Quite possibly the last member of the best selling family of airliners in the history of the industry, the recently certified Boeing 737-900ER has at once filled a void in the 200-seat-class market left by the production retirement of the 757, presented Airbus with its first direct competition to the A321 and provided the platform on which CFM International launched its Tech Insertion upgrade for the CFM56-7 turbofan. Of course, the industry’s insatiable thirst for more capability and cost efficiency won’t allow the 737’s engineering team to reflect for long on their accomplishment, nor will the competition.
“We are going to continue to look at what the market wants,” Boeing 737 chief engineer John Hamilton told AIN during a pre-show briefing. “I think we’ve got a long road ahead on the 737. It’s selling quite well and we’re continuing to look at how we can invest in the airplane to provide features the airlines value…We’re constantly working with CFM, especially along the lines of fuel burn.”
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