Originally Posted by
Hotel Kilo
You missed the relevant part here. You said that planes not in production. I cited the B-52 as an example. Delta is contracted with PW to upgrade the entire fleet of 757 engines. They wouldn't do that if they were not planning on keeping them around. Engineered composites for flight control surfaces are not that difficult as one for one replacements to their metal counterparts. The FAA has authorized replacements to airframe pieces parts before. Delta is bolting drag reducing strips on the 73 fleet as I type. It's not a Mt Everest.
none of those changes will meaningfully impact the economics picture for the airplane such that the 757 would have been a better choice to develop instead of the 737. They’re good moves for airlines when the capital cost is already accounted for, but not for Boeing the manufacturer to have pursued instead of something that is closer to competing in the market.
Due to the major slip of MAX 10 we are lookig at capacity issues in the NB fleet. We had big plans for that plane that are now on hold until at least 2030. Thats 6 years of lost capacity. Delta is looking at all options.
Yes, the 757 will stick around. That doesn’t mean discontinuing it was a bad move