FARNBOROUGH – And just like that, Day 4 of the Farnborough Air Show 2022 is over. There were some dramatic moments today.
From Qatar Airways making the press wait over an hour, to Airbus biting back with a small order from LATAM, the first half of the day was a busy one.
Boeing have also concluded their sales campaign, with Airbus yet to officially call it a day at this stage.
Boeing Wraps Up A Successful Week…
Boeing was supposed to announce an order yesterday at the last minute, but pushed it ahead to today 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 honoured 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 or 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.
Airbus Continue Onwards At A Slow Pace…
The only element of news from Airbus came early in the morning. LATAM Airlines has signed an agreement to take 17 A321neos, as well as placing commitments to the A321XLR, although no number was confirmed for that.
This will probably emerge in the coming months and years ahead. This new order brings LATAM’s orderbook to 100 A320neo Family aircraft.
“We applaud LATAM’s strategic vision and sustainability ambition. This order for the A321neo on the heels of its restructuring is a strong sign for the value Airbus brings to making this vision and ambition a reality”, said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.
“The A321XLR will enable the opening of new routes and will allow LATAM to increase its international reach in the region”
By the end of June 2022, the A320neo Family had won more than 8,100 orders from over 130 customers, of which nearly 550 have been for the A321XLR, which is something they will use as bragging rights against the journalists that pressed Scherer yesterday about the rehashed easyJet order.
Embraer Surprise Order…
It seems that Embraer isn’t quite done with orders just yet. The Brazilian manufacturer announced an order overnight with Astral Aviation via Nordic Aviation Capital for two E190 Freighter aircraft.
Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder & CEO Astral Aviation, said, “We are honored to be the launch operator of the Embraer 190F, which will be based in Astral’s Nairobi hub.”
“It will operate on a combination of scheduled and charter flights on our intra-African network. The E-Jets are well known for their efficiency, flexibility and sustainability.”
“We are confident that the E-Jet freighter platform will be a game-changing addition to our growing fleet.”
“We are grateful to NAC and Embraer for choosing Astral to be the launch operator of the E-Jet Freighter.”
Norman C.T. Liu, President & CEO of NAC, said “As a launch lessor for the E-Jet freighter conversion program, we are pleased to have executed a MoU to place two E190F aircraft with Astral Aviation, a leading cargo carrier servicing Africa.”
“NAC aims to remain the leader in regional aviation and expand into larger narrow body aircraft, while building our full life cycle asset management capabilities.”
Johann Bordais, President & CEO, Embraer Services & Support, said, “The response to Embraer’s P2F program, which was launched only in March of this year, has been incredible.”
“NAC has already placed their first two aircraft, and it’s great to welcome yet another operator to our E-Jet family.”
ATR Finishes Up – Successful Week…
ATR officially closed out their sales campaign at the Farnborough Air Show today, having had a successful week that was beyond expectations.
Fabrice Vautier, ATR Senior Vice-President Commercial, commented on what has been a strong week for the manufacturer: “In mature markets, the acute awareness of the environmental challenge is the main driver for change across the entire aviation ecosystem.”
“While in Asia Pacific, Latin America, or Africa, for instance, the challenge is to provide a low-fare alternative to time-consuming mobility options.”
“Everywhere, profitability for the operators and comfort for the passengers are paramount, and the ATR -600 family is making a difference, offering sustainability, comfort, reliability and unrivalled economics.”
“This is why our forecast predicts a total market of close to 2,500 aircraft over the next 20 years.”
The manufacturer has made strong progress, and the additional aircraft added to the backlog will help preserve longevity. With around 2,450 regional aircraft needed, ATR is leading the way with this.
The Scoreboard
| Manufacturer | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Grand Total |
| Airbus | 0 | 12 | 0 | 17 | | 29 |
| Boeing | 133** | 92 | 4 | 16* | 0 | 245 |
| Embraer | 0 | 278 | 0 | 2 | | 280 |
| ATR | 36 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
**We missed an order. Three 737-800BCFs were ordered by Aircompany Armenia & Georgia Airlines. Table updated 21/7/22 for this.
Overall
With Day 4 coming to an end, this is typically when sales announcements come to an end, as we have seen with ATR & Boeing today. For now, we will have to keep an eye out on Airbus & Embraer in case any last minute orders are announced.
This, however isn’t going to be likely due to the fact that aircraft and the manufacturers will begin to leave Farnborough over the course of today and tomorrow.
Either way, this will be something we will keep a close eye on and will update you if anymore news comes from the remaining two manufacturers.
This does mean that Embraer is the star of the show this week, having secured the most amount of orders at 280, with Boeing coming in second with 245.
However, Boeing will be thinking about their rival Airbus who have only secured 29 brand new orders this week. It’s been a shocker of a week for Airbus and looking ahead to future airshows or the rest of the year, they will want to bolster themselves up further.
In the meantime, we will see you tomorrow for Day 5, and see if any rare Friday orders come in! As we do approach the end of the airshow, full overall reporting will be updated on our live blogs, as well as the Editor’s Corner to come in the next few days, analysing whether our predictions were close. Spoiler: They are not.
