Making the case for a middle of the market aircraft

Aircraft and engine design and technology have been pushing the edge of what has been possible in the world of commercial aviation. The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, along with the re-engined Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, have opened up new markets that were not economically feasible in the past. Routes such as Boston-Tokyo, the recently announced revival of Singapore-Newark, and Norwegian's Europe-North America network are possible today in large part due to the innovative design, material advancement, and operating capability of new technology aircraft.

As new markets are opened at the edges of aircraft capacity and flight ranges, ICF believes there is a market in the middle ripe for a new aircraft that would provide operators with similar opportunities that the 787/A350/737MAX/A320neo provided but in a seat class category that bridges the gap between current production single aisle aircraft and smaller widebodies. Developments in the midsize space promise similarly exciting opportunities.