When General Electric’s then CEO Jack Welch decided it was time to shop for a new business aircraft in 1995, he knew he needed more of what every executive wants in a corporate airplane–space. The Gulfstream V, then under development, was expected to have the range, but on a 12-hr trip, the GE head thought the cabin was too claustrophobic. Since GE was already negotiating a deal for a number of Boeing 737s, Welch called his friend, Boeing chairman and CEO Phil Condit, and asked if he could deliver a 737 with more range. Condit asked Borge Boeskov, Boeing’s vice president of product strategy at that time, the same question. Boeskov said, “Yes.”
The obvious airframe choice was a member of Boeing’s Next Generation (NG) series, the 737-600. But while the -600’s cabin was right for the job, the aircraft still did not have enough range. Boeing then looked at the 737-700, but again, while the cabin offered the room business owners wanted, range was limited. By combining the 737-700 fuselage with the -800 wing and landing gear and extra fuel tanks, Boeing developed the combination that would become the BBJ, officially titled the Boeing 737-700 IGW (increased gross weight), offering a 6,200-nm range.
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