Having spent most of its first century building progressively larger and longer-range airliners, Boeing confirms a small experimental "X-plane" hybrid-electric demonstrator planned for the early 2020s could signal an unprecedented push into the commuter market. The X-plane plan is being evaluated as part of the company's EcoDemon-strator technology testbed series and, if successful, could open the door to a new generation of small Boeing airliners seating 12-50+. The initiative, if sanctioned, may lead to a new product line from the mid-2020s, effectively taking the manufacturer full circle to its commercial transport roots—Boeing developed the 12-seat Model 80 trimotor, its first mainstream airliner, in 1928.
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