Middle of the market

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The short Boeing 767-200/ER represents one fifth of the 767 sales United Airlines Boeing 767-200; N76153@ZRH;31.12.2012 685av (8437285851).jpg
The short Boeing 767-200/ER represents one fifth of the 767 sales

The middle of the market, often abbreviated MoM, is the airliner market between the narrowbody and the widebody aircraft, a market segmentation used by Boeing Commercial Airplanes since at least 2003. [1] Both Airbus and Boeing produce aircraft that serve this segment.

Contents

In the Boeing lineup, it is between the largest Boeing 737 MAX 9 of 194,700 lb (88.3 t) of maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for 193 passengers in two classes over a 3,515 nmi (6,510 km) range, [2] and the smallest Boeing 787-8 of 502,500 lb (227.9 t) for 242 passengers in a 2-class configuration over a 7,355 nmi (13,621 km) range. [3] It was previously covered by Boeing with the largest modern narrowbody, the Boeing 757, typically the -200 for 200 passengers over 3,915 nmi (7,251 km) with a 255,000 lb (116 t) MTOW, [4] and the smallest widebody, the seven-abreast Boeing 767, typically the -300ER for 269 passengers over 5,725 nmi (10,603 km) with a 412,000 lb (187 t) MTOW. [5]

In the Airbus lineup, it is between the A321LR of 97 t (214,000 lb) of MTOW for 206 passengers in two classes over a 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) range, and the A330-800 of 242 t (534,000 lb) for 257 passengers in three classes over a 7,500 nmi (13,900 km) range. [6]

Boeing Y1 project

In 2006, Boeing was evaluating a successor for the Boeing 737 in the 100–200 seat market within the Boeing Yellowstone Project as the Y1. [7] In 2008, ILFC's Steven Udvar-Hazy told Boeing to develop a midrange 787 derivative, between the 787-8 and 787-3 and industry consultant Richard Aboulafia observed it would be a good replacement for the Boeing 767-300ER. [8] In 2011, Boeing focused its studies on an aircraft slightly larger than the 145 to 180-seat 737 Next Generation and ruled out developing a bigger 200 seat 757-sized replacement. [9]

Boeing New Light Twin (NLT)

The Boeing New Light Twin (NLT) concept in 2011 was a small, seven-abreast twin-aisle adapted for low-profile LD3-45W containers. Boeing-NLT-concept.png
The Boeing New Light Twin (NLT) concept in 2011 was a small, seven-abreast twin-aisle adapted for low-profile LD3-45W containers.

In 2011, Boeing was conceptualising a New Light Twin (NLT), a twin-aisle smaller than the 767 with a seven-abreast (2-3-2) economy seating and small LD3-45W containers, as it can be seen in the illustrating picture. The NLT-300ER would have been 148 ft (45 m) long to accommodate 204 seats over 4,500 nmi (8,300 km), while the 208 in (5.3 m) longer NLT-400 would cover 3,100 nmi (5,700 km) with 241 passengers. Both would have been powered by 37,000 lbf (160 kN) engines with a 84 in (2.1 m) fan, and would had a 143 ft (44 m) wide, 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) wing designed for a Mach .8 cruise. [10]

Boeing 737 MAX

MAX 10 model at ILA Berlin Air Show 2018 Boeing 737 MAX 10 model ILA 2018.png
MAX 10 model at ILA Berlin Air Show 2018

After the 737 MAX launch in late 2011, Boeing confirmed to study a replacement for the long haul 757-200 market, potentially as a further derivative of the 737 Max, as the 757-200 production ceased in 2004 and is replaced on medium haul routes by the Airbus A321 or the 737-900ER. [11] In February 2014, as Airbus was going to overtake Boeing leadership for narrowbodies, especially as the A321neo was outselling the 737 MAX 9, Boeing was pressured to launch a 757 successor. [12] In November, Boeing denied working on a modification of the 737 MAX 9. [13] [14] A parallel development of a MoM aircraft along with the new small airplane (NSA) 737 replacement, similar to when the 757 and 767 were developed in the 1970s, was then under consideration. [15] Boeing finalised the 737 MAX 10 stretch design in early 2017. [16]

Airbus A321LR

The A321LR, a heavier A321neo, was first delivered to Arkia on 13 November 2018 4X-AGK Independence Day 09-05-2019b.jpg
The A321LR, a heavier A321neo, was first delivered to Arkia on 13 November 2018

In October 2014, Airbus started marketing a 164 seats, 97 t (214,000 lb) maximum takeoff weight variant with three auxiliary fuel tanks called the Airbus A321neoLR (Long Range) with 100 nm more operational range than the 169 seats Boeing 757-200W, 27% lower trip costs and 24% lower per seat costs; it would be scheduled for introduction in the second half of 2018, two years after the A321neo. [17] [18]

Airbus launched the A321LR on 13 January 2015 with Air Lease Corporation as the launch customer, hoping to sell 1,000 examples of the variant. [19] The initial layout of 164 seats (20 in business, 30 in premium economy and 114 in economy) is replaced by a 206-seat configuration (16 in business and 190 in economy) and range is 4,000 nmi (7,400 km), 500-nm farther than the regular 93.5t MTOW A321. [20] Boeing dismissed Airbus projections of demand for 1,000 aircraft and considers the niche between the 737 MAX 9 and the 787-8 too small for a direct replacement of the 757 but could launch a clean sheet MoM aircraft. [21] The A321neo is outselling the Boeing 4 to 1. [22] The A321LR is seen as a replacement for the 757 by long-time Boeing customers. [23]

On March 30, 2018, an A321LR test airframe carrying the equivalent of 178 passengers and crew completed a nonstop 4,750-nautical-mile (8,800 km) flight from the Seychelles to Toulouse in 11 hours. [24] [25]

Boeing 757 re-engining

One in 20 Boeing 757s is the -300 stretch Continental Airlines Boeing 757-300 Iwelumo.jpg
One in 20 Boeing 757s is the -300 stretch

In February 2014, Boeing marketing Vice President Randy Tinseth said the 737-900ER/MAX 9 covers 95% of the routes flown by a 757. [26] In February 2015, he stated that re-engining the 757 had been studied but there was no business case to support it. [27] It was in response to Air Lease Corporation's Steven Udvar-Hazy comments that Boeing could do it, but Jefferies Group analyst Howard Rubel noted that 15 percent of the 757 fleet, 150 aircraft, are parked and unused, and see no urgency to fill that market niche. [28]

Reengining and improving the wings of the existing 757 could be done. [29] While Boeing suggested that the 757 replacement market is very small, operators like La Compagnie disagreed. [30] Delta Air Lines is replacing theirs with Boeing 737-900ERs and A321s. [31] From 2015 onwards, Boeing continued to do studies for a clean sheet aircraft, namely the New Midsized plane, which would have greater range, capacity, and efficiency than the 757-200.

New midsize airplane

Boeing has been studying a New Midsize Airplane since 2015, when it determined that the market was large enough to launch a new design. Multiple airlines expressed interest in a composite, seven-abreast twin-aisle with an elliptical cross-section. It is slated as a 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) range 225 seater and a 4,500 nmi (8,300 km) 275 seater, as market forecasts varies between 2,000 and 4,000. Sold for $65m-$75m, it should generate 30% more revenue than narrowbodies and have 40% lower trip costs than replaced widebodies but would cost $12–15 billion to develop. A new 50,000 lbf (220 kN) turbofan could be proposed by GE Aviation/CFM International, Pratt & Whitney or Rolls-Royce plc with a bypass ratio of 10:1 or more and an overall pressure ratio over 50:1. Boeing had intended to decide in 2019 whether to offer the new aircraft for sale, leading to a launch decision in 2020 and entry into service around 2025.

After the grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing was reportedly cancelling the NMA indefinitely and scrapping the clean sheet idea to create new versions of the aging 757 and 767, tentatively called the "757-Plus and 767X." [32]

In February 2021, Boeing was reported to be revisiting the NMA to compete with the A321XLR as a 757-200/300 successor. Boeing intended to target production costs comparable to single-aisle aircraft by reutilizing existing structures, systems and engine technology. Development costs were expected to reach $2-3 billion a year, up to $25 billion in total, with a potential go-ahead in 2022 or 2023 leading to a possible late 2020s service entry. [33]

In June 2022, Boeing indicated that it would not pursue development of the NMA for "at least a couple of years", until significant progress has been made on the next generation of engines and until new digital development tools are sufficiently mature. [34]

Airbus A321 development

As Airbus does not believe small twin-aisle are worthy competitors in this market segment, as exemplified by the A310, it is studying a hypothetical A321neo-plus and A321neo-plus-plus with a new carbon fibre composite wing to counter Boeing for a $1–2 billion development cost against $15 billion for a new jet. [35] Such a plane would have a 105 t (231,000 lb) MTOW. [36] In April 2018, Airbus shelved studies on the A320/A321neo-plus, as they felt that increasing the rate of narrowbody production is problematic. [37]

In June 2018, Airbus was considering an extended range A321XLR to predate the Boeing NMA, with the same capacity and aerodynamic design but more fuel load. [38] It could be launched in 2019 for a 2021/2022 introduction and by July 2018, an extra 200-300 nmi range was secured with the help of a larger center fuel tank, lacking 200 nmi to achieve a 4,500 nmi (8,300 km) range. [39] Airbus could offer a stretched A322neo seating 264–270 in two classes with more range than the 757-300, perhaps with a new wing for a $2bn development cost. [40]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 767</span> Wide-body twin-engine jet airliner family

The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on July 30, 1982. The initial 767-200 variant entered service on September 8, 1982, with United Airlines, and the extended-range 767-200ER in 1984. It was stretched into the 767-300 in October 1986, followed by the extended-range 767-300ER in 1988, the most popular variant. The 767-300F, a production freighter version, debuted in October 1995. It was stretched again into the 767-400ER from September 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 777</span> Wide-body, long-range, twin-engine jet airliner family

The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. The jetliner was designed to bridge the gap between Boeing's other wide body airplanes, the twin-engined 767 and quad-engined 747, and to replace aging DC-10 and L-1011 trijets. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 program was launched in October 1990, with an order from United Airlines. The prototype was rolled out in April 1994, and first flew in June. The 777 entered service with the launch operator United Airlines in June 1995. Longer-range variants were launched in 2000, and first delivered in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 737</span> Single-aisle airliner family by Boeing

The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating but with two underwing Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engines. Envisioned in 1964, the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered service in February 1968 with Lufthansa. The lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968, and evolved through four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 757</span> Airliner family by Boeing

The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the trijet 727, received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its maiden flight on February 19, 1982, and it was FAA certified on December 21, 1982. Eastern Air Lines placed the initial 757-200 variant in commercial service on January 1, 1983. A package freighter (PF) variant entered service in September 1987 and a combi model in September 1988. The stretched 757-300 was launched in September 1996 and began service in March 1999. After 1,050 had been built for 54 customers, production ended in October 2004, while Boeing offered the largest 737 NG variants as a successor to the -200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A320 family</span> European airliner family

The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the family was followed by the stretched A321, the shorter A319, and the even shorter A318 . Final assembly takes place in Toulouse in France; Hamburg in Germany; Tianjin in China since 2009; and Mobile, Alabama in the United States since April 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A321</span> Airliner, stretched model of the A320 family

The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the baseline A320 and entered service in 1994, about six years after the original A320. The aircraft shares a common type rating with all other Airbus A320-family variants, allowing A320-family pilots to fly the aircraft without the need for further training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A330</span> Wide-body twin-engine jet airliner

The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid-1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along with their first orders in June 1987. The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992 and entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. The slightly shorter A330-200 variant followed in 1998 with Canada 3000 as the launch operator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A318</span> Airliner, part of the A320 family

The Airbus A318 is the smallest and least numerous variant airliner of the Airbus A320 family. The A318 carries 107 to 132 passengers and has a maximum range of 5,750 kilometres. Final assembly of the aircraft took place in Hamburg, Germany. It is intended primarily for short-range service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A350</span> Family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners

The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The initial A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the Airbus A330 with composite wings and new engines. Due to inadequate market support, Airbus switched in 2006 to a clean-sheet "XWB" design, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB high bypass turbofan engines. The prototype first flew on 14 June 2013 from Toulouse, France. Type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was obtained in September 2014, followed by certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) two months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Yellowstone Project</span> Boeing advanced technology project

The Boeing Yellowstone Project was a Boeing Commercial Airplanes project to replace its entire civil aircraft portfolio with advanced technology aircraft. New technologies to be introduced include composite aerostructures, more electrical systems, and more fuel-efficient turbofan engines. The term "Yellowstone" refers to the technologies, while "Y1" through "Y3" refer to the actual aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twinjet</span> Jet aircraft powered by two engines

A twinjet or twin-engine jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. A twinjet is able to fly well enough to land with a single working engine, making it safer than a single-engine aircraft in the event of failure of an engine. Fuel efficiency of a twinjet is better than that of aircraft with more engines. These considerations have led to the widespread use of aircraft of all types with twin engines, including airliners, fixed-wing military aircraft, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-body aircraft</span> Airliner with a single aisle

A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than 4 metres (13 ft) in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with multiple aisles and a fuselage diameter of more than 5 metres (16 ft), allowing at least seven-abreast seating and often more travel classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 737 Next Generation</span> Single-aisle airliner family by Boeing

The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it has been produced since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A321neo</span> 2010s narrow-body airliner by Airbus

The Airbus A321neo is a single-aisle airliner created by Airbus. The A321neo is developed from the Airbus A321 and Airbus A320neo family. It is the longest stretched fuselage of Airbus's A320 series, and the newest version of the A321, with the original A321ceo entering service in 1994 with Lufthansa. It typically seats 180 to 220 passengers in a two-class configuration, with up to 244 passengers in a high-density arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 737 MAX</span> Single-aisle airliner family by Boeing

The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and competes with the Airbus A320neo family. The series was announced in August 2011, first flown in January 2016, and certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2017. The first 737 MAX delivered to a customer was a MAX 8 to Malindo Air, which accepted and began operating the aircraft in May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A320neo family</span> Airliner family, series of improvements across the A320 family

The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family is based on the previous A319, A320, and A321, which was then retrospectively renamed the A320ceo family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Airlines fleet</span> Fleet of United Airlines

As of June 2024, the United Airlines fleet consists of 956 mainline aircraft, making it the third-largest commercial airline fleet in the world. United Airlines operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody and all Boeing widebody aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 777X</span> Next generation of the Boeing 777

The Boeing 777X is the latest series of the long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jetliners in the Boeing 777 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777X features new GE9X engines, new composite wings with folding wingtips, greater cabin width and seating capacity, and technologies from the Boeing 787. The 777X was launched in November 2013 with two variants: the 777-8 and the 777-9. The 777-8 provides seating for 384 passengers and has a range of 8,745 nautical miles [nmi] while the 777-9 has seating for 426 passengers and a range of over 7,285 nmi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbus A330neo</span> Wide-body jet airliner developed from Airbus A330

The Airbus A330neo is a wide-body airliner developed by Airbus from the original Airbus A330. A new version with modern engines comparable with those developed for the Boeing 787 was called for by operators of the A330ceo. It was launched on 14 July 2014 at the Farnborough Airshow, promising 14% better fuel economy per seat. It is exclusively powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 which has double the bypass ratio of its predecessor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing New Midsize Airplane</span> Proposed aircraft to fill the middle of the market segment

The New Midsize Airplane (NMA), or New Midsize Aircraft, is a concept airliner proposed by Boeing to fill the middle of the market segment.

References

  1. ↑ Debra Arkell (March 2003). "Moving toward the middle". Frontiers Magazine. Boeing.
  2. ↑ "737 MAX". Boeing.
  3. ↑ "787 Dreamliner". Boeing.
  4. ↑ "757 performance summary" (PDF). Boeing. 2007.
  5. ↑ "767 performance summary" (PDF). Boeing. 2006. Archived from the original on 2015-04-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ "Family figures" (PDF). Airbus. March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Boeing firms up 737 replacement studies by appointing team". Flight International. March 3, 2006.
  8. ↑ Wallace, James (February 20, 2008). "Push is on for a midrange Dreamliner". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  9. ↑ Ostrower, Jon (May 25, 2011). "Boeing rules out 757-sized replacement for new narrowbody". Flight International.
  10. 1 2 Jon Ostrower (Feb 18, 2020). "Decade-old Boeing concept may get new life in dogfight with A321XLR". The Air Current.
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  12. ↑ Steve Wilhelm (February 11, 2014). "Pressure grows on Boeing to launch 757 successor". Puget Sound Business Journal.
  13. ↑ "Exclusive: Boeing says it has no plans for long-range 737 MAX". Reuters . November 20, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Odds and Ends: No Boeing response to A321neoLR". Leeham News. 20 November 2014.
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  17. ↑ "Exclusive: Airbus launches "A321neoLR" long range to replace 757-200W". Leeham News. 21 October 2014.
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  19. ↑ "Airbus Launches Long-Range A321neo". Aviation International News. 13 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "Airbus Launches Long-Range A321neo Version". Aviation Week. January 13, 2015.
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  22. ↑ "Boeing's mystery plane is the big story coming out of the Paris Air Show". Business Insider. 18 June 2015.
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  32. ↑ "Planemakers slow plans for new jets as they focus on survival". Reuters. 2020-04-28.
  33. ↑ Guy Norris (4 February 2021). "Boeing Moves Forward With Airbus A321XLR-Competitor Plan". AW&ST.
  34. ↑ Johnsson, Julie (3 June 2022). "Boeing CEO sees at least 2-year wait on designing new jetliner". The Seattle Times. Bloomberg.
  35. ↑ Tim Hepher (May 9, 2017). "Airbus looks to upgrades to counter Boeing's new mid-market jet". Reuters.
  36. ↑ Jon Ostrower. "The story is missing some of the tech talk, but A321neo++ would have a 105t MTOW, up from the A321LR's 97t". twitter.
  37. ↑ Tim Hepher (April 10, 2018). "Airbus suspends A320 revamp study amid output problems". Reuters.
  38. ↑ Tim Hepher (June 18, 2018). "Exclusive: Airbus weighs new long-range A321 version in Boeing challenge". Reuters.
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  40. ↑ "Time for the A322?". Air & Cosmos International. 10 May 2019. p. 46.
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