Towards the 797

While the industry wrestles with lingering economic uncertainty, Boeing forges ahead with new designs

There’s nothing like a good dose of GDP for breakfast. For the vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth, GDP is the fibre of his daily diet.

For some, dry economics first thing in the morning would likely cause indigestion. But for the Boeing sales and marketing force, GDP and economic growth are the foundations on which production and sales projections are built. It is those projections that cause aircraft manufacturers to open full throttle on production or, as was the case not so long ago, ease back on both assembly and workforce.