Why Did Boeing Never Update The 757?

Summary The Boeing 757, designed for hub-and-spoke travel, is now used for point-to-point long and thin routes. Boeing's decision to halt the production of the 757 means there's no new variant ready to serve the middle market segment and long-and-thin routes. Restarting production to bring an updated 757 to market would be a monumental challenge for the manufacturer.

Back in 1978, Boeing, the US aerospace powerhouse, received its first order for the Boeing 757 . Originally designed to bridge the gap between routes requiring more seats than the smaller Boeing 737 could offer, the 757, capable of carrying between 200 and 290 passengers, has evolved to take on a wide range of roles. The Boeing 757 was the ultimate Swiss Army knife of an aircraft — versatile enough to handle both short and long-haul flights and perfectly suited for serving smaller markets profitably.

So why did Boeing decide to stop its production? And with the Airbus A321XLR set to make waves in the coming years, why didn't Boeing give the 757 the same updates it did with other successful models such as the 737 and 777? Too little too soon Today, the Boeing 757 is a key player on long and narrow routes like Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Porto, Portugal’s Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport (OPO). Despite its significance in many airlines' fleets, the fact that Boeing stopped production in 2005 means that some of these jets still in operation are getting quite old. The middle market segment and thos.