Jet Development
    Military Precursors | Comet + Tupolev | Boeing + Competitors | Short-to-Medium | B.747 | DC-10 + TriStar | Supersonic Pioneering | Concorde |
    Tu-144 | SST Ambitions | Airbus + Boeing | A380 | Dreamliner + A350 | Narrowbodies | Flying Wings | Studies + Ambitions | Data | Fleet



New Narrowbodies


The Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 series were the best-selling aircraft during decades. The Tupolev Tu-204, a twin-engined replacement of the Tu-154, had its maiden flight already in 1989, but it did not achieve a significant market share and in 2016 the production ended. An urgent task has become the replacement of all the current 737 and A320 series and also the last B.717s, the DC-9 successor, by derivatives with advanced technology, developed for the 787 and A350. With winglets, the 737 had started a new look. In 2015 the 200-seater B.737MAX was announced and the long-range A321neoLR, and in 2016 came the B.737MAX-10 for up to 230 pax. In 2018 the 10,000th B.737 was delivered. For Airbus, an additional production plant exists in Mobile, Alabama and in 2017 an A320neo was completed for the first time in Tianjin, China. Boeing recognized the competition. Instead of developing a new type, the 737-8MAX was upgraded, forced to the ground by the new MCAS software. With the crisis of 2020, a takeover became excluded.


Tupolev Tu-204 of KMV, Munich 1998 (WS)

Bombardier CSeries CS100 (Alexandre Gouger, via Wikimedia)

Bombardier’s CSeries with P&W engines is to be followed by the Russian Irkut MC-21 (MS-21) of UAC, considered being a successor of the Tu-204, also with P&W engines. Intended in versions between 150 and more than 200 seats, it was conceived as a competitor to the 737 and A320 series, initially intended for delivery in 2016, then delayed. The Chinese answer was the Comac C119, performing its first flight in 2017. All in all, neither Airbus nor Boeing considered the competitors being a threat for at least a decade. Examples of the past are the mistakes of Daimler-Benz on that sector. In 1992 it bought Fokker and in 1997 this Dutch pioneer of regional jets was closed down due to high losses. In 1996 Dornier was given away to Fairchild. Though its modern 728 regional jet had orders by Lufthansa, Fairchild collapsed, the program was taken over by Chinese investors D’ Long, and finally it was closed down in 2004. Airbus seemed not to be interested, perhaps for it held at that time a 10% share in Embraer.


Fairchild 728Jet, a Dornier development, anticipation (courtesy Fairchild)

Mitsubishi MRJ, anticipation in 2010 (courtesy Mitsubishi A.C.)

Traditional regional jets were the Canadair Regional jet or Bombardier CRJ series, flying first in 1991. With the Bombardier CSeries of 2012, the engines were relocated from the rear to an underwing position. Geared turbofan engine problems were reported. In 2017 CSALP was organized, 50.01% held by Airbus and it renamed the twinjet as the A220. Competitor Embraer relocated engines to an underwing position with the Embraer 170 of 2002, followed by the 175, 190 and 195 with all its variants, closing the gap to the Boeing 737. Other regional jets are the Tupolev and Antonov developments and the Chinese ARJ21 (the “Baby DC-9”). They were to be outdone by the SSJ100 and variants, the “Superjet” of traditional Russian fighter producer Sukhoi, with 2 turbofan engines in a modern under-wing pod installation. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet MRJ with P&W geared turbofan engines absolved its test flight in 2016, but delivery was delayed. For all the 80-160-seaters, just below the B.737 or A320 mainliner series, Boeing has predicted a market share of barely16% by the year 2020. After Airbus has taken control of Canada’s C-Series, Boeing took control of Brazil’s Embraer regional jet production and in 2019 Flight Intl (Jan01) has announced Boeing’s “80% stake in this joint venture” – named BB-C.


Antonov An-148, Rossiya, Munich 2011 (WS)

Tupolev Tu-334, Dec 2012 (Rulexip, via Wikimedia)

Sukhoi Superjet SSJ, Moskovia, Munich 2013 (WS)

Embraer 195, Lufthansa City Line, Munich 2013 (WS)