Boeing has announced significant orders for its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle aircraft from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. The U.S. manufacturer revealed on Monday that it secured orders for up to 80 planes, indicating its commitment to regaining market share after Airbus had previously made inroads with these airlines following the issues surrounding the 737 Max.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s head of sales operations, expressed the company’s satisfaction with Japan Airlines’ decision to choose the 787 Dreamliner as part of their efforts to update their fleet. The announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow, an important industry event.
Japan Airlines will order 10 Dreamliners, with an option for 10 additional planes. Meanwhile, Korean Air has placed an order for 20 models of the 777-9 and 20 of the 787-10, also with options for 10 more 787-10s.
This news comes on the heels of a Reuters report indicating that Japan Airlines had recently ordered 11 A321neo jets from Airbus. This marked a shift for the airline, which had not previously purchased single-aisle planes from any manufacturer other than Boeing. Similarly, Bloomberg reported that Airbus had sold wide-body jets to Korean Air, which typically favors Boeing aircraft, suggesting that the orders were a rejection of the 777x, which is still awaiting regulatory approval.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, expressed pride in Korean Air’s choice of Boeing’s advanced wide-body aircraft to enhance their global operations. She emphasized Boeing’s long-standing role in supporting the airline’s sustainability and growth objectives over the past 50 years.