Boeing exec sees strong demand for 737 MAX, confident on 777

[DUBLIN] Demand for the latest generation of fuel-efficient narrowbody jetliners remains "very strong"despite the recent oil price slump, Boeing's top sales official said on Wednesday.

Any hesitation by some airlines about quickly upgrading to new models is compensated by growth in demand for air travel as lower oil prices revitalise the economy, John Wojick, senior vice president, global sales & marketing, said in an interview.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an aircraft finance gathering in Dublin where participants have predicted continued demand for modern fuel-saving jets, coupled with a longer service life and high prices for current models of jetliners.

Pricing for aircraft like the narrowbody 737 MAX, a revamped version of Boeing's best-selling model with new fuel-saving engines, remains "solid", Mr Wojick said.

He reiterated he was confident Boeing would fill an order gap for the current version of its large twin-engined 777 jet pending the arrival of a new model in 2020. Boeing has filled about half of the gap with 278 Boeing 777-300ERs left to build.

"We are working on continuing to fill that backlog. We have done a good job for 2015 and 2016 and continue to work on 2017," Mr Wojick said.

REUTERS