Airbus, Boeing gain more than 960 aircraft orders at Farnborough

quote:

---

Airbus, Boeing gain more than 960 aircraft orders at Farnborough

LINK

The world’s commercial aircraft duopoly once again scored big at an otherwise lackluster Farnborough Air Show with Airbus and Boeing announcing firm net orders and commitments for more than 960 aircraft, valued at $160 billion at list prices.

Depending on final accounting and whether some prior unidentified orders are included, Boeing’s net tally is estimated at 531 orders. Either way, Boeing appears to have taken the lion’s share of the new business compared to Airbus, which accounted for 431 aircraft sales, 93 of which were firm and 388 were included under signed memoranda of understanding (MOU). Some 60 of the 431 were also for the Bombardier CSeries, now rebranded the Airbus A220

---

quote:

---

Based on Boeing’s aggregate tally, the total includes 564 737, almost a fifth of which—some 110 units—are orders for the -10, the longest stretch variant of the MAX family. The company said the flurry of business for the -10, which now has more than 500 orders, continues to bolster the company’s strategy of countering the A321neo with the ultimate 737 variant.

---

quote:

---

Boeing also took orders and commitments for 52 787s and 52 777s, though again the net order numbers are smaller. Nevertheless, the majority of the 777s are freighter versions and, along with five 747-8F orders reaffirmed during the show, represent an important boost for the company’s resurgent freighter lines.

---

quote:

---

Among the deals announced by Airbus was a firm order for 52 aircraft that was previously in the orderbook as an undisclosed deal. Among the additional aircraft on firm order were 34 A330neos for AirAsia X, a crucial boost for the program. In the year to date, Airbus now has signed firm orders for 354 aircraft and MOUs for a further 398 for a total of 752 commitments.

Airbus CCO Eric Schulz said he expects all the MOUs to be converted into firm orders before the end of the year and Airbus will be able to reach a book-to-bill ratio of more than one. The manufacturer plans to deliver around 800 or more aircraft in 2018, a target that has been threatened by the engine delays on the A320neo program.

Among the commitments this year are 60 additional firm orders for the A220, formerly the Bombardier CSeries, from the new US airline set up by David Neeleman and a preliminary deal for 60 additional aircraft by New York-based JetBlue Airways. Schulz said the takeover by Airbus of the program meant “a big push in the level of confidence. People felt reassured that the support will be there.” He noted also “a lot of interest in combined A220 and A320 orders” and Airbus plans to offer “a lot of flexibility” to its customers in a space where Boeing cannot yet compete with its takeover of Embraer’s commercial aircraft business still pending.

---