"Boeing may axe sonic cruiser"

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Boeing may axe sonic cruiser
By David Gow
United Kingdom - The Guardian


Boeing, the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer, is considering taking the
axe to its planned ultra-high-speed "sonic cruiser" which was supposed to
herald a new era in airline travel.

The US aerospace company could opt instead to build a more conventional
version of the planned 250-seater that promised to cut an hour off the
flying time between London and New York and five hours between Sydney and
London.

Toby Bright, executive vice-president for Boeing commercial airplane sales,
said yesterday: "We won't do this airplane unless its makes sense to us and
the customers."

Boeing has been in talks with about a dozen airlines, including British
Airways and Virgin Atlantic, about the optimal design and speed of the sonic
cruiser which was originally planned as a stark alternative to Airbus's
superjumbo, the A380, planned to have up to 600 seats.

The sonic cruiser was initially conceived as a jet airliner that would fly
at 0.98 mach or just below the speed of sound and, unlike the A380 that
would fly - in Boeing's eyes - from crowded hub to congested hub, swiftly
carry business passengers from regional airport to regional airport.

Mr Bright indicated that airlines were at cross-purposes over the new
sub-sonic plane's design, capacity and speed, however. "We are hearing from
our customers different demands: there's not a consensus yet," he said in
London.

It is understood that the airlines, which also include JAL and several big
US carriers, are far apart on the issue of speed, with some preferring a
slower version - of 0.85 mach or the speed of conventional 747 jumbos -
because of fuel-consumption and environmental concerns.

Mr Bright told reporters: "We are always working on other products and the
sonic cruiser is looking at an array of possibilities I would not rule out
how difficult this airplane could be."

Phil Condit, Boeing's chief executive, recently indicated that Boeing would
take a final decision on the plane's future by the end of 2003, with a view
to it entering service in 2008. That would be two years after the A380 which
has so far secured 87 orders.

But Mr Bright refused to say when such a decision would be made nor when the
sonic cruiser might start flying commercially other than to say: "We are
still trying to hit delivery in 2007-08." His boss, Alan Mulally, has
pointed to the end of the decade.

The senior Boeing executive said: "Since we introduced the concept of the
sonic cruiser the airline industry has had its worst downturn in the history
of aviation."

Boeing expects to deliver just 275 planes next year, compared with 380 this
year and 527 in 2000 but Mr Bright pointed to an upturn in production levels
in 2004. So far this year Boeing has won 135 new orders, including 100 from
Ryanair and 25 from a US low-cost carrier. Mr Bright hopes to pick up a
further 100 orders from EasyJet for its single-aisle 737 jet next month.

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