 737 by 2030 and it’s likely to have a composite airframe. CEO Jim McNerney told Reuters the aircraft will be a little bigger than the 737 but will be much the same as the world’s best-selling airliner. “It will be slightly bigger, there will be new engines. The current look of the planes (shape) won’t change dramatically,” McNerney told Reuters.
The aircraft will be a replacement for the 737 MAX, the latest-generation single-aisle that has squeezed about as much as it can from the basic design of the original twin-engine aircraft, which first flew in 1967. Although the MAX has attracted thousands of orders and the 737 plant in Washington has recently increased production to two aircraft a day, McNerney said increasing competition and innovation from other manufacturers are forcing the change. “We cannot give up that advantage because competing on costs alone would be difficult,” he said. “Innovation is the only answer, there’s no easy way around.”
