Further developments While the 757 program had been financially successful, declining sales in the early 2000s threatened its continued viability. Airlines were again gravitating toward smaller aircraft, now mainly the 737 and A320, because of their reduced financial risk. An airline industry downturn and the large number of relatively young 757s already in service also reduced customer demand. In 2000, spurred by interest from Air 2000 and Continental Airlines, Boeing reexamined the possibility of building a longer-range . The proposed derivative would have featured auxiliary fuel tanks, plus wing and landing gear upgrades from the , resulting in a higher MTOW and a potential range increase to over . However, the proposal failed to garner any orders. In March 2001, Boeing delivered the first , a second-hand converted for freighter use, to DHL Aviation. The marked the manufacturer's first foray into passenger-to-freighter conversions.
Further developments While the 757 program had been financially successful, declining sales in the early 2000s threatened its continued viability. Airlines were again gravitating toward smaller aircraft, now mainly the 737 and A320, because of their reduced financial risk. An airline industry downturn and the large number of relatively young 757s already in service also reduced customer demand. In 2000, spurred by interest from Air 2000 and Continental Airlines, Boeing reexamined the possibility of building a longer-range . The proposed derivative would have featured auxiliary fuel tanks, plus wing and landing gear ,upgrades from the , resulting in a higher MTOW and a potential range increase to over . However, the proposal failed to garner any orders. In March 2001 Boeing delivered the first , a second-hand converted for freighter use, to DHL Aviation. The marked the manufacturer's first foray into passenger-to-freighter conversions.