Aircraft
Case for 737 Re-engining Will Weaken if Airframe Advances Accelerate
A decision to re-engine the Boeing 737
Although continuing strong demand for the Boeing 737 family has prompted the company to raise production rates from 31.5 to 35 per month, studies into re-engining continue. (Copyright Boeing)
Although continuing strong demand for the Boeing 737 family has prompted the company to raise production rates from 31.5 to 35 per month, studies into re-engining continue. (Copyright Boeing)

A decision to re-engine the Boeing 737 will hinge largely on the company's ability-or lack thereof-to introduce an all-new narrowbody by the end of this decade, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said last month. Although the company's customers, “on balance,” would rather see an all new-airplane than a re-engining, according to the Boeing chief executive, the case for retrofitting new engines on the current 737 strengthens if Boeing reaches the conclusion that it could not bring to market a markedly better airframe by early next decade.