Boeing To Decide On Mcdonnell Models

Boeing Co. plans to decide by Nov. 1 the futures of airliner models gained through the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas Corp., Chairman and Chief Executive Philip Condit said. McDonnell Douglas had orders for more than 180 of the jetliners it builds at its plant in Long Beach, California, including the MD-11 cargo plane, and the MD-80, MD-90, and MD-95 passenger planes.

“We’re having to make a decision which I believe McDonnell Douglas would have had to have made,” Condit said during a speech at Washington’s National Press Club. “That is, what is the future of each of those products.”

Boeing and Europe’s Airbus Industrie dominate sales of large jetliners. McDonnell Douglas had less than 5 percent of the market when it was sold to Boeing.

Much attention about the McDonnell Douglas products has focused on the MD-95, a 100-seat plane in development.