The Boeing Co. board of directors announced formal approval Tuesday of the re-engined 737 airliner, to be called the 737-MAX, with nearly 500 commitments from airline customers to buy the more efficient aircraft.
The company didn’t disclose the names of the five airlines making the 496 commitments other than the previously announced commitment from American Airlines for 100 of the 737 New Engine Family aircraft.
Boeing said the majority of those commitments may be from foreign airlines.
Boeing is months behind rival Airbus in announcing a re-engined plane. Airbus has received more than 1,000 orders and commitments for its re-engined plane called the A320neo.
The company claims the new plane will be some 4 percent more fuel-efficient on a seat-mile basis than the A320neo. Comparing total operating costs, Boeing claims, the MAX enjoys a 7 percent advantage over the Neo.
The updated Boeing plane will feature new engines made by CFM and aerodynamics tweaked to cut drag and improve fuel mileage. The plane will feature noise-abating chevrons on the engine coverings similar to those on the 787 Dreamliner and a recontoured tail cone to improve air flow. The present tail cone is blunt. The new one will be more aerodynamically shaped.
Boeing is still deciding how big in diameter the new engine will be. The company now is looking at 66- and 68-inch diameter engines. Both engines are unlikely to require Boeing to lengthen the plane’s nose gear to keep the engine high enough off the runway, the company said in a morning news conference.
Airbus is using a larger diameter engine for its Neo. The A320 sits higher off the ground than the 737.
A larger diameter fan would provide better fuel economy, but would add more weight to the plane and require more modifications to the wings to support those engines. A larger fan also would create more drag. Boeing will decide on the engine diameter within the next few weeks, the company said.
The first of the new planes is expected to emerge from the factory for airline service in 2017. There’s no word yet where the plane will be built.
Boeing now builds the 737 in Renton. Renton is high on the list as a site for the new aircraft assembly, but Boeing is looking at other sites. The company will make a decision in six to eight months.
John Gillie: 253-597-8663 john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
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