CRYSTAL CITY, VIRGINIA, July 21 (DC Times Online) — Boeing is beginning to think about its next new airplane, but CEO Kelly Ortberg says the company is not ready to launch it.
In remarks reported this week, Ortberg said Boeing has started early work on a possible new aircraft design and is spending “time and money” to prepare for it. But he said the company still does not have a fixed design, and it is not ready to move ahead.
The main reason is Boeing’s backlog: a huge pile of aircraft orders that still have to be built and delivered. Ortberg said Boeing has a backlog worth about half a trillion dollars. In his words, “Orders are not our challenge. Our challenge is getting these orders delivered.”
What a backlog means
A backlog is the list of planes customers have already ordered but have not yet received. For Boeing, that means airlines and other buyers are still waiting on aircraft they have paid for or committed to buy.
That matters for passengers, cargo carriers and Boeing’s own schedule. If the company is focused on catching up on deliveries, it has less room to start a brand-new airplane program right away.
Ortberg said Boeing is still “evaluating trade studies” and does not have “a firm configuration right now.” In plain English, that means the company is still comparing design choices and has not locked in what the next jet would look like.
What Boeing is doing first
Ortberg said Boeing wants to improve its finances, develop the needed technology and deliver aircraft that are already behind schedule before it starts a new airplane program in earnest. He said that financial readiness will take “another couple years.”
He also said customers want Boeing to focus first on reliability and production across its current lineup.
Boeing’s current priorities include getting the 737 MAX variants through certification work, bringing the 777-9 into service and continuing research on a future airplane, according to Ortberg’s comments in Aviation Week.
Boeing has also said in an investor press release that the first delivery of the 777X is now expected in 2026 and that it plans to finish producing the 767 Freighter in 2027.
Planned, in progress, and not yet ready
Boeing’s next-airplane effort appears to be in the planning stage, not the launch stage.
Here is the difference:
- Planned: Boeing is doing early design work, trade studies and internal reviews.
- In progress: The company is still working through current aircraft programs, including certification and production issues.
- Not yet ready: Boeing has not published a schedule for the next new commercial airplane and has not said it has a final design.
Ortberg said Boeing has already gone through a series of design reviews for the next commercial airplane, but the company is still waiting for the market, technology and financial pieces to line up. He said he would not set a date until those work streams are ready.
Why this matters for travelers and airlines
For airlines, a delayed new aircraft means less relief from older, less efficient planes. It can also keep delivery schedules tight if carriers are waiting for the next generation of jets.
For Boeing, the challenge is more basic: it has to fix production and reliability problems in its current planes before it can safely bet on the next one.
Ortberg’s message is that Boeing is thinking ahead, but its near-term job is still catching up.
