Boeing CEO says new airplane will replace 737 by 2030

RENTON — Boeing CEO Jim McNerney says that the aerospace giant will replace the venerable 737 family with a completely new airplane by 2030, reports Reuters.

The airplane will have new engines and likely a composite airframe.

Boeing’s 737 and the competing Airbus A320 dominate short-haul fleets around the globe, but Boeing faces increasing pressure from Airbus and new airplane makers looking to increase their share of that market.

The Chicago-based airplane maker is considering simultaneously replacing both the 737 and the larger 757, writes aerospace analysts Scott Hamilton with Leeham Co.

He sees the 737 MAX as “falling further and further behind in market share as MAX 9 lags vis-à-vis the A321neo,” he recently wrote on Leeham Co.’s news blog.

Of course, plenty could change between now and whenever Boeing has to make a decision, and McNerney, 65, will likely be gone by then.

Remember the Sonic Cruiser?

Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.