It is Sunday, which means the end of the week and unfortunately also the end of Paris Air Show 2019 that took place at Le Bourget Airport – One of the 3 airports in France’s capital, Paris. How did the 2 largest aircraft manufacturers do in winning orders? We take an in-depth look.
Before the airshow had began, Airbus were off to a good start; There was already much speculation about large orders that airlines would place with the European manufacturer. The extreme popularity of the A321XLR (Airbus A321neo Extra Long Range) coupled with the ongoing problems at Boeing, the airshow looked promising for theToulouse base manufacturer.
Qantas placed an order for 10 A321XLRs. In addition, it had already ordered more than 60 A320neos; 26 of these they converted to A321XLR orders. The Australian company now has 36 A321XLRs and 45 A320neos on order.
IAG came with a letter of intent for a very large order from Boeing, but also ordered 14 A321XLRs with an additional 14 options for the same type.
Saudi Arabia Airlines signed a contract for 65 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft. 15 of these are orders for the A321XLR. This brings the total order for the A32neo Family to 100.
AirAsia converts 253 orders from the A320neo to the A321neo. They places no other orders. The airline would be talking to Airbus about the A321XLR.
Cebu Pacific is doing a remarkable stunt. It placed orders for 16 A330-900s, 5 A320neos and 10 A321XLRs. In itself this is not so special, but the airline does not want to install less than 460 seats in the A330-900neo and 194 in the A320neo. Never before has an airline considered this.
Virgin Atlantic placed an order for 14 Airbus A330-900neos.
Middle East Airlines, MEA, the national airline of Lebanon, also chooses the A321XLR. They order 11 A321neos and 4 A32XLRs.
The leasing company ALC (Air Lease Corporation) signed a letter of intent for 50 A220-300s, 23 A321neos and 27 A321XLRs. This is good news for the smaller A220 that Airbus took over from the Canadian Bombardier.
Accipiter Holdings announced an order for 20 A320neos.
China Airlines signed a memorandum of agreement for 11 Airbus A321neos and will take an additional 14 via a lease company.
American Airlines converts 30 orders to A321XLRs and places another 20 orders.
Delta Air Lines said they were very satisfied with the A220 this week. Therefore it places an order of 5 extra A220-100s. The total now stands at 90 aircraft.
Indigo Partners, converts 18 orders from the A320 family to the A321XLR and orders an additional 32 aircraft of this type. It has been saved with a value of $4.5 billion.
Flynas, a company from Saudi Arabia, also chooses the A321XLR. Just like China Airlines, it has signed a memorandum of understanding for 10 Airbus A321XLR.
The largest leasing company NAC (Nordic Aviation Capital) has also opted for the A220 and has signed a contract for 20 A220 Family aircraft.
Last but not least, JetBlue placed an order for 10 extra A220-300s and upgrades an order of 13 A321neos to A3212XLR.
It is therefore very clear that Airbus is very successful because of its popular A321XLR, which can cover long distances. Airlines could operate long-haul flights to places with less market demand. Now we will take a look at Boeing. The list is a lot shorter due to the lower popularity due to the problems with the American company.
GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) was the first to place an order with Boeing during the airshow. The leasing company signed a purchase right agreement for 10 Boeing 737-800BCF. These are passenger aircraft that have been converted into cargo aircraft. Later, it added 15 additional purchase rights.
In addition to its order with Airbus, IAG has also signed a letter of intent for the purchase of 200 737MAX. Additional information can be found in this article: https://thetravelradar.net/iag-signs-letter-of-intent-to-purchase-200-boeing-737max/ In addition, IAG has also confirmed the order for 18 Boeing 777-9s with a further 24 options for the same aircraft.
Qatar Airways is phasing out its A330 Freighters and replacing them with larger 777Fs. The company announces a commitment for 5 777Fs.
ASL Aviation Holdings signed a memorandum of understanding for 20 Boeing 737-800BCF. 10 if them are confirmed orders and the other 10 are purchase rights.
The smallest order (in number) came from Turkmenistan Airlines. They would need an extra 777-220LR in the future. The airline also ordered this from Boeing.
Korean Air orders another 30 787 Dreamliners because it says it is very satisfied with the aircraft. The 30 787s will be leased via ALC.
ALC will also purchase a 5 787-9s from Boeing.
Last but not least, China Airlines has the intention to order 6 extra 777Fs to rejuvenate the fleet.
As you can see, Airbus is head and shoulders above Boeing. This was certainly to be expected before the start. Boeing will now do everything in its power to get the Boeing 737MAX back in the air and to continue the development of the new Boeing 797. It will probably be presented at Farnborough Air Show next year.
