Boeing has announced significant orders for its major aircraft models, revealing on Monday that it has secured agreements for up to 80 of its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle planes from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. This development follows Airbus’s earlier success with these carriers amid the fallout from Boeing’s 737 Max door plug incident earlier this year, indicating that Boeing is responding proactively to its competitors.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s head of sales operations, expressed gratitude for the ongoing collaboration with Japan Airlines, highlighting the airline’s decision to recommit to the 787 Dreamliner as it updates its fleet.
The announcement came during the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key event in the aviation industry. Japan Airlines has finalized an order for 10 Dreamliners, with an option for an additional 10. Meanwhile, Korean Air has ordered twenty 777-9 models and twenty 787-10 planes, also with an option for 10 more 787-10s.
Boeing’s mention of its “long-standing partnership” with these airlines is notable, especially in light of a Reuters report from March, which indicated that Airbus sold 11 A321neo jets to Japan Airlines. This marked an unprecedented move for the airline, as it had previously purchased only from Boeing for single-aisle aircraft. The A321neo competes directly with the 737 Max, which was then entangled in a scandal and experiencing significant production delays.
Additionally, Bloomberg reported that Airbus had made sales of several wide-body jets to Korean Air, which predominantly operates Boeing aircraft. This move was interpreted as a slight against Boeing’s 777x model, which is only now nearing regulatory approval.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, expressed appreciation for Korean Air’s choice of Boeing’s largest and most efficient widebody airplanes, emphasizing the role of Boeing aircraft in the airline’s operations over the past five decades. She stated that the 777X and 787 Dreamliner are set to support Korean Air’s long-term sustainability and growth objectives.