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Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg told the Financial Times that his company will be ready to fund its first ‘clean sheet’ plane program in two decades by 2030. He expressed confidence that the final certification of the remaining 737 MAX variants and 777X widebody will bring the financial stability to launch its next all-new airliner design program.
Ortberg dropped this bombshell just one day before the Farnborough Airshow is set to kick off in the United Kingdom on July 20. However, Ortberg did temper his announcement about the future, saying that the company would focus on ensuring that the current aircraft lineup is all fully mature programs before investing in a new airframe.
Boeing Gets Back On Course
Boeing has been suffering financial losses and has been forced to sink massive amounts of resources into struggling programs for years. The Boeing 737 MAX program has been severely hindered since the crashes in late 2018 and early 2019 led to the longest fleet-wide grounding in history and the subsequent air door blowout in 2024. Similarly, the 777X was expected to debut in 2020, but first deliveries are still pending for 2027. All of that is expected to change over the coming year.
The new jet would replace the 737 MAX series, which currently holds the title of being both the fastest and best-selling aircraft in Boeing’s history. Current speculation is that the tentatively named 797 will likely not be a direct equivalent to the previously abandoned new mid-market aircraft that was envisioned as a complementary airframe to the 737 MAX. Rumors hold that the new plane will be a scalable single-aisle aircraft family with configurations for capacity from about 160 to 240 seats.
All four variants of the 737 MAX moving into full-rate production alongside the 777-9, Boeing’s research and development divisions will finally be free to move on. Ortberg gave this comment to the Financial Times, remarking on how certifying the current airframes will not only free up cash but also many other assets that can be reapplied to a new program:
“We’ve had a lot of resources applied to those programmes and finishing those up will allow us to transfer resources on to the new aeroplane development work.”
The Boeing 797: One Plane To Rule The Market
Boeing has a backlog of over 7,000 unfulfilled orders for the 737 MAX and just recently received authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to issue its own airworthiness certificates again. The FAA rescinded Boeing’s trust to issue airworthiness in 2019 following the fatal crashes of Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302. So, as the company moves on to designing its next major platform, Ortberg has promised that the current assembly lines will remain the primary focus to ensure that the jets flying now receive full OEM support.
Ortberg’s focus on improving quality control and company safety culture is responsible for not only regaining this authority but ramping production back up to over 40 deliveries per month from the low rate it was held at for years following the crash. This progress has been followed by the opening of a new ‘North Line’ at the Everett, Washington plant, expected to focus primarily on the 737 MAX 10 variant. The introduction of a single airframe that can be built to spec using modular sections would be a major evolution in manufacturing efficiency.
Boeing’s Next Clean Sheet: Evolving Airliner Architecture
The upcoming plane is expected to maximize the improvements on the factory floor that have been made over the past several years through the 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner, and 777X programs. The 797 series will theoretically cover the current lineup range, starting at the low end with the 737 MAX 8 and scaling up to cover the needs of operators who currently fly the 757 or even 767 twin-aisle.
The new plane will also offer a breakthrough for operators with legacy Boeing fleets as it significantly enhances fleet commonality, expands maintenance interchangeability, and aircrew interoperability. However, it will be difficult for Boeing to regain ground lost to Airbus since it failed to produce a successor to the 757, and many operators have introduced the Airbus A321neo or A321XLR as replacements to modernize their fleet.
Airbus is also making progress on its next new jetliner family and may be able to market it since it has not suffered the same setbacks as its American competitor. Airbus could likely bring its own next-gen to market before 2030. Yet, 2026 has seen Boeing make major improvements over past years in terms of sales and deliveries, but Ortberg declined to reveal any details about the company’s financial performance ahead of its upcoming earnings call.
Ortberg’s announcement has certainly set the stage for an interesting showcase at Farnborough and stoked great anticipation for the final certifications of the current jetliners. As the race is on to develop the next breakthrough in commercial aviation, the unveiling of Boeing’s future narrowbody will be eagerly awaited.
