Boeing targets 2025 for new jet but won't rush decision

The head of Boeing jetliner sales said Wednesday he was confident a possible new mid-market jet with the potential to carve out new routes would be ready to enter service in 2025, but stressed the planemaker would not be rushed into a decision. Boeing is studying plans for what industry sources describe as a hybrid jet combining a wide cabin and a restricted cargo space, moulded to fly efficiently in a space between the industry’s single-aisle jets and wide-body long-haul aircraft. But it has been taking longer than expected to resolve questions about how to build the jet at a low enough cost to fit the market niche, prompting some suppliers to urge a decision soon to avoid slipping past a desired 2025 debut date. Ihssane Mounir, senior VP for commercial sales and marketing at Boeing, said Boeing would “protect” the targeted 2025 date for entry into service, which some analysts see as ideally suited to planned replacement cycles. He declined to say when Boeing could make a decision on the possible twin-aisle plane, which has been the source of speculation among airlines and investors for around two years.<br/>