Aircraft
Boeing’s Vision Of NMA Starts To Sharpen
New midsize airplane would hold up to 270 passengers
BCA vice president and general manager of airplane development Mike Delaney
BCA vice president and general manager of airplane development Mike Delaney

Boeing’s work on what it calls the NMA, or New Midsize Airplane, has advanced over the past six months to the point where Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president and general manager of airplane development Mike Delaney characterized the prospects of a launch as a matter of “when” rather than “if.” Speaking with reporters just ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow, Delaney reported that Boeing has now talked to 36 potential customers about a market space that would require specifications that roughly fall within those of the 757 and the 767. Analysts now suggest a need for a target capacity of between 200 and 270 passengers and a range of between 4,800 and 5,000 nautical miles.