Issue 365: Unstuck in the Middle

Boeing, Airbus and the battle for the middle of the market

With the launch of a half-dozen new and re-engined aircraft from Airbus and Boeing alone in the last 10 years, commercial aviation is preparing itself to transition into a period of incremental updates rather than big-bang unveilings and new models.

The last blast of novelty will be Boeing’s next aircraft, likely the 797 but still currently referred to as “NMA”, an acronym for which neither Boeing nor the wider aviation community has come to consistent agreement, but “new middle-market airplane” is the essence of the moniker.