Revisiting The 5 Largest Orders At The Last Iteration

Alongside the Paris Air Show, the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) stands as a marvel of an aviation event, drawing thousands of visitors. Organized in the middle of July each even-numbered year, this airshow held at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Center in Hampshire saw commitments and orders worth more than 70 billion dollars in 2012.

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The history of this event dates back to the 1950s and has seen some iconic aircraft, such as the Concorde, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, among others, taking to the skies. In 2020, this airshow was canceled for the first time in its history. This was in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it returned with a lot of aplomb a couple of years later. But which were the largest orders that were placed in the FIA’s last iteration of 2022? Let’s find out.

5

Qatar Airways orders the 737 MAX 10

The flag carrier of Qatar placed the second-biggest order for the 737 MAX 10 at FIA 2022.

Photo: Trevor Mogg | Shutterstock

Qatar Airways placed an order of 50 Boeing 737 Max aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow 2022, 25 of them being of the Max 10. The CEO Stan of Boeing Commercial Airplanes was buoyed with the deal and had commented on the order:

“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. 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.”

Qatar was one of the airlines that had raised a concern earlier this year as the deliveries of aircraft by Boeing (and Airbus) were delayed due to supply-chain issues. The Max 10 aircraft ordered by Qatar during FIA 2022 were also involved in a legal dispute a couple of years ago.

4

777 Partners orders of the Boeing 737 Max 8-200

The fourth-largest order placed at the Farnborough Airshow of 2022 might just be a Ponzi scheme.

30 orders of the Boeing 737 Max 8-200 helped make up 15.3% of Boeing’s total orders at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2022. The orders of the Miami-based investment group 777 Partners were thought to be destined for Bonza and/or Flair. However, because Bonza now has no planes and no people – with all its employees fired and no one wanting to buy the aircraft – 777 partners have been accused of trying to run a ponzi scheme.

Photo: 55north Photography | Shutterstock

Only a month ago, the news of a lawsuit accusing 777 Partners of fraud broke out. According to the report covered by Simple Flying:

“The lawsuit alleged that 777 Partners double-pledged over $185 million of assets to two separate companies. The company had a minority shareholding in Flair Airlines, while its other investment in aviation, Bonza, entered voluntary insolvency on April 30, 2024.”

3

Feel Air’s orders of ATR 72 and ATR42s

This Japanese carrier is the least-known airline on the list and its order of the ATRs helped the Franco-Italian manufacturers put up a good show at Farnborough’s last iteration.

When Japan’s Feel Air signed a letter of intent to purchase 36 aircraft of the ATR 72 and ATR 42 family, it was a pleasant surprise to the aviation community. The Japanese carrier hadn’t even begun its operations back then but already had plans to revitalize the connectivity on the Japanese domestic scene.

Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying.

Following the Farnborough International Airshow in 2022, the CEO of the airline commented on the purchase:

“Over the coming years, Feel Air Holdings will establish at least five regional airlines, with a fleet that will ultimately comprise 36 ATR aircraft. Our fundamental goal is to improve regional air mobility in Japan by connecting local destinations that currently do not have air service, thereby creating stronger links between regional businesses and people, generating new markets, and enriching local economies. ATR aircraft play an essential part in our business strategy because they are the ideal size for such regional operations and demonstrate exceptional operational efficiency.”

2

easyJet’s orders for the A320neo

The number of A320neo ordered by easyJet was almost half the number of the most ordered aircraft in the FIA 2022.

easyJet’s order of 56 Airbus A320neo at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2022, coupled with the orders of 46 additional aircraft of this type between 2023 and 2025, led to A320neo making up one-fifth of the airline’s fleet. easyJet is also the largest operator of the Airbus narrowbody aircraft. It was around the end of 2023 that easyJet confirmed the order of 157 Airbus A320neo family aircraft.

Photo: Colin Peachey | Shutterstock

The Airbus A320neo is known for its lower carbon footprints. Cebu Pacific once used a 41% SAF blend using an A320neo. Regarding easyJet’s commitment to becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and how the Airbus A320neo might help achieve this goal, Johan Lundgren, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of easyJet, commented that this aircraft would:

“enable easyJet’s fleet modernisation and growth to continue beyond 2028 while providing substantial benefits including cost efficiencies and sustainability improvements.”

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1

Delta Air Lines’ orders for Boeing 737 Max

Delta Air Lines was the biggest customer of Boeing at the last iteration of the Farnborough International Airshow.

Delta Air Lines operates a sizable fleet of the Boeing 737 Max 10. The order of this aircraft (by Delta Air Lines) was the largest at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow. Before this event, Delta had only ordered 30 Boeing aircraft since 2011. Delta accounted for more than 50% of all Boeing aircraft ordered in this event.

Photo: Delta Air Lines

After incidents such as Alaska Airlines’ Flight 1282 with a 737 9 MAX door plug, many people were unsure whether Delta’s orders of 100 aircraft would go through, but the CEO of Delta Air Lines expressed his confidence in the aircraft manufacturing company. Joe Kunzler from Simple Flying covered this order and expressed:

“the 737 10 MAX is still going through test flights to obtain final FAA certification to fly paying passengers. But Delta Air Lines is still committed to obtaining 100 Boeing 737 10 MAX jets – and it has made clear the 737 10 MAX purchase is part of its sustainability strategy, being 20-30% more efficient than the aircraft it replaces.”

Which of these aircraft with the highest order at FIA 2022 is your favorite? We’d like to know. Let us know in the comments below.