ANKARA

US-based aviation firm Boeing is planning to produce a new narrow-body and single-aisle aircraft to replace its 737 Max model, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

The new model, which has not been publicly announced to replace the 737 Max, is still in early development, awaiting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg appointed a senior product chief to the firm’s commercial aircraft business. The newly appointed product chief will oversee the production of the 737 Max successor.

In February, Ortberg met Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilic in the UK to discuss an offer to supply engines for a new narrow-body aircraft.

In September, Erginbilic said at an investor event that the new aircraft would point to where the firm is headed in development.

Boeing recently said it is focused on delivering and certifying around 6,000 backlogged commercial aircraft as the firm is monitoring the market, adding it is ready for a new product.

The aviation firm said the new aircraft’s production will focus on achieving a minimum of 15% increase in fuel efficiency. The project is expected to feature a new engine architecture, lighter build and radical changes to the fuselage, while costing tens of billions of dollars.

Boeing is working toward replacing the 737 Max due to accidents involving the model. Fatal crashes associated with the aircraft in October 2018 and March 2019 led to the global grounding of the fleet.

A total of 346 people died in the crashes to date, after the 737 Max entered commercial service in May 2017.

Boeing agreed to be supervised by the FAA in 2021 and pay $2.5 billion in compensation and fines.

A similar craft, the Boeing 737-800, had a crash on Dec. 29, 2024. The crash is the deadliest disaster in South Korean aviation history.

Boeing has since made changes to senior management and safety issues following the crashes.

The firm is scrambling to regain the market it lost to European rivals, such as Airbus.