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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 2/97 BOEING 737 ROLLS OUT by Norbert Burgner Faster, higher, further, more economical and a relatively cheaper purchase price: These were the demands that the airlines put on the successor of the first generation of the Boeing 737, with 3492 aircraft sold, the world's best selling jet airliner. On December 8, 1996, the new 737-700 was rolled out in Seattle. According to current forecasts, 69 percent of the market potential for the next 20 years, estimated to be 15900 airliners, will be in the single-aisle airliner category. The new Boeing 737 generation is to secure at least 25 percent of this potential, for which the Airbus models A319/320/321, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90, as well as, aircraft such as the Canadair Regional Jet or the Embraer 145 are also competing. Ron Woodard, President of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, has identified the model -800, with a capacity for 160 to 189 passengers the largest of the new variants, as the potential bestseller of the new airliner family and expects a 40 percent share of the sales for this version. The first 737-800 will be delivered to launch customer Hapag-Lloyd in the beginning of 1998. Woodard expects a 35 percent share for the medium size -700 (128 to 149 seats) and is forecasting 25 percent of the sales for the smallest version, the -600 (108 to 132 passengers). The customers expect a better performance from the new 737 generation, being able to operate the aircraft at a higher economical efficiency at the same time. Due to this fact, the purchase prices for the new models were kept on the level of their predecessors ($32 to 39 for the -600, $39 to 46 for the -700, and $48 to 54 for the -800). While the lower prices probably apply to the standard version, the higher prices are supposedly related to the high grossweight versions (HGW) which offer a higher range. New wings and engines are to give better performance data to the newest 737 versions. A higher fuel capacity (26136 liter) is the basis for a range that is up to 900 NM higher than the one of the preceding models, and also give the new airliners the capability to carry passengers farther than the competing airliners from Toulouse. In order to achieve the higher fuel capacity, the Boeing engineers designed the new 737 wing with a higher wing span and wing chord, such increasing the lift area of the wing. According to Boeing's Director Marketing, Randy Baseler, the aerodynamic efficiency of the new variants was improved by 16 percent, the new engines having their share in this achievement. The new CFM56-7 are generating ten percent more thrust (26400 lbs) at an eight percent lower specific fuel consumption, 15 percent less maintenance costs, and a 20 percent higher lifetime on the wing than the -3 engines of the preceding 737 generation. Looking at the direct operating costs and comparing the -700 with the Airbus A319, Randy Baseler sees a five percent advantage in trip costs and up to twelve percent better relative seat costs for the new Boeing. The sixth first flight of a Boeing 737 is scheduled for February of 1997. It will be the -700 variant which has the same fuselage as the -300; the -800, a stretched version (by 2,78 m) of the -400, is supposed to follow in July, and the first flight of the -600 (same fuselage as the -500) is planned for January of 1998. At that point at the latest, the new 737 generation is supposed to continue the story of success of the best-selling jet airliner. From page 12 of FLUG REVUE 2/97 See also our report on the advanced cockpit layout of the new-generation 737, complete with screen-sized photo. Just klick here. Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 2/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated January 10, 1997