An Industry Disrupted

The 737 MAX forces Boeing and other manufacturers to rethink their future

When Boeing conceived of the 737 MAX, it returned once more to the already highly profitable 737 family airframe for one further generation, in order to fund not only its successor the FSA (a future shorthaul aircraft) but other future aircraft like the much-discussed NMA (a new midsize aircraft, replacing the 757 and 767).

With the MAX’s future under a dark cloud, the knock-on effects to the rest of Boeing’s current — and forthcoming — aircraft lines will be significant. The rest of the industry, as a result, will be impacted too. To understand why, let’s turn the clock back to the dawn of the new millennium.