Boeing is “assessing the market viability of the 787-3” after the only remaining customer for the type, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), converted its order for 28 of the planned high-density, short-range version of the
787 Dreamliner to an order for the same number of 787-8s. “Simply put, getting aircraft into their hands for earlier delivery was a better solution for them,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth wrote in his blog on January 8.
The glaring question about whether Boeing intends to pursue certification of the type must go unanswered for the time being, however, as the company refuses further comment on subject. But with no further orders on the books for the 787-3, it stands to reason that Boeing won’t commit a disproportionate level of resources to its development, given the apparent lack of interest for the model outside Japan.
