Premium #304 – Aircraft Development Programs are Getting Longer

If you think that new aircraft programs are taking longer from first order to entry into service, you are correct.  We’ve looked at several programs since the start of the jet age, beginning with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 through the most recent to enter service, the Airbus A350XWB and Bombardier CSeries, to examine the trend.  The following chart shows the time between the first order and entry into service by year. 

The trend line shows a growth from under four years in the 50s through 80s to an average of more than six years in the 2000s.  The following table shows the aircraft and data underlying the chart above.