Boeing expects 737 MAX 7 and 10 certification by the end of the year, says CEO
After years of successive crises, Boeing seems to have entered a phase of achievements. The US aerospace giant has won new and important contracts such as the Air Force’s 6th generation F-47 fighter, and is even seeing progress on the new Air Force One.
But it is in the commercial division that things finally seem to be getting better. Back to a monthly rate of 38 737 MAX aircraft in production, Boeing is also progressing in the certification of the widebody 777X, which should be approved by the end of this year.
That is when Kelly Ortberg, the company’s CEO since last August, expects two other long-awaited commercial aircraft to receive their type certifications.
In an interview with Aviation Week, the former Rockwell Collins chief said he believes the 737 MAX 7 and 737 MAX 10 will be cleared for deliveries in 2025. “So we can start deliveries of the -7 and the -10, two airplanes that are very, very important to our customers and our backlog,” he said.
The three airplanes, which have been delayed for years, have accumulated a large number of orders. The smaller 737-7 has 332 orders, while the 737-10, with capacity for up to 230 seats, has sold almost 1,200 airplanes.
The 777X has 419 orders, not counting some recent contracts such as the one signed recently with Qatar Airways.
Because of the huge pent-up demand, Ortberg sees no rush to pursue a new generation of narrow-body aircraft.
When asked about the freeze on the X-66 project, an aircraft that would test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept, he considered that the joint project with NASA could lead to investing resources “on a prototype airplane that’s not getting us what we need in terms of technology development.”
The chief executive, instead, is betting on upgrading existing aircraft, such as installing new engines and new capabilities.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
