The answer is “Yes” if you listen to aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group.
The fact is airlines are seeing that flying passengers point-to-point on smaller airliners can reduce operating costs and increase income.
The suggested Future Small Aircraft (FSA) would be a single-aisle aircraft seating 160 to 220 passengers and provide point-to-point service to, from, and between smaller airports.
“Airlines can charge more because there’s no changing planes,” according to Aboulafia, vice-president of the Teal Group.
While the airline industry has been distracted by the Boeing 737 MAX’s delayed return to service, some airlines are looking into the future and asking, “What is next.” The FSA could well be the answer, rather than new twin-aisle jumbo jets.