why did the 707 and the 727 go out of production?

Answer 1

Advancements in engine design and aerodynamics led to bigger planes with more fuel and passenger capacity which translates to lower total cost of operation.

707's were built from 1959 - 1991 with the bulk of deliveries being made in the 1960's. 1010 were built total. As the 1960s drew to a close, the exponential growth in air travel led to the 707 being a victim of its own success. The 707 was now too small to handle the increased passenger densities on the routes for which it was designed. Stretching the fuselage was not a viable option because the installation of larger, more powerful engines would in turn need a larger undercarriage, which was not feasible given the design's limited ground clearance. Boeing's answer to the problem was the first twin aisle airliner - the 747. The 707's first-generation engine technology was also rapidly becoming obsolete in the areas of noise and fuel economy.

727's were built from 1963 - 1984 with a total of 1832 going into service. At the turn of the 21st century, the 727 was still a vital part of some major American airline fleets. However, most major airlines had already begun to switch to twinjets, aircraft with only two engines, which are more fuel-efficient and quieter than the notoriously loud three-engined 727. Also, the 727 was one of the last airliners in service to have a three-person flight crew, including a flight engineer, a crewmember whose job is performed by computerized systems on newer planes.

Faced with higher fuel costs, lower sales due to the post-9/11 economic climate, increasing restrictions on airport noise, and the extra expenses of maintaining older planes and paying the flight engineers' salaries, most major airlines began phasing 727s out of their fleets. Delta Air Lines, the last major U.S. carrier to do so, retired its last 727 in 2003. However, the 727 is still flying for smaller start-up airlines, cargo airlines, and charter airlines, and it is also becoming increasingly popular as a private means of transportation. The official replacement for the 727 in Boeing's lineup was the Boeing 757. However, the smallest 757 variant, the 757-200, is significantly larger than the 727-200, so many airlines replaced their 727s with either the 737-800 or EADS' Airbus A320, both of which are closer in size to the 727-200.

Answer 2

The 757 was intended as a 727 replacement. It was originally going to be called the 727-300. Boeing couldn't decide whether it needed 2 or 3 engines. If you look at the thrust levers, you'll find that they're labeled L and R instead of 1 and 2 like all of the other Boeing models out there. Boeing's order book for the plane dried up. All of that factory space taking up tooling and such is useless if you're not building airplanes. They really did want to keep the production line going. In fact, they offered to replace about a dozen of one airline's older 757s with some new ones at some very good terms, but the airline backed out of the deal. That would have kept the line open long enough to sell some more planes to other airlines. Now airlines are scrambling for 75s in the used market. Had that deal gone through, the 757 would still be in production and new orders for the plane would be coming in. The only replacement for a 757 is another 757. The A321 doesn't have the range or load capacity of the 757.

Answer 3

I was going to add my two cents, but the answers above just about covered it. The 707 could have the CFM56 engines strapped under the wing, but the limits of stretching the fuselage showed that it was not economical...and in aviation, EVERYTHING is money-driven. The US Air Force still operates 707s (KC-135s) with the CFMs underneath, but...that is the government, who has no bottom line.
727 was a great bird, too. Really great!
In fact, a joke I heard back in the day went something like this: How many mechanics does it take to change a light bulb on a 727?
Answer: Five. One to actually replace the bulb, and four others to sit around talk about what a great bulb that was!
Pilots LOVED the 727 back in the day. When I was trained on it as an FE (dying breed today) it had -5A and -7A engine intermixes...the -9 was the latest and greatest in Braniff-1.
But, then again, I was told that I was the second-youngest person ever to go thru FE training with them! That was a while back.

Answer 4

As a relative to a former employee for Boeing in Everett, Washington, the 707 and 727 had lived up to the companys expectation, but were becoming technologically obsolete. It was too expensive to do updates for each aircraft to bring them up to date. If you notice in the Boeing line-up these days, there are only two jet engines in most aircraft Boeing manufactures these days like the 767, the 777, and the 787 Dreamliner. For those three aircraft, it is much easier to maintain them from a mechanical standpoint because much of working these newer planes is done on a computer and the 707 and 727 were not made with that same capability originally.

Answer 5

Older aircraft, such as the 707 and 727, are fine planes but parts for repairs and routine maintenance become the issue. Development of better aircraft, materials, avionics, etc. make it impossible to continue production of parts for older aircraft, although, I would imagine parts for 707/727's have not been in actual production for many, many years. Parts that are available are more than likely being taken from existing aircraft no longer flying. A good example of parts issues is the Navy's F-14 Tomcat. Parts are no longer manufactured, a better aircraft was developed, the F-18, therefore, you are slowly seeing F-14 Tomcat's leaving the fleet in the Navy.

Answer 6

All aircraft will eventually go out of production. The 707 and the 727 just became to outdated to be profitable in the modern market. Advances in construction materials, engines and avionics have made it so that other aircraft can be used in the place of these older aircrat for a lower cost.
The 757 also went out of production, this one, mostly because of advances in the 737 line of aircraft. Many routes that used to be covered by 727 are also being taken over by 737.
All in all, it's to give you a cheaper ticket, in a safer aircraft.

Answer 7

They were too loud, guzzled fuel, required a 3-man crew, and didnt have the modern avionics... they have their equivalent now, the 757 or a large 737 replace the 707 and the 727 is replaced by the DC-9 or MD-80... currently in production, the 737 is comparable in size...

Answer 8

Generally speaking, more efficient/quieter aircraft replaced them.

For example, the 707 was NOISY and had four engines running and sucking down a lot of fuel. It's still cheaper and quieter to feed two larger engines, not to mention the reduced maintenance costs just by eliminating two engines . . . you got rid of half the moving parts, much easier to maintain.

Answer 9

their engines were not fuel efficient and had difficulty meeting stricter noise restricitons.

Also aircraft requiring a 3rd pilot, the flight engineer are more expensive to operate than planes using only 2 pilots.

So the basic answer is they cost too much to operate.

Answer 10

Out of date. Boeing has been making newer and better aircrafts.