Summary
- At the Farnborough International Airshow, Airbus, ATR, and Boeing had secured 286 orders, including firm commitments and options.
- However, Airbus, despite Boeing starting the event with a fair share of announcements, caught up and beat its main rival.
- While ATR and De Havilland Canada secured orders for their aircraft, Embraer had zero orders at the event.
With the final day of the Farnborough International Airshow wrapping up and – unless either Airbus or Boeing have a surprise up their respective sleeves – the manufacturers not announcing any new orders, Simple Flying looked through the event and how commercially successful it was for the two main aircraft manufacturers.
A table summary of all the orders at the event can be found at the bottom of the article.
Airbus leading the way
While Airbus started off the event relatively slower than Boeing, by day four on July 25, the European plane maker overtook Boeing in terms of total orders that were announced at the event.
In total, following the late announcement of the flynas and Abra Group, the parent company of Columbia’s avianca and Brazil-based Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes (GOL), memorandum of understandings (MoU) on July 24, Airbus had secured 164 orders and commitments for its aircraft, ranging from the Airbus A320neo aircraft family to the A350-900.
Split between days, on July 22, Airbus announced a MoU with Drukair – Royal Bhutan Airlines for five A320neo family aircraft, three A320neo and two A321XLR, and Vietjet’s order for 20 A330-900s. While it has not been confirmed, Airbus already had booked an order in its backlog from an undisclosed airline for 20 A330-900 in May.
Photo: kbp.spotter | Shutterstock
On July 23, the European manufacturer was even more active, announcing orders from Virgin Atlantic (seven A330-900s), Japan Airlines (20 A350-900 and 11 A321neos), and Libya-based Berniq Airways (six A320neos).
On July 24, Airbus had a brief hiatus, and then on July 25, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) announced the aforementioned flynas and Abra Group MoUs, potentially adding another 95 aircraft to its backlog.
Another important development was that Airbus has already begun eyeing the market for the successor of the A320neo aircraft family, with Julie Kitcher, the chief sustainability officer of the OEM, and Christian Scherer, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, dropping hints about Airbus’ new-generation single-aisle aircraft at the event.
Related
Airbus Eyes New Rolls-Royce Engine For More Efficient Narrowbody Planes By Late 2030s
Airbus is already planning the successor to the A320neo family aircraft, despite having certified the A321XLR just recently.
Successful event for Boeing
Whatever the case might be in terms of its rivalry against Airbus, Boeing’s agenda throughout this year’s Farnborough International Airshow could not be described as unsuccessful, with the US-based OEM booking 118 orders, including 96 firm orders and 22 options from airlines and lessors.
That was despite the fact that between July 24 and July 26, the aircraft manufacturer announced zero orders. Its main news came on July 22 and July 23, with a total of six order announcements throughout the two days.
This had included the first order of the event when National Airlines purchased four 777Fs, followed by Korean Air purchasing 20 777X and 30 787-10s (ten 787-10 options), Japan Airlines adding 20 787s to its backlog (ten 787-9, ten 787 options, with the airline yet to choose the variant for the options), and Luxair ordering four 737 MAX 10 (two firm, two options).
Photo: Boeing
On July 23, Boeing disclosed that the aircraft lessor Macquarie AirFinance purchased 20 737 MAX 8s, and Qatar Airways added another 20 777X aircraft to its backlog, with the Qatari carrier now having 94 777X (60 777-9, 34 777-8F) in its books.
Related
Boeing Is Delivering 737 MAX Planes To China Again
The deliveries resumed on July 20, when Xiamen Airlines took delivery of a 737 MAX 8 that was handed over in Zhoushan, China.
ATR’s subtle presence
However, Airbus and Boeing were not the only aircraft manufacturers to have had orders at the industry show, with ATR and De Havilland Canada, as well as the hydrogen-focused startup ZeroAvia, securing orders and agreements.
Photo: Dejan Milinkovic | Shutterstock
At the same time, while ATR secured four orders from Air Tahiti, and had facilitated the placement of an ATR 72-600 with JCAS Airways, Embraer announced no new orders at the airshow. De Havilland Canada only secured purchases of the relatively small DHC Dash 6 Twin Otter, as well as agreements to refurbish DHC Dash 8 Q400s for such carriers as All Nippon Airways (ANA), Widerøe, and others.
|
Airline |
Firm order |
Options |
Total |
|
Drukair |
5 (three A320neo, two A321XLR, a MoU) |
0 |
5 |
|
Vietjet |
20 A330-900 |
0 |
20 |
|
Day one Airbus orders |
25 |
0 |
25 |
|
Virgin Atlantic |
7 A330-900 |
0 |
7 |
|
Japan Airlines |
31 (20 A350-900, 11 A321neo) |
0 |
31 |
|
Berniq Airways |
6 A320neo family aircraft |
0 |
6 |
|
Day two Airbus orders |
44 |
0 |
44 |
|
Day three Airbus orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
flynas |
90 (75 A320neo family, 15 A330-900, a MoU) |
0 |
90 |
|
Abra Group (parent of avianca and GOL) |
5 (A350-900, a MoU) |
0 |
5 |
|
Day four Airbus orders |
95 |
0 |
95 |
|
Day five Airbus orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total Airbus orders at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 |
164 |
0 |
164 |
|
Air Tahiti |
4 ATR 72 |
0 |
0 |
|
Day three ATR orders (none on day one or day two) |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
Day four ATR orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Day five ATR orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total ATR orders at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
|
National Airlines |
4 777F |
0 |
4 |
|
Korean Air |
40 (20 777X, 20 787-10) |
10 787-10 |
50 |
|
Luxair |
2 737 MAX 10 |
2 737 MAX 10 |
4 |
|
Japan Airlines |
10 787-9 |
10 787 (unknown variant) |
20 |
|
Day one Boeing orders |
56 |
22 |
78 |
|
Macquarie AirFinance |
20 737 MAX 8 |
0 |
20 |
|
Qatar Airways |
20 777X |
0 |
20 |
|
Day two Boeing orders |
40 |
0 |
40 |
|
Day three Boeing orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Day four Boeing orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Day five Boeing orders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total Boeing orders at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 |
96 |
22 |
118 |
|
Total orders, Airbus, ATR, and Boeing at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 |
264 |
22 |
286 |
Nevertheless, the next step for all manufacturers will be to solve the supply chain issues, as well as internal quality problems, that they have faced over the past few months. Both Airbus, which had to revise its yearly annual aircraft delivery guidance, and Boeing, which still has been reeling from the quality and safety lapses that had culminated in the mid-air door plug blowout, are still struggling to ramp up their production rates following the pandemic.
Related
Day 3 Round-Up: Farnborough International Airshow
Day 3 only had a single commercial aircraft order, involving ATR and Air Tahiti.