Source: The Saturday Mercury, 31 March, 2001, p.15

Boeing stretches boundaries of travel

 


Seattle 
 
THE giant US aircraft maker 
Boeing yesterday said it was 
developing a new high-speed, 
long-range aircraft. 
 
The company said the 
plane "could change the way the 
world flies as dramatically as 
did the introduction of the jet 
age". 
 
Customers had made it 
"very clear that they would 
strongly value an airplane 
that can fly faster, higher and 
more quietly over very long 
ranges," said Boeing 
president Alan Mulally. 
 
The plane would fly at 
speeds of Mach .95 or faster 
(nearly the speed of sound), 
saving about an hour for every 
4825km travelled on Boeings 
present 747 jets. 
 
   The cruising altitude  
would be above 13,000 
metres and the range 
17,000km.  
 
   Boeings main rival, 
the European Airbus 
consortium, was already 
developing a larger but 
slower airliner.

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