Boeing has no plans to convert its 100-passenger 717 into a corporate aircraft, according to Boeing Business Jets president Borge Boeskov. Several months ago at the Berlin Air Show, Boeing's director of 717 customer requirements, Rolf Sellge, told Show News that the airframer will soon launch studies to determine whether the 717 could be a suitable cousin to the 737-derived BBJ. Sellge even said the aircraft had been named-the "Business Application"-and that it would compete with the Gulfstream IV.

Boeing has apparently changed its mind about the potential application of the 717 in the corporate field. The 717 is designed for high-frequency routes of about 300 miles, too short of a range to be a successful business jet, Boeskov said. He did hold open the door, however, that the 717 could find use as a corporate shuttle between manufacturing plants, for example.

By Barry Rosenberg