Boeing is in the early stages of developing a replacement for the 737 MAX, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. It cites sources at the airplane manufacturer who say “early-stage” plans for a new narrow-body plane are in the works. CEO Kelly Ortberg is reported to have met with U.K.-based firm Rolls-Royce about a new engine, while a new flight deck is also being designed. The Journal reports the move is “a sign that the company is betting that a cutting-edge plane design could power its business for the next few decades.” It comes after a slew of high-profile incidents for the premier U.S. plane manufacturer. In January 2024, a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Ontario, California. Before that, in 2018 and 2019, a pair of similar incidents claimed the lives of 346 people. An internal Lion Air flight in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight between Ethiopia and Kenya both crashed due to the MAX’s internal flight control system, called MCAS. The incidents led to the entire MAX fleet being grounded, sparking concerns among travelers and investors alike about the model’s safety. A Boeing spokesperson told the Daily Beast the company remains “focused on our recovery plan, including delivering on our existing backlog of nearly 6,000 commercial airplanes” and certifying new models. “At the same time, as we have done over the decades, our team evaluates the market, advances key technologies, and improves our financial performance, so that we will be ready when the time is right to move forward with a new product,” the spokesperson added.
Read it at The Wall Street Journal
