ACADEMIA

Boeing Commercial Airplanes stopped producing Boeing 757 in 2004 in favor of the 737 due to a growing preference for smaller aircraft in the industry. The narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner is the largest single-aisle passenger aircraft built by Boeing.

The 757-200 was the most popular version of the 757; it offered long range, improved efficiency and increased capacity. The aircraft is used in transatlantic routes between the U.S. and Europe as well as to smaller cities where passenger volumes are unable to support wide-body aircraft.

Boeing has announced that it is currently carrying out an internal study to assess the prospects of replacing the 757 to fill up an existing gap in the market.

Following extended operations (ETOPS) approval in 1992, American Trans Air used the 757-200 for its transpacific services between Tucson and Honolulu. Since the 2000s, major U.S. airlines have used the aircraft on transatlantic routes between the U.S. and Europe as well as to smaller cities where passenger volumes are too low to support wide-body aircraft.

After ceasing production in 2004, the 757-200 was replaced by the Airbus A321 or the 737-900ER on domestic routes. However, cessation of 757 production created a potential gap in the market. US Airways has expressed its concerns that the A321neo does not have the capacity to service long-range routes such as Philadelphia to Europe or Phoenix to Honolulu.