FWIW, according to Wikipedia Boeing had intended to design a new plane but were forced into re-engineing the 737 by market forces: > In 2006, Boeing started co

FWIW, according to Wikipedia Boeing had intended to design a new plane but were forced into re-engineing the 737 by market forces: > In 2006, Boeing started considering the replacement of the 737 with a "clean-sheet" design that could follow the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.[12] In June 2010, a decision on this replacement was postponed into 2011.[13] > On December 1, 2010, Boeing's competitor, Airbus, launched the Airbus A320neo family to improve fuel burn and operating efficiency with new engines: the CFM International LEAP and Pratt & Whitney PW1000G.[14] In February 2011, Boeing's CEO Jim McNerney maintained "We're going to do a new airplane."[15] At the March 2011 ISTAT conference, BCA President James Albaugh was not sure about a 737 re-engine, like Boeing CFO James A. Bell stated at the JP Morgan Aviation, Transportation and Defense conference the same month.[16] The A320neo gathered 667 commitments at the June 2011 Paris Air Show for a backlog of 1,029 units since its launch, setting an order record for a new commercial airliner.[17] > On July 20, 2011, American Airlines announced an order for 460 narrowbody jets including 130 A320ceos and 130 A320neos, and intended to order 100 re-engined 737s with CFM LEAPs, pending Boeing confirmation.[18] The order broke Boeing's monopoly with the airline and forced Boeing into a re-engined 737. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX#Background https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_MAX#Background