iscover
Could this be the last Boeing 70 7 ever built? It looks as if it will be due to Boeing's firm cancellation of the joint CFM/Boeing CFM56 re-engining program. Boeing failed to attract sufficient firm interest to make the retrofit program viable and so the test aircraft has been converted back to standard 707-300 Series configuration and is now for sale. Despite the failure of the 707-700 project much of the testing will be beneficial to the promising KC-135 CFM56 retrofit program which will use similar pylons and engine instruments to that of the 707-700. This latter project is under the management of the Boeing Military Airplane Company.
Newsdesk – Commercial
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Commercial
Stretched 748 Under Consideration:
British Aerospace are planning to stretch the successful 748 feeder liner to accept a 60-seat capacity. Standard 748 seats a maximum of 48 persons and has of late lost sales to the bigger F-27-500 and Dash 7. In addition to stretching the basic fuselage, BAe are also looking to replace the long-lived RR Darts with a new, more powerful powerplant, most probably the General Electric T64 which powers the Buffalo, G222 and CH-53 helicopter. This powerplant is capable of producing, in its various marks, from 3000shp to more than 4400shp and would give the revised 748 additional appeal to potential North American operators. BAe are establishing a requirement for this new 748 variant and will proceed only when airline interest is to a point where the project risk factor is minimal. How close a competitor a revised 60 seat 748 would be to the 80 seat BAe 146 is also another question that BAe need to sort out before committing themselves to the stretch program.
Traffic Up, Profits Down:
The Air Transport Association of America has reported that 31 7 million people travelled by air in the US in 1979. While this was an all-time record the effect of surging fuel prices nullified profits and stagnated true growth. Operating revenues were $27,200m while net profits were a mere $200m which represents a meagre return of 0. 8c in the dollar invested. Nett Figures for 1978 were $1,400m for six cents in the dollar. ATA stresses that net profits must return in order for US carriers to afford the four to five billion dollars worth of new aircraft required for purchase this decade to ensure long term airline efficiency.
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