Boeing 797 seen as likely fit amid speculation about an Airbus A390 superjumbo

The market's shift toward economical twinjets accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic led many airlines to retire large four-engine jets such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380. While demand for super-high-volume passenger jets may persist in certain regions or markets, industry attention appears focused on different types of aircraft development.

Boeing’s New Midsize Airplane (NMA), often referred to as the Boeing 797, is designed to bridge the gap between single-aisle and twin-aisle models like the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner. The proposed NMA would aim for improved fuel efficiency and range compared with current single-aisle jets while being smaller than traditional widebodies. Early concepts suggest a twin-aisle configuration with seating for up to 270 passengers and a range of about 6,000 nautical miles. Boeing has consulted extensively with airlines during its design process.

Demand in Asia-Pacific is expected to drive much of the future market expansion. Airbus projects that commercial aircraft services in this region will double in value by 2043 due to rising demand for new planes and sustained passenger traffic growth.

“The Asia-Pacific region will see the largest volume of growth and activity in terms of aftermarket services, with many opportunities for additional efficiency, simplification and responsible operations," said Cristina Aguilar Grieder, Senior Vice President Customer Services at Airbus. "Airbus will continue to play an important role in supporting airlines and the aviation industry at large in responding to those opportunities.”

Gulf carriers like Emirates remain notable outliers favoring large widebodies on high-density routes across multiple continents; however, most airlines have moved toward smaller twinjets such as Boeing’s upcoming NMA or current widebodies like the A350.

Innovation continues with concepts such as blended-wing designs exemplified by Airbus’ MAVERIC demonstrator project. The company believes such designs could achieve up to 20% fuel savings through improved aerodynamics while enhancing passenger comfort through larger cabins.

“Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products," said Jean-Brice Dumont, EVP Engineering at Airbus. "Although there is no specific time line for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.”

Boeing has also explored similar ideas through its X-48 blended-wing demonstrators developed alongside NASA since the mid-2000s. These tests have shown that non-traditional airframes can fly safely while potentially offering significant performance benefits over conventional designs.

JetZero’s upcoming Demonstrator project—developed with NASA support—is scheduled for its first flight in 2027 as further research into blended-wing bodies progresses.

In summary, while both hypothetical projects—the Boeing 797/NMA and Airbus A390—reflect ongoing debates about future needs in aviation design, current trends suggest stronger business cases exist today for midsize twinjets rather than very large capacity airliners.