Page 45 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 Online Magazine

FEATURE AVIATION

Boeing had showcased a full
cabin mock-up of its twin-aisle
7J7 concept at the 1987 Paris Air
Show. It was to have been built by
an international team comprising
of Japanese aerospace firms,
Short Brothers, SAAB Scania and
Australia’s Hawker de Havilland

Currently Airbus with its A321 and game whereas the twin aisle is all about detail of what the MOM will be.
A330neo dominate the 220 to 330 seat pricing power of what it is worth [to the In an interview with Aviation Week’s West
medium haul market, whereas the 787-8 is consumer].” Coast Editor Guy Norris prior to Farnborough
more a longer ranged machine. Aboulafia warns that the “problem and Asian Airlines & Aerospace at the air
Saj Ahmad, Chief Analyst at for a twin aisle is the brutal margins for show, he said that Boeing had received input
StrategicAero Research, tends to agree with manufacturing. But Boeing should build a from 36 airlines and found consensus that
Aboulafia and says “as long as Boeing dithers twin-aisle for that is where the growth is. And the need was for an aircraft between 200 and
on decision making, losing the market to the it should be 2-2-2 but wide enough for 2-3-2 270 seats with a range of up to 5,000 nm.
A321neo is not the least of their problems - but slightly narrower than a 767,” concludes According to Norris, Delaney said that
the bigger problem is not providing airlines Aboulafia. the “aircraft will have a sixth-generation
with a solution or an alternative.” Ahmed suggests that Boeing “will want composite wing, more electrical systems and
And what should that alternative be? to use its proprietary monolithic single piece advanced, high-bypass-ratio engines. It also
“That is a challenge,” says Ahmad. “The gap composite fuselage design as per the 787 for may feature an unusual elliptical fuselage
in the market that Boeing has identified the MOM.” cross section, optimized to provide twin-
is certainly one which can and should be Another cheaper and faster option, says aisle capacity with single-aisle economics.”
addressed.” Ahmed, is to revamp the 737 MAX 9’s centre “The MOM is starting to shape out to be in
“The LCCs of the world have pressures to fuselage and wing box and give it a 777X-style an area from where the 757 used to fly to where
turn around their 737s or A320s in as little as new composite wing, higher ground clearance the 767-200/300 flies,” Delaney told Norris.
15-20 minutes - after all, these operations only and add on the current LEAP-1A engine. “And But that is not right across the board with
make money when their plane is airborne, not there you have it - a credible machine, but one the airlines’ requirements.
while it’s at the gate. So once you get into the that again is a 757-style single aisle jet.” “You have three groups: those that want to
230+ passenger category, you’d really have One of the issues is that any MOM fly more people, those that want more range
to pull out all the stops to get passengers entrant may impact on the top end of the and the group that wants to fly more people
off, baggage unloaded, refuelled and filled 737MAX market. with more range. However, this airplane really
up with catering pretty darn fast,” he rightly “The 737MAX is seen as a 15-year wants to be transatlantic, so most of the
points out. program and any new MOM will certainly kill customers want [it] to fly 4,800-5,000 nm.
“To that end, it seems to me that the off interest in the 737 MAX 9 or the possible That’s significantly longer than the 757, but
MOM proposition will end up being a twin stretched 737 MAX 10.” the seat count wants to be between 200 and
aisle creature sporting a low density cabin of “That is the problem,” says Ahmed. 260 to 270 max. So it is a little bit bigger than
2-3-2 or a compressed LCC single class layout “Boeing is too stuck as to whether the answer a current single-aisle but not quite as big as a
of 2-4-2.” to MOM lies in an all new twin aisle machine 767-type aircraft,” Delaney said.
Aboulafia agrees with that view. “There or whether the 737MAX has the basis for one Clearly such an aircraft opens up a range
are potentially two markets though - single final major iteration to take on the A321neo.” of new route possibilities, Delany told media
aisle and twin aisle [260-270 seats]. It is a Away from the strategic question of what at Farnborough.
great opportunity but also a great challenge,” Boeing will do, Mike Delaney, vice president “Airline planners are thinking about their
says Aboulafia. and general manager of airplane development route structure and realising that they are
“Single aisle [solution] is a commodity at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, gives some going to have to completely rethink their
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