The Boeing Co.’s CEO made his strongest remarks to date Thursday on the company’s plans for the 737.
“We’re going to do a new airplane,” said Jim McNerney, Boeing’s chief executive, at a conference that was Web cast Thursday. “We’re going to move to an all-new airplane toward the end of the decade.”
Boeing’s competitor, Airbus, has announced it is going forward with a re-engining of its single-aisle competitor, the A320. Chicago-based Boeing has previously indicated it favors a new airplane over a re-engined 737.
McNerney said he believes Airbus’ A320 New Engine Option is aimed more at satisfying Airbus’ existing customers.
“I feel pretty comfortable that we can defend our customer base,” he said.
As the 737 replacement, McNerney said: “we’ll do a new airplane that will go beyond the capability of the (A320) NEO.”
Despite McNerney’s statements, the company isn’t ready to announce a new plane just yet. The company is still evaluating its single-aisle options but will have more clarity by mid-year.
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