The Boeing company is giving it's new super-efficient, mid-sized airplane a development designation.
It's being called the 7E7. The Boeing 7E7 will seat 200-250 passengers and fly 7,000-8,000 miles.
Boeing says today's designation signals it's commitment to develop this new airplane.
This is the plane boeing says it wants to go with first instead of the Sonic Cruiser.
Boeing has been talking with it's customers about what the airlines are looking for in new planes for the future and something more fuel-efficient meets airlines needs more than something super sonic.
It's too early to say what role Wichita might have in building this plane, should it get formal approval.
Boeing spokesman Fred Solis says, "The decisions on what's going to be built where and who the partners are going to be are probably a year to two years off. We're very, very early. Right now it's just establishing some of the infrastructure to manage the program."
None of the team members named to the development program are from Wichita.
But there is research and development being done in Wichita that originally was for the Sonic Cruiser.
Some of that technology will find it's way onto the 7E7.