I'm always surprised why people suggest that new versions of the 744 wouldn't be successful because "it's a revamped version of a 35 year old design". The test is whether it has the peformance and economics to be competitive. If a "35 year old" design, incorporating new materials and technologies is as - or more - competitive than a brand-new design, why spend at least twice as much on a new design? If materials and technologies allow a 744Adv to reduce airframe weight per pax, fuel burn, noise and maintenance man-hours plus increase check intervals and payload/range I would have thought it will continue to do very well filling the 170+ seat gap between the 777-300ER/A346 and the A380.
