Boeing steps up to Airbus challenge, introduces 737 MAX narrow body to answer Airbus introduction of A320neo

SEATTLE, 31 Aug. 2011. The Boeing Co. Commercial Airplanes segment in Seattle is launching a new-engine, fuel-efficient variant of the company's venerable 737 narrow-body passenger jet called the 737 MAX, in a direct response to the launch last December of the A320neo narrow-body jetliner by archrival Airbus in Toulouse, France. The A320neo stands for new engine option.The board of directors of Boeing (NYSE: BA) approved launch of the re-engined 737, which was announced Tuesday. The new 737s will have LEAP-1B engines from CFM International S.A. in Aérodrome de Villaroche, France -- a joint venture of General Electric in the U.S. and Snecma in France. The engines are to be optimized for the 737 MAX, Boeing officials say.The Airbus A320neo, meanwhile, will offer a choice of the CFM International LEAP-X or the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G PurePower engines. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and the Airbus A320neo both are twin-engine passenger jets. The newest Boeing 737 model is scheduled to enter service in 2017, and the Airbus A320neo is to enter service in 2015 or 2016.

Boeing officials claim that when compared to a fleet of 100 of today's most fuel-efficient airplanes, the 737 MAX will emit 277,000 fewer tons of carbon dioxide and save nearly 175 million pounds of fuel per year. Worldwide demand for single-aisle passenger jets over the next two decades will be 23,000 aircraft, worth about $2 trillion, Boeing officials predict.

Like its widebody big brother, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Boeing 737 Max has serrated edges called chevrons for the back of the engine nacelle and the engine exhaust nozzle to reduce jet blast noise by controlling the way the air mixes after passing through and around the engine.

The Boeing 737 MAX family will consist of three models -- the MAX 7, MAX 8, and MAX 9 -- that will have different lengths and different seating configurations. The new jets will feature the 737 Boeing Sky Interior with spacious cabin headroom, overhead bins that disappear into the ceiling yet carry more bags that previous interior configurations, and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting.

For more information contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes online at www.boeing.com/commercial.

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