The Boeing 797 – What We Know Already
Many of you might be wondering what’s next for Boeing regarding aircraft development. A lot of you might know that the 777X, a stretched and modernized version of the Boeing 777 will be introduced in 2020. The aircraft hasn’t “boomed” regarding orders as the 787 did, although that is to be expected due to the large size of it. I even saw (from a distance) the first 777X being built in the Boeing Everett Factory (read more about my experience here). I probably will eventually write about the 777X in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more information about that. However, first, I wanted to compile all that is known about the next task for Boeing: the 797. No, we don’t know many details about it (we don’t even know if it will 100% be called the 797), although we do know what it will probably look like, and what it will generally be like. Overall, in size (number of passengers) it will be somewhere in between the 737 MAX 10 and 787-8 (current planes that Boeing manufactures) and will be about the size of the 767 (a former plane the Boeing used to manufacture).
The Middle of the Market:
I’ll begin this article in the year 1982; the year that the Boeing 767 was introduced. In that year, United Airlines became the launch customer of the Boeing 767-200, which was a smaller widebody than the 747 or DC-10. The plane was initially used on mostly short-haul and some transatlantic flights. Later on, Boeing created the stretched Boeing 767-300 variant and then later on the even larger 767-400, which didn’t exactly take off. The plane, mainly the -300 option was a pretty big success on routes that didn’t have enough capacity for a 747 or even a 777, although needed a plane with greater range and size than the 737 or A320 series. Many airlines, especially American, Delta, and United, bought dozens of such aircraft.
However, over time, the 767s started showing their age, and many airlines have retired parts if not their entire 767 fleets. At the same time as the 767 was introduced, the 757 was also created, which has a slightly shorter range than the 767 and is a narrowbody jet, so it has fewer seats than the 767. The 757 also is used on transatlantic flights and doesn’t have a solid replacement yet.
A United Boeing 767-300ER
Since there aren’t any planes (except maybe the A321LR, which is being introduced soon) which have the range and capacity of the 767, this has left a gaping hole in the industry, especially with transatlantic and coast-to-coast flights. A plane with such a size of the 767 or 757 is known as a Middle of the Market aircraft. Regarding finding a replacement for the 767 or 757, Airbus has approached this by creating the Airbus A321LR, which has a range and size similar to the 757, and Boeing has started designing a new aircraft, dubbed the New Midsize Airplane or NMA, which will most likely be the Boeing 797.
The 797:
We know Boeing is highly likely to create a New Midsized Airplane (NMA), as they have hinted at it briefly in announcements. While it isn’t official, the plane is unofficially labeled as the 797. Boeing hasn’t officially announced any details yet, although there have been multiple leaks regarding the new aircraft, which I am listing below.
- The plane will be around the same size as the Boeing 767. This means that the aircraft will probably be a twin-aisle aircraft rather than a single-aisle aircraft like the 757. The plane is therefore highly likely to be in a 2-3-2 configuration.
- The plane will have a range of around 5,200 miles and will have a capacity of 220-270 passengers. In comparison, the 767 has a range of slightly less than 6,000 miles and has a capacity of 180-320 passengers, so the 797 will not be able to fly as long as the 767 but will have approximately the same amount of passengers.
- Airbus has been looking into creating an Airbus A321XLR, which will have a similar range as the 797, but will be based on the current Airbus A321LR, and will most likely have fewer seats than the 797 due to it being based on the A321.
- There will most likely be two variants of the aircraft, which have rumored to been called the Boeing 797-6X and the Boeing 797-7X. Also rumored is that the plane is set to be officially announced with more details at the 2019 Paris Air Show.
- Although it isn’t official, as of now, the aircraft is set to enter scheduled commercial service in the year 2025. So yeah, you probably won’t find yourself on a 797 for another seven years, so the 767 and 757 will both probably stay in service for a bit longer.
- There haven’t been many images of the 797 that have been released, although Boeing did release a comparison of the NMA (797) to its other aircraft at the 2017 Paris Air Show.
What Airlines Think of the 797:
Airlines that operate 767s currently will eventually need a replacement for the aircraft. The fact is that there is no immediate replacement for the aircraft available now. First, let’s start with Ryanair, which is pessimistic about the idea of a 767 replacement, the 797. Ryanair, the largest 737-800 operator for starters, thinks that the 797 isn’t cost effective enough for them. More specifically, the CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary stated that “We only want the most efficient aircraft” and that the 797 wouldn’t be good enough for them. What he means is that for the price that it would cost, the 797 wouldn’t be able to make enough money to cover the operating cost. This in a way makes sense because Ryanair operates mostly short-haul routes with high-density 737s, so to have a plane that is much larger and can fly longer on those short routes wouldn’t be fuel efficient and cost-effective.
Ryanair is the largest Boeing 737-800 operator
On the other end, Delta has already expressed interest in operating a Boeing 797 (again, I’m just calling that because it would be the most logical name for Boeing to choose). Delta’s CEO stated to Bloomberg, “You’re going to see [Delta] participate in Boeing’s middle-of-the-market campaign.” He also expressed interest in being the launch customer of the 797. Delta has the world’s largest fleet of 767s, so it makes a lot of sense to want a replacement for their aging aircraft.
Additionally, Emirates CEO Tim Clark stated to Aviation Week, “I told [Boeing] you have a winner here.” For Emirates to buy a smaller airplane than just A380s and 777s would make a lot of economic sense, as they could operate into smaller airports in cities that they can’t serve with their aircraft right now. Norwegian Air CEO Bjørn Kjos also told CNN that regarding the 797, “we want to be first in line.” Finally, it is also rumored that Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have expressed interest to Boeing in a possible Boeing 797.
I suspect that if the 797 is introduced, that it would be a massive hit with airlines. It will probably be prominent on transatlantic flights where 767s have been used for the past decades most, for both US Airlines such as Delta and United, but also for Norwegian. While no Japanese airlines have officially expressed interest yet, I do suspect that the airline would operate on intra-Japanese and Asia flights, as those routes often tend to be served by smaller widebodies, despite their short distance. Lastly, an illustration has been published of what the first leaked design of the 797 is:
Conclusion:
While no official announcements have been made yet, I do think that there have been enough rumors for me to (almost) safely say that there will be a Boeing 797. Even if not by the name of 797, Boeing will almost certainly create a new Middle of the Market/NMA aircraft. The demand for it is just too high, especially with the retirement of 767s. I know, I wrote an entire article about the possibility of the 797. But don’t think that next year you’ll be traveling on one, as the plane is at least seven years out with an estimated introduction date in 2025. Overall, I do think that the Boeing 797 (or whatever it will be called) will be built and that it will be profitable enough for the plane to become the medium haul backbone for many significant airlines’ fleet.
What do you think of the possibility of a Boeing 797?
