FARNBOROUGH – As trading at the Farnborough Air Show 2022 comes to an end, let’s give you an overall recap from American planemaker Boeing, who has had a strong week.
As we have seen this week, Boeing has had an incredible sales week, with Airbus lagging behind significantly in this respect.
So without further ado, let’s get into it…
Boeing Recovers Confidence in the MAX & Bolsters Widebody Strategy…
Boeing has had a big commitment towards the 737 MAX with Delta Air Lines as the Atlanta-based carrier ordered 100 firm and 30 options.
“The Boeing 737-10 will be an important addition to Delta’s fleet as we shape a more sustainable future for air travel, with an elevated customer experience, improved fuel efficiency, and best-in-class performance,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer. “These new aircraft provide superior operating economics and network flexibility, and the agreement reflects our prudent approach to deploying our capital.”
Most importantly, Bastian said, “This aircraft will be piloted, served, and maintained by the very best professionals in the business, and it’s their hard work and dedication to our customers that always set us apart.”
“We are proud that Delta Air Lines, is renewing its single-aisle fleet with the 737 MAX, the industry’s most fuel-efficient family of airplanes,” said Stan Deal, president, and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“Built in our factory in Washington state with support from key suppliers across the US, the 737-10 will provide Delta Air Lines with the best economics to carry more passengers across its short and medium-haul routes.”
No list price was placed for this order, suggesting that some form of a discount has been given to Delta in order to receive this aircraft.
Boeing also took the opportunity to announce the confirmation of the ANA Holdings MAX & 777X Freighter order that was announced by the Japanese carrier a couple of weeks ago.
The American planemaker also announced that Norwegian has firmed up their Letter of Intent for 50 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which will mark the carrier’s recommitment to the aircraft type since the airline’s new era post-bankruptcy.
With these being confirmation orders (Excluding Delta), this will not be counted in our overall table that you will see on our main Farnborough Air Show page.
The manufacturer also announced a deal with 777 Partners, who placed an order for 66 737 MAX aircraft, consisting of both the MAX 8 and MAX 200 Gamechanger aircraft.
These aircraft will be bound for Bonza in Australia and Flair in Canada.
“This new order marks another milestone in the robust growth of our aviation businesses and, concurrently, our partnership with Boeing,” said Josh Wander, managing partner of 777 Partners.
“We are excited about the possibilities the MAX aircraft provide our growing group of carriers to facilitate and democratize low-cost travel around the globe while respecting our commitment to sustainable flying.”
“777 Partners is leveraging the cost efficiencies of the 737-8 and 737-8-200 for its diverse network of airlines, while also providing an excellent passenger experience and meeting sustainability goals,” said Stan Deal, president, and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“777 Partners has had tremendous success establishing new carriers worldwide with the 737-8, and the 737-8-200 will allow for continued growth as an even more efficient addition to its portfolio.”
After that, AerCap was announced as the next customer announcement, with the leasing giant topping up its portfolio with five 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This order means that the company’s orderbook for this is at 125 aircraft.
“AerCap is the world’s largest 787 customer, and we are very pleased to strengthen that position with this order for five additional aircraft,” said Peter Anderson, Chief Commercial Officer of AerCap.
“This transaction is in line with our portfolio strategy of investing in the most in-demand new technology assets and will help us continue to support our airline customers meet their sustainability commitments.”
“AerCap oversees a world-class leasing portfolio, epitomized by the most utilized widebody in the industry, the 787 Dreamliner,” said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing.
“With its unparalleled fuel efficiency and passenger appeal, the 787 Dreamliner family is playing a major role in sustaining, reopening, and pioneering new routes in the long-haul travel market.”
Next, Aviation Capital Group signed for 12 737 MAX 8 aircraft, expanding the lessor’s orderbook to 34 aircraft. This was built upon a previous order for nine MAX 8s back in May 2022.
The last order of the day came from BBAM Aircraft Leasing, who placed an order for nine 737-800BCFs (Boeing Converted Freighter). This new deal takes BBAM’s orderbook to 40 aircraft.
“We continue to extend the life of the 737-800s in our fleet and support strong demand from our customers by further growing our 737-800BCF order book,” said John Lynch, Senior Vice President, Head of Freighter Programs at BBAM.
“By taking conversion slots at KF Aerospace in Canada, we are delighted to leverage Boeing’s global network of conversion lines to offer our customers convenience and flexibility by being where they need us to be.”
“Our partnership with BBAM on the 737-800BCF began with an order for three conversions in 2020, and after a series of incremental orders, BBAM is now one of the largest customers for the 737-800BCF with orders for 40 of the type,” said Kate Schaefer, vice president of Boeing’s commercial modifications, engineering & specialty products business.
“We are honored by BBAM’s continued trust in Boeing and are pleased to offer high-quality and reliable conversion capacity across a global network of MRO suppliers, where our customers need it most.”
This means in total that around 92 aircraft had been sold that day, which brings their total sales count at Farnborough to over 200 aircraft. The manufacturer has been dominating its rival Airbus in this airshow so far. There is still a couple of days left to roll in this airshow, however.
It’s been a relatively quiet day 3 for Boeing, with only one order announced by the American planemaker.
They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Azerbaijan Airlines for four more 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
This new announcement means that the airline will receive 10 new Dreamliners by 2030, which is part of the airline’s continued fleet renewal to replace their aging 757 and 767 aircraft.
“Azerbaijan Airlines was the first airline in the Caspian and Central Asia region to operate the 787-8 Dreamliner, and we currently have two 787-8s in-service. This MoU is the evidence of joint efforts to scale up the mutually beneficial partnership between Azerbaijan Airlines and Boeing,” said Jahangir Asgarov, President of Azerbaijan Airlines.
“Over the years, our 787 airplanes have provided impeccable performance, and the addition of more long-haul airplanes will further expand the geography of Azerbaijan Airlines’ route network.”
Asgarov was humorous in the briefing, encouraging Stan Deal, the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, to restart production of the 747 and the 757.
“Today’s agreement extends our long-term partnership with Azerbaijan Airlines as they renew their fleet to capitalize on the growing long-term travel demand that we are seeing globally,” said Stan Deal, President, and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“The global in-service 787 fleets has been the most-utilized widebody during the market downturn, and we are confident in the proven performance capabilities of this airplane.”
The airline already has two 787-8s in service.
Other than that, that’s about it for Boeing. We are expecting more announcements tomorrow, potentially due to a delayed order announcement from today. But if not, then that will probably be the conclusion from Boeing too.
Boeing was supposed to announce the order on Day 3 at the last minute but pushed it ahead to Day 4 instead.
Members of the press were stuck in the Boeing chalet for over an hour whilst waiting for Qatar Airways’ GCEO Akbar al-Baker to finalize its order for 25 737 MAX 10 aircraft.
With the 777X Freighter order already firmed up, this new order from today brings to a close the final slap in the face given to Airbus, especially over the A350 surface erosion claims.
“We are honored that Qatar Airways has decided to add Boeing’s single-aisle family to its fleet, deepening our relationship with this world-class airline,” said Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president, and CEO.
“The 737-10 is ideally suited for Qatar Airways’ regional network and will provide the carrier with the most capable, most fuel-efficient airplane in its class.”
Al Baker didn’t produce much of a comment, both in the press conference and in the press release as well. It is an interesting development but is probably to do with the ongoing lawsuits with Airbus, and it is the possibility that he knew he would be quizzed on this.
Then, straight after this announcement, Boeing representatives told journalists to stay in the conference room as another last-minute announcement was made.
Luxembourg-based carrier Cargolux signed a deal to replace its Boeing 747-400 aircraft with 777-8X freighters, which is another sign of good news for the freighter program.
In terms of numbers, nothing has been confirmed yet, but based on data from Planespotters.net, Cargolux has 16 747-400s in the fleet, meaning that a minimum order of 16 will be made. More to follow on this over the next few weeks. This means that on our scoreboard, we will add 16 to Boeing’s count.
“With the 777-8 Freighter being the preferred solution to replace our 747-400s, Cargolux is looking forward to continuing its ongoing relationship with Boeing,” said Richard Forson, president, and CEO of Cargolux.
“With the selection of our newest freighter as their preferred solution, Cargolux continues its long and enduring history with Boeing, integrating the 777-8F seamlessly into the airline’s all-747 cargo operations,” said Stan Deal, president, and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“With its investment in the 777-8 Freighter, Cargolux will operate the most advanced, fuel-efficient, twin-engine freighter in the industry.”
“The 777-8 Freighter significantly reduces CO2 emissions compared to previous models with a reduced noise footprint, helping to advance Cargolux’s commitment to sustainable operations.”
With that in mind, Boeing’s Ihssane Mounir wrapped up the manufacturer’s sales proceedings, with Boeing selling well over 250 jets over the course of this week.
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