| abstract
| - The Boeing 767 was first offered for sale in July 1978 with an order for 30 airliners by United Airlines. It was developed at the same time as the 757, its narrowbody sister. Prior to its public offering, it was referred to as the 7X7. With the 707 aging, Boeing decided to offer a mid-size wide-body aircraft to fit in between the 727/737/757 and the 747. The 767 has a fuselage width of 15 ft 6 in (472.44 cm) that is midway between the two other aircraft. The first 767, a -200 was rolled out 4 August 1981 and first flew on 26 September 1981. Boeing planned to offer a shorter 767-100 with seating for 180 passengers, but was never offered for sale as the capacity was too close to the 757's. The 767 was designed using engines used on the 747 with wings sized to match. The wings were larger and provided longer range than the initial customers wanted. However, the larger wings only increased fuel usage slightly and provided better takeoff and landing performance. Boeing designed the 767 with enough range to fly across North America and across the northern Atlantic. The flight decks of the Boeing 757 and 767 are very similar and as a result, after a short conversion course, pilots rated in the 757 are also qualified to fly the 767 and vice versa. The 767 was approved for U.S. CAT IIIb operation in March 1984. This revision permitted operations with minimums as low as RVR 300 (Runway Visual Range 300 feet). It was the first aircraft certificated for CAT IIIb by the U.S. In the late 1980s, Boeing proposed a stretched version of the 767, and then a partial double deck version with parts of a 757 fuselage built over the aft (rear) fuselage. These concepts were not accepted and Boeing shifted to an all new airliner that would become the 777. Boeing would later develop a stretched 767 version in the form of the 767-400ER in the late 1990s. The 767 sold very well from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, with a decrease during the recession in the early 1990s. After strong sales in 1997, sales have declined significantly, due to the economic recession of the early 2000s, increased competition from Airbus, and the recent emergence of a direct replacement program, the Boeing 787. In early 2007, United Parcel Service and DHL prolonged the 767's production with orders for 767-300 freighters of 27 and 6, respectively. As of August 2008, Boeing has received two orders in 2008 for the 767-300ER, but Boeing has been offering versions of the 767 to tide customers affected by the 787 launch delays, specifically to Japanese carriers All Nippon Airways & Japan Air Lines, who are said to be in serious talks for new build passenger airframes. Boeing has also kept the line open in hopes of winning the US Air Force's competition for a tanker (the KC-767 tanker program, which uses the 767 airframe). The renewed interest in the 767-300 freighter has Boeing considering enhanced versions of the 767-200 and 767-300 freighter, with increased gross weights, 767-400ER wing technology, and 777-200 avionics. Boeing sees the advanced 767-200F and 767-300F as complementing the 777F, and allowing Boeing to compete more effectively against the A330-200F, which is larger than the proposed 767-200F and 767-300F, but smaller than the 777F. The Boeing 767 has 1013 orders, with 967 of those delivered as of August 2008. Delta Air Lines is currently the world's largest 767 operator, with 103 airplanes as of 2008, consisting of 767-300, 767-300ER, and 767-400ER variants. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, their hub, has the highest number of Boeing 767 operations in the world.
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