NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) March 30, 2001-- Standard&Poor's today affirmed its ratings on Boeing Co. following the firm's announcement of changes in its commercial aircraft product development strategy. The outlook remains stable. Boeing has decided to halt development of a superjumbo 747X derivative jetliner and, instead, will focus on an all-new midsize airplane (dubbed 20XX) that will fly about 20% faster than current commercial jets over long distances, with potential entry into service in the later part of this decade. The company's decision to shelve the development of the 747X has ceded, in effect, the top end of the high-capacity/long-range part of the market to Airbus Integrated Co.'s A380 model. While that decision clouds the long-term
