Cosmic Log

A Boeing worker pushes a cart through the 777 production line at the company’s Everett plant. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

EVERETT, Wash. – Boeing’s 20-year outlook for the airplane market is as sunny as ever, even though some analysts worry about a shift from more profitable wide-body jets to smaller, more economical single-aisle jets.

The way Boeing sees it, a steady rise in commercial air traffic and the start of a new replacement cycle in the 2021-2023 time frame will take care of any glut in the wide-body market. And between now and then, a hefty backlog of orders should bridge the gap, according to Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Tinseth accentuated the positive in Boeing’s latest Current Market Outlook, a 20-year forecast that was released today in connection with the Paris Air Show. He previewed the forecast for reporters earlier this month at Boeing’s Everett plant, on the condition that the information was held back until the show.

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An artist’s conception shows a 737 MAX 10 jet flying over Paris. (Boeing Illustration)

This week’s Paris Air Show started off with a zoom, in the form of Boeing’s launch of the 737 MAX 10 jet  — the longest version of its fuel-efficient single-aisle airplane family.

Today’s kickoff of the sales campaign was totally unsurprising, but the more than 240 orders announced at launch made for a “surprisingly strong showing” on its face, Leeham News and Comment’s Scott Hamilton reported.

He added that “the 240 orders were more than had been expected — and less than advertised.”

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Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 and 787-10 Dreamliner fly in formation for a teaser video. (Boeing via YouTube)

If you like airplanes, you’ll love Boeing’s teaser video for the Paris Air Show, which puts a 787-10 Dreamliner and a 737 MAX 9 jet through a series of moves worthy of a ballet.

The video preview has become a tradition for Boeing’s presence at the big show, which plays out next week. In the video, the planes take off at dizzyingly steep angles and fly in close formation with Pacific Northwest peaks serving as a backdrop.

Don’t expect those kinds of aerobatics in Paris – but do expect the 737 MAX 9, which made its first flight in April, to participate in a flying display. (Lockheed Martin’s controversial F-35 fighter jet will also take to the air.)

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