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

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Boeing 797 seen as likely fit amid speculation about an Airbus A390 superjumbo
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Cristina Aguilar Grieder, Senior Vice President Customer Services at Airbus | LinkedIn

The global aviation industry is expected to see significant growth in the coming decades, with both passenger and freighter fleets projected to nearly double by 2044. According to Airbus' Global Market Forecast for 2025-2044, more than 34,000 narrowbody aircraft and nearly 10,000 widebody aircraft will be in service at major international destinations and high-density hubs. The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to experience particularly high growth.

Airbus forecasts that over the next 20 years, there will be a need for 43,420 new passenger and freighter aircraft to support rising demand and replace aging fleets. This trend underscores the role of air transport in the global economy, contributing directly to GDP and job creation. The industry focus remains on introducing more fuel-efficient aircraft to ensure sustainable growth.

Speculation continues around a possible “Airbus A390,” envisioned as a successor to the discontinued A380 superjumbo. Despite interest from some quarters—most notably Emirates—Airbus has not confirmed any plans for such an aircraft. Instead, Airbus has prioritized improving existing platforms like the A320 and A350 families. Emirates president Sir Tim Clark commented on his discussions with Airbus regarding a new superjumbo: “I still have a design in front of Airbus as to how they could build a new one which would be 25% cheaper to run, far more fuel-efficient than this one," Clark explained. "They said, ‘Well if you give us €20 billion, we’ll do it for you!’”

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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.

Organizations Included in this History
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