Boeing to Shelve ‘Sonic Cruiser’

Boeing Co. is expected to announce today that it is scrubbing plans to develop a high-speed commercial jet and instead will focus on building a more conventional fuel-efficient next-generation aircraft.

The move to shelve the “sonic cruiser” has been expected for months amid a sharp downturn in the airline industry.

Boeing unveiled plans for the jet with much fanfare in March 2001, saying it would fly faster, higher and farther than current airliners, and abandoned plans for a larger 747. The sonic cruiser would travel near the speed of sound, and passengers could save at least an hour on long, transpacific flights, Boeing said.

But in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks, airlines have been focused mainly on surviving the travel slump and have shown little interest in new concepts. United Airlines and US Airways have filed for bankruptcy protection, and many airlines have taken some of their airplanes out of service.

Alan Mulally, head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft business, has scheduled a media briefing today. Boeing Chief Executive Phil Condit acknowledged that the company is “about to decide” the sonic cruiser’s fate.

It is not clear how much Boeing has spent on the development of the aircraft. But aerospace analysts said that to bring it into production, Boeing would have had to spend up to $10 billion.

The decision didn’t surprise some analysts, who were dubious about Boeing’s plans before the airline industry’s financial problems surfaced.