Boeing and Economic Design

: Its economic design did much to move international travel within reach of middle-class vacationers rather than just the privileged few, according to CNN. However, the venerable Boeing 747 may be nearing the end of its production life -- its manufacturing rate is to be halved to six a year. But as the world first wide-body airliner, the Boeing 747 went on to change not only aviation but the entire tourism industry. A shift toward newer and more efficient aircraft that can land at smaller airports and a tendency to use former passenger planes for freight has reduced Boeing remaining 747 order book to just 20, after building more than 1,500 since 1969. It was a huge commercial risk that required borrowing some $2 billion from a banking consortium, the largest amount of money ever borrowed by any corporation at that time. Read More Revolutionizing mass air travel Boeing decision to develop a new, giant airliner bigger than those of its competitors in the mid 1960s was a bold move. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.