‘Not ready’: Boeing’s new CFO rules out any new single aisle aircraft
December 2, 2025
Rumours of a new single-aisle aircraft from Boeing to replace the almost 60-year-old airframe of the 737 surface from time to time, and did so again in October this year.
Boeing responded by saying the reporting was ‘misleading,’ with VP Darren Hulst telling the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading that a new plane is “some way off.”
Today, new CFO Jay Malave pushed back firmly against any assertion Boeing is working on a new narrowbody, telling the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation Conference that any such development is some way off.
“Three things that need to happen before you talk about a next-generation aircraft,” he said. “One, the market has to be ready. Two, the technology’s got to be ready. And three, the Boeing Company has to be ready.”
“We don’t believe any of those circumstances, those factors, have been met in any way,” Malave reinforced. “We’re a way off from that.”
Preparing for the future Boeing single aisle in other ways
Although Boeing’s new CFO effectively locked the door on the single aisle development that Kelly Ortberg slammed shut a month back, he was keen to reiterate that this does not mean Boeing’s not preparing for future aircraft.
Malave noted that Boeing works closely with suppliers and emerging technology companies, staying abreast of new developments and contemplating how they can be integrated in the future. Indeed, the company invests more than $3 billion a year in research and development to shape the future of the industry.
“You just don’t put your head in the sand and not invest in technology,” Malave said. “But that, in no way, means that we’re ready to embark any, in any way, on a new platform. That’s a ways out.”
Balancing R&D with new aircraft production
The presenter asked Malavé about the cash profile of launching a new aircraft programme, and how Boeing thinks about the balance between early R&D spending and later production investment.
Malavé replied that historically, a new aircraft absorbs most of its cash in the initial research and development phase. As the programme matures, spending shifts toward building and capitalising the first production and flight-test aircraft, and only after certification and deliveries begin does the company start to recover its investment.
“But again, let me just be clear,” Malave added, “that’s not something that we’re contemplating anytime soon.”
