Would Be Sized Between The 737 And The Smallest Variant Of The Dreamliner

Boeing is seriously considering a new, mid-sized entry in the airliner market to be designated the "797".

That was the assessment of Steven Udvar-Hazy at the recent International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) conference. "Call it a 797. That's what it's going to be," Udvar-Hazy said, according to a report from The Seattle Times.

Boeing first broached the idea of a new airliner targeted at the middle of the market at the Paris Air Show in 2015. Now, analysts believe the planemaker could announce the 797 as early as next year.

Airline executives familiar with the concept say that the 797 would carry more than 200 passengers and have a range of about 5,200 miles. During a panel discussion,  John Kirby, vice president of capacity planning at Alaska Airlines said the carrier would potentially be interested in such a plane, and Daniel Pietrzak, managing director of fleet transactions at Delta Air Lines, said it would be a great fit for transAtlantic routes.

John Plueger, chief executive of Air Lease Corp., said that the 797 could lead to the next phase of growth for low-cost carriers. "I get the sense within Boeing Commercial that they want to launch," Plueger said.

Udvar-Hazy said that if Boeing does launch a 797, Airbus is likely to respond with modifications to its A321, or make a lighter version of the A330.

It is not known whether Boeing would build the 797 in the Puget Sound region, or in a right-to-work state like South Carolina.

FMI: www.boeing.com