Boeing weighs urgent plans to double 767 production in Everett for a big buyer

[Super 80]

Looks like United is kicking the tires on the A330 again.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/10/19/boeing-767-production-increase-everett-united.html

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Boeing is urgently weighing plans to double 767 production in Everett, the Puget Sound Business Journal has learned.

The Chicago-based jetmaker (NYSE: BA) is asking its employees and suppliers whether they can deliver on the rate increase to win a big aircraft order, according to a Boeing document and three industry sources who requested anonymity to protect business relationships.

Boeing has not made a passenger version of its 767 for years. The production increase would offer a steady stream of new work to suppliers in the Puget Sound region.

Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman declined to comment.

The moves come amid rumors Boeing has secured or is close to securing a huge order for 767s from a major airline, possibly United Continental (NYSE: UAL). Between 50 and 100 jets are potentially involved, sources said.

United Continental spokeswoman Andrea Hiller had no immediate comment Thursday.

Chicago-based United's airplane fleet includes 51 Boeing 767s, including 16 that are 25 years old, according to Planespotters.net. United also operates 77 Boeing 757 jets with an average age of 19 to 20 years old.

There have also been rumors of a sale of 100 Boeing 767 freighters to Amazon's growing Prime Air cargo fleet.

Boeing currently sells only 767 freighters and militarized 767 jets that are modified into KC-46 aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force and American allies.

Boeing officials in recent weeks launched an "urgent" effort to determine whether the company can deliver on a pledge to incrementally double 767 airplane production rate to four jets a month by January 2021, according to a Boeing document viewed by the Business Journal.

The 767 rate increases under study are as follows, according to the Boeing document:

• From two jets a month to three per month by January 2020;
• From three per month to three-and-a-half per month later in 2020;
• From three-and-a-half per month to four per month by January 2021;
• After that, Boeing's tentative plans call for a rate reduction to three per month by January 2025 and to two per month by June 2025.

Boeing's strategy is to give United new widebodies fast at attractive prices to modernize its aging fleet until Boeing's more advanced mid-sized 797 is available, the sources said. That could prevent an airline like United from buying airplanes from rival Airbus.

The 767 might even be modernized with composite wings and new engines to improve fuel efficiency and lower operating costs, the sources said.

When the 797 is available, United could easily sell its 767s to be converted into freighter jets, for which the market is robust.

 

 

[moeman]

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Boeing's strategy is to give United new widebodies fast at attractive prices

Oh, the irony...

[rudder]

Kind of like selling 737's at attractive prices rather than actually designing and building a real next generation aircraft.

Everything in the next Boeing stable of aircraft should be reverse engineered from the 787 platform of technologies.

if Boeing wants to start reselling an old platform then start building a 757MAX.

[DEFCON]

"The 767 might even be modernized with composite wings and new engines to improve fuel efficiency and lower operating costs, the sources said."

Didn't they say this was a rush job?