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I realize it might not be fair to ask right at this moment, but: How come Boeing hasn't produced a clean-sheet-design replacement for the 737, despite its extr

I realize it might not be fair to ask right at this moment, but: How come Boeing hasn't produced a clean-sheet-design replacement for the 737, despite its extreme age? I mean, since its design, the 747, 757 and 767 have come and gone, variants and all, no production continuing. Why the endless adaptations of this old thing: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Boeing_737-130%2C_Lufthansa_AN2056613.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Boeing_7... ?

coredog64 3y ago
Because Southwest Airlines won’t let them.
Havoc 3y ago
>clean-sheet-design Won't help if there are issues at each step. Design, manufacturing, certification, pilot training, "self-certification" etc. Even if they start from scratch - until they fix their corporate culture the outcomes will stay the same.
- einpoklum 3y ago
  It seems that many of the issues - certainly the MCAS thing - stem from the desire to hold on to it still being a 737. Point taken about the corporate culture though.
Macha 3y ago
1. Volume. They've sold so many 737s they're scared to upset the market. 747s 2. Target market. There are airlines like Southwest and Ryanair who use a lot of 737s and have optimised their routines around very specific aircraft, so want as little change as possible. In comparison the bigger aircraft are used more by the legacy carriers and flag carriers, who are more used to operating a mixed fleet and more willing to try something new.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
tavavex 3y ago
1. The 737 is so ubiquitous that they didn't want to create something new. They wanted old 737 pilots to be almost automatically certified to fly their new aircraft, and they wanted all the 737-oriented equipment to keep working. So, instead of making a new design, they opted for the easier, cheaper and faster "lipstick on a pig" approach. 2. It was the quicker option. The A320neo was a real gut punch to Boeing, and the execs wanted their response out, fast. Reusing the existing design was a faster and cheaper approach for them.

coredog64 3y ago

Because Southwest Airlines won’t let them.

Havoc 3y ago

>clean-sheet-design Won't help if there are issues at each step. Design, manufacturing, certification, pilot training, "self-certification" etc. Even if they start from scratch - until they fix their corporate culture the outcomes will stay the same.

einpoklum 3y ago
It seems that many of the issues - certainly the MCAS thing - stem from the desire to hold on to it still being a 737. Point taken about the corporate culture though.

Macha 3y ago

1. Volume. They've sold so many 737s they're scared to upset the market. 747s 2. Target market. There are airlines like Southwest and Ryanair who use a lot of 737s and have optimised their routines around very specific aircraft, so want as little change as possible. In comparison the bigger aircraft are used more by the legacy carriers and flag carriers, who are more used to operating a mixed fleet and more willing to try something new.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

tavavex 3y ago

1. The 737 is so ubiquitous that they didn't want to create something new. They wanted old 737 pilots to be almost automatically certified to fly their new aircraft, and they wanted all the 737-oriented equipment to keep working. So, instead of making a new design, they opted for the easier, cheaper and faster "lipstick on a pig" approach. 2. It was the quicker option. The A320neo was a real gut punch to Boeing, and the execs wanted their response out, fast. Reusing the existing design was a faster and cheaper approach for them.