Contrails

“What we’ve seen so far is very, very interesting to us,” Andrew Levy, United’s chief financial officer, said in an interview at ISTAT in San Diego in March reported by Bloomberg. “We certainly hope Boeing launches the airplane. We think there is a need for it.”

And the design appears to be very close to that outlined in Australian Aviation in 2015 with a twin-aisle design almost identical similar to the DC-11 of 1981 that Delta Air Lines wanted.

Last year Mike Delaney, VP and GM of airplane development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told Contrails that Boeing had input from 36 airlines and there was a consensus for an aircraft between 200 and 270 seats with a range of up to 5,000nm.

“The aircraft (797) will have a sixth generation composite wing, more electrical systems and advanced, high-bypass ratio engines,” Mr Delaney said.
And that engine is the pacing item say analysts.

“It needs to be a development of the Pratt & Witney’s GTF or a new engine from GE or Rolls,” the analysts told Contrails.

“To make the business case work the engine must deliver very significant fuel savings.”

The engine size needs to be between 40,000lbs and 45,000lb thrust and Boeing is seeking proposals from engine makers.

Consensus is that one will be the development of the GTF from Pratt and Whiney possibly in partnership with Rolls and GE will submit a design.
Mr Delaney says the targets is twin-aisle with single-aisle economics.

And because the engine is the pacing item the EIS is 2024/25 according to Boeing’s chairman, president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg who told Contrails last year that the company had not lost the right stuff but was sticking to mid-2020 timeline.

But while the EIS maybe 2024 the launch could be this year according to John Plueger, chief executive officer and co-founder of Air Lease Corp.
At ISTAT he said he “wouldn’t be surprised if there is a decision to offer by this year. That might be a bit early, a bit aggressive. But that would not surprise me.”

Many airlines had been leery of the twin-aisle design to do a single-aisle mission but United’s levy said the airline gets it.

“We’re convinced, we get it. We understand the economics. We thought a twin made no sense, but we walked through it and had our questions answered. From what we’ve seen, we like it. But it’s a paper airplane. Hopefully they’ll launch it.”

Of course what they get is that a twin-aisle 797 will dramatically ease major congestion that plagues US narrow body boarding times which can be 40 minutes and throw schedules into disarray.

From what we’ve seen, we like it. But it’s a paper airplane. Hopefully they’ll launch it.
Andrew Levy

Boeing has in mind two models of the 797 to replace both the 757 and the 767

“One will be bigger and fly not quite as far, one will be smaller and fly farther,” Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s VP Marketing told media at ISTAT.

“To some extent you address the single-aisle market, to some extent you address the wide-body market and to some extent you are stimulating growth where no one has been before. And that has been a fascinating part of the whole project.”

In fact Boeing may later launch a third version which would address the top end of the 737 market seating between 190 and 220 passengers.

However Airbus COO Customers says that any twin aisle offering from Boeing will never compete with a A321.

Speaking at ISTAT he told media that “aerodynamically and physically, the twin-aisle will have more weight and more drag.”

Not so said McDonnell Douglas in 1980 when it claimed that its all new DC-11 (Advanced Twin Medium Range) would have a fuel burn 24 per cent lower than the 757.

The DC-11 cross-section was just 55cm wider than a 757 and 49cm narrower than the 767.

These cabin dimensions allowed for 17.7in (45cm)-wide seats and an 18in (46cm) aisle.

With the world moving on since 1980 any new twin-aisle design would certainly be wider again to permit a 18.5in (47cm)-wide seat and an 18in aisle.

Boeing also toyed with the twin-aisle concept with its 7J7 and a full cabin mock-up was shown at the 1987 Paris Airshow.

It took the twin-aisle concept further with a 4.8m cabin width that would permit 2-3-2 seating, 17in (43cm)‑wide seats and 18in (46cm) aisles in economy.

The 797 will go way beyond the aerodynamic technology of A321 with an all composite wing and possibly fuselage and an all new engine.