7E7 by Boeing is moving gingerly ahead with its proposed 7E7, 21st century wide-bodied long haul twin, and expects to be in a position to ”Offer” to prospective airlines by the end of this year or early next. Assuming there is sufficient interest the formal go-ahead will be given in mid-2004 (Farnborough maybe?) with a service entry in 2008. The company proposes to reduce dramatically the time to move components to its yet to be defined final assembly plant by adopting air transportation as its primary method of parts delivery. Possible savings of 20% to 40% are anticipated compared to traditional shipping methods, with delivery times reduced to as little as one day. In June Boeing announced that the 7E7 will be the first large commercial jet to have a majority of its primary structure ” including the wing and fuselage ” made of composite materials which allows the company to build larger, more integrated assemblies coming from all over the world. In another move the company said that the aircraft will be pressurised to 6000” cabin pressure rather than the 8000” of current jets making the passenger environment much more comfortable.
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