Aircraft
Boeing Makes The Case For Its New Midsize Airplane
Consultations with 57 airlines convince airframer to pursue two-member family occupying a capacity range of 220 to 270 seats
Boeing Commercial Airplanes head of airplane development Mike Delaney
Boeing Commercial Airplanes head of airplane development Mike Delaney

Boeing’s proposed two-member new midsize airplane (NMA) family will do for the 220- to 270-seat market what the 787 Dreamliner line did for the segment it occupies—namely, open city pairs that would have proven unprofitable with a larger airplane or operationally infeasible with a smaller one, according to Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president and general manager of airplane development Mike Delaney. Speaking with reporters during a pre-Paris Airshow briefing in Seattle, Delaney noted that airlines have managed to open 140 new city pairs with the Dreamliner family because they offer seat costs comparable with a 777 at a much lower trip cost.