The CEO of Boeing, Jim McNerney, has given a rhetorical green light to replace the venerable 737, announcing the airframer intends to build a new aircraft to eclipse the re-engined Airbus A320neo, with a service entry around 2020. Speaking a conference in New York City, McNerney said: "We're gonna do a new airplane. We're not done evaluating this whole situation yet, but our current bias is to not re-engine, is to move to an all-new airplane at the end of the decade, or the beginning of the next decade". Boeing officially sought to temper his comments, saying a 737 replacement is "not a done deal" and is "still being evaluated". According to aviation experts, even though McNerney said entry into service could come earlier than 2020, the convergence of customer demand for a new aircraft, propulsion, systems and fuselage technology, as well as supply chain readiness, fits an end of the decade timeframe for 1st delivery.
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