Board OKs McDonnell Jetliner

The McDonnell Douglas board authorized its Douglas Aircraft unit to begin taking orders from potential customers for the firm’s new MD-12 jetliner, a substantially changed version of the MD-11 that will be produced at a new plant outside California.

Although Douglas has discussed the proposed aircraft with airlines for much of this year, the authorization allows the firm to offer specific prices and characteristics for the new aircraft.

Chairman John McDonnell said the MD-12 “expands our family of commercial jetliners and adds muscle to our competitiveness in a tough market.” He said the new jetliner will boast the longest range and highest payload of any passenger jet.

The MD-12 will carry about 375 passengers in a typical seating arrangement, but could accommodate up to 520 economy seats. It will have a range of 9,200 miles, permitting it to reach from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

McDonnell Douglas still must find a partner willing to put up a substantial amount of the $4-billion development cost for the program and select among nine cities under consideration for a new final assembly site.

The company said it does not anticipate formally launching the development of the aircraft until 1992. Last March, senior executives at Douglas spoke in an interview of a much faster schedule, envisioning finding a partner by summer and launching the program as early as this year.