Boeing studies 'mild to wild' design for pivotal mid-market jet

Boeing has looked at options "from mild to wild" for the design of a proposed mid-market jet, a senior executive said, hinting at a breakthrough that industry sources say will create building blocks for future models. Marketing VP Randy Tinseth said Boeing would leapfrog reported plans by Airbus to update its hot-selling A321neo, as Boeing eyes a gap between narrow-body jets and long-haul aircraft for a potential new mid-market airplane. "We have looked at the mild and we have looked at the wild and I can tell you we know that if you are going to address that market, you need a new airplane," Tinseth said. Industry sources have said the mid-market development is pivotal for Boeing since it will spawn the industrial jigsaw, systems and cockpits likely to be used for the next plane after that, a three-aircraft replacement of Boeing's 737 cash cow. Getting the "production system" right now would partially allow Boeing to develop the next jet, which is expected to revolve around a model carrying 180 passengers, as an industrial spin-off of the mid-market one, albeit with major differences. This would result in significant cost savings and avoid repeating a patchwork of different production architectures.<br/>