Boeing is moving forward with the evaluation of the production plan and business case for what will be called the 797 - a plane all passengers will love. Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President Marketing Randy Tinseth told AirlineRatings.com that the interest in what Boeing calls the New Midsize Airplane (797) is "very high." Mr. Tinseth says Boeing "is working toward a decision on the NMA (797) within the next year." However, some speculate that the launch could come later this year. Industry speculation has the 797 with economy seating of just 2-3-2 with huge overhead luggage bins. The economy seat squeeze will finally be over! Airline CEOs and presidents around the world have expressed huge interest in the 797. Boeing is talking to 50 airlines to define the final configuration of the 797. Mr. Tinseth said the aircraft will not push boundaries but rather pull the very best of the 787 and 777X into an aircraft optimized for the 10 hour flight time. Mr. Tinseth said that Boeing believes that the market size for the 797 is between 4000 and 5000 aircraft over 20 years. He added that Boeing is engaged with all three major engine makers to power the 797 and the entry into service would be around 2025. WATCH: Slipping into LAX on a Boeing 777 at sunrise The 797 will be a made of composite material like the 787 and it will be able to economically connect hundreds of new non-stop routes between smaller cities. Read: Boeing's exciting crystal ball Earlier this year Boeing moved one of its top engineers Terry Beezhold, to the program signaling that it is very serious about the aircraft. Mr. Beezhold has had lead roles in the 787 and was project engineer on the ultra-long-range 777X, which will fly next year. The Boeing 797 will seat between 220 and 270 passengers and fly for about 10 to 11 hours only. But the concept is not new. Both Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) tried to interest airlines in the concept in the 1980s but couldn’t get enough takers at the time.

Fast forward to today and airline interest is sky-high as passenger complaints soar over cramped seating. Making the twin-engine 797 so special is the fact it is designed from the outset to serve medium-haul routes of up to 9,300kms and will cut fuel costs by 25 to 30 percent compared to the 787- itself the world leader in fuel economy. Boeing says that there are 30,000 city pairs that are not connected and could be served economically with the 797.

The challenge for airlines today is that Boeing offers the 180-230 seat 737 that can only fly economically for about six hours while the next smallest plane in the Boeing range is the 250-350 seat 787 which has been designed for much longer distances and thus carries a great deal of extra structural weight to carry the fuel required. There is a similar – although smaller – gap in the Airbus range of planes. The 797 will fit neatly in between and give airlines great opportunities to open new routes. For the passenger, the 797 will be a giant step forward in comfort with a 2-3-2 configuration in economy, 1-2-2 in premium economy and 1-1-1 in business class.

Boeing is well advanced in closing the business case and has discussed the aircraft with 57 airlines and the reaction has been enthusiastic. Boeing hopes to have first flight and certification in 2024 with delivery to airlines early in 2025. The 797 will have unique oval-shaped fuselage – only possible with composite structure - and will be something like a 767 above the floor and a 737 below. The company is willing to compromise on cargo space to reduce the profile, and thus drag,  of the aircraft. It reasons correctly that cargo is not as big of a consideration on the largely secondary routes it will operate.