Nearly 90 percent of the 507 airlines and air cargo operators surveyed confirmed their interest in buying a new middle-market jet. Most said they would want it before 2023.
“The findings from this survey suggest there is strong demand for a new Middle of the Market (MOM) airplane and that many airlines would like it earlier than the 2024-25 service entry date Boeing has talked about,” said Aviation Week editor-in-chief Joe Anselmo. “Sixty percent of respondents also favour a small wide body aircraft, so long as it is compatible with existing airport infrastructure.”
About half of respondents also said they would prefer an aircraft sized at 150-199 seats, with another 25 percent favouring 200 to 249 seats.
In terms of the range they would like to see in the aircraft, respondents were more divider. Twenty-three percent favoured 4,000-5,000 nm, 25 percent 3,000-4,000 nm and 24 percent 2,000-3,000 nm.
Other findings also saw that 69 percent preferred a composite carbon fibre fuselage over aluminium, while 74 percent wanted composite wings and empennage. There is a limit to how much they are willing to spend: 62 percent said they would not pay more than US$72 million for the jet, translating to a list price of US$140-150 million.
“A lot of the enthusiasm comes from people who really want a 757/767 replacement,” said Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia. “But we’ve looked at the issue closely and Boeing really can’t get this kind of thing to market much before 2025. It’s still worth doing, but some of this enthusiasm might diminish by then.”
Other survey results also concluded that 83 percent of the respondents said they would remain interested in a middle market aircraft if oil prices stayed below US$70 per barrel. Eighty percent also said having a dual-sourced engine with a power by the hour programme was very important or somewhat important.
