Boeing recently announced significant orders for its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle planes from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. The announcement, made on Monday, reveals that Boeing has secured orders for up to 80 planes, marking a strong response after competitors like Airbus gained traction with these carriers earlier this year following issues with Boeing’s 737 Max.
Brad McMullen, head of Boeing’s sales operations, expressed satisfaction with Japan Airlines’ decision to continue its partnership by ordering 10 Dreamliners with the possibility of adding 10 more. Meanwhile, Korean Air has committed to 20 units of the 777-9 and 20 of the 787-10, also with the option for an additional 10 787-10s.
This development takes place on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key event in the aviation industry. The significance of Boeing’s relationship with Japan Airlines is underscored by a previous report indicating that Airbus had sold 11 A321neo jets to the airline, breaking a long-standing trend of exclusively purchasing from Boeing.
Similarly, Bloomberg highlighted earlier that Airbus had secured a deal for several wide-body jets with Korean Air, traditionally dominated by Boeing aircraft. This order was seen as a potential setback for the 777x as it nears regulatory approval.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, emphasized the importance of their collaboration with Korean Air, stating that Boeing’s aircraft have been vital to the airline for the past 50 years and that the 777X and 787 Dreamliner will continue to enhance their operational capacity and sustainability goals.