Seattle (US), May 15: Even as Boeing Co. Touts its sleek new 7E7 as the future of flying, the airplane maker is yet again considering whether to revamp its fabled workhorse, the 747 Jumbo Jet. In the past decade, Boeing has floated many such plans for updating the 34 year-old 747, as it seeks to counter archrival Airbus' Superjumbo A380. But most ideas have been shelved as customer interest failed to materialise.


This time, Boeing is gauging interest in the 747A - for "advanced" - that would be slightly larger and more technically advanced than the most current model, the 747-400ER. The plane would blend technology from the 7E7 with the 747's size in a package Boeing claims would be far cheaper to fly than the A380.

The move comes as orders for the 747 have slowed to a trickle, with most interest remaining in the cargo version of the airplane.

The idea for the 747A is still in its initial stages. Boeing spokeswoman Leslie Nichols said this week that a decision on whether to build the plane will not have to be made until at least the end of 2005. If the airplane is approved, it would not be in service until at least 2009.
The 747 design dates from the late 1960s, though the plane was almost totally redesigned with the 747-400, which started service in 1989. Bureau Report