Say It Ain't So, The queen of the sky dies?

The 747-8 days are numbered and is found wanting, for a place in the airshow line. The Airbus A-380 has become a stubborn step-child to the 747-8. It wants so bad to even have a hundred more sales as its backlog dips near 100 units before it will too have to move on. Emirates wants a do-over A-380 for its business case. Boeing is selling twin engine behemoths as Airbus dithers with its A-380 make-over. The 747 program has lost its premier standing with Boeing and it goes to the desert in southwestern US for its retirement.

Boeing is resting its case for the four engine Jumbo Jet. The 777-9X will have to do with seating over 400 passengers. The Airbus A350-1000 can't compete with the  9X's measurables. Airbus may sit on its A-380 laurels too long. Boeing is anxious to move on as it announces it will shift towards the twin engines exclusively. John Leahy from Airbus retires this fall as a job well done for its payroll. 

Airbus, John Leahy and the A-380

Photo credit Leeham News

Now who will take the sarcasm from Winging It? I do admire his biased ad nauseum for Airbus products. He could turn a good argument his way messing with data. His presence will be missed as Boeing's antagonist. 

The world market place will have choices to make when buying aircraft. Boeing has been working during the last 20 years for making a family case. Like any good mentor it has sloughed off a 757, reached for the moon with the 787, and reinvented the 777. No one path was chosen for  its Renaissance. The 737 remake and 777X merging with 787 sensibility only lacks a New Medium Aircraft (NMA 797). 

Boeing is working on that family member with something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue. The enigma for a NMA makes blogging enjoyable. An oval profile is built with the passenger in mind and will it not be a Swiss Army Knife concept that will carry 500 people and 500 tons of freight at the same. It is being built for passenger space, range and efficiency and bulky freight can take a hike via other Boeing aircraft. A gamble indeed as aircraft have been ruling with multi functionality for the last decades. The 797 has one job to make copious amounts of money for Boeing and its customers. Its a family thing.