CRYSTAL CITY, VIRGINIA, July 21 (DC Times Online) — Boeing says it has started early work on a possible new airplane, but CEO Kelly Ortberg says the company is not ready to launch it yet.
In simple terms, Boeing is still in the planning stage. Ortberg said the company is spending “time and money” on preparation, but it does not have “a firm configuration” for the jet and is still “evaluating trade studies,” meaning it is comparing different design options.
Why Boeing is waiting
Ortberg said Boeing’s first job is to fix the problems around its current business. He said the company needs to improve its finances, develop the technology it needs, and keep moving airplanes that are already sold but not yet delivered.
“Orders are not our challenge,” Ortberg said. “Our challenge is getting these orders delivered.”
That matters because an aircraft backlog is the list of planes a manufacturer has sold but has not yet delivered. For airlines, long waits can affect fleet plans, route growth, and the pace at which older planes are replaced. For Boeing, a large backlog means the company’s near-term focus stays on production, certification, and delivery, not on starting a fresh aircraft program.
Ortberg said Boeing’s financial readiness for a new jet will take “another couple years.” He also said airline customers want Boeing to keep improving production and reliability across its current lineup before it moves on to a new airplane.
What Boeing is working on now
Ortberg said Boeing has been through a series of design reviews for the next commercial airplane, but it has not published a schedule.
At the same time, Boeing still has major work in front of it on existing programs. In an interview with Aviation Week, Ortberg said Boeing is focused on getting the 737 MAX variants through certification, bringing the 777-9 into service, and continuing research for a future airplane.
Boeing also said in an investor relations release that the 777X program’s first delivery is now expected in 2026. In the same release, the company said it plans to complete production of the 767 Freighter in 2027.
Those programs matter because they draw on the same engineering, manufacturing, and supplier resources Boeing would need for any new commercial jet.
How this affects Boeing’s next jet
A new airplane is not the same as a new version of an old one. It is a major project that usually requires years of design work, testing, supply-chain planning, and certification before the first customer delivery.
Ortberg’s message was that Boeing is not ready to take that step yet. The company is doing the early work now, but it is trying to finish the airplanes already in the pipeline first.
He also said Boeing is adding spending and staff on the next Air Force One aircraft, known as VC-25B, to help keep that program on schedule for delivery in 2028.
Taken together, Ortberg’s comments show a company that sees a future new aircraft as necessary, but not urgent. For now, Boeing is signaling that the best path to a next-generation jet runs through better production, stronger finances, and on-time delivery of the airplanes it already has promised.
