Boeing has announced significant orders for its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle planes from Japan Airlines and Korean Air, securing up to 80 aircraft in total. This announcement, made on Monday, comes as a response to increased competition from Airbus, which had captured some market share from Boeing following the January incident involving the 737 Max.
The aircraft orders were revealed on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key industry event. Japan Airlines plans to acquire 10 Dreamliners with an option for 10 additional units, while Korean Air has ordered 20 models of the 777-9 along with 20 787-10 planes and an option for 10 more 787-10s.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s head of sales operations, expressed appreciation for the long-standing relationship with Japan Airlines and highlighted their commitment to modernizing their fleet with the 787 Dreamliner. Meanwhile, this announcement is notable following a report in March that revealed Japan Airlines had purchased 11 A321neo jets from Airbus, marking its first acquisition of a single-aisle aircraft from a manufacturer other than Boeing.
Additionally, reports indicated that Airbus had sold several wide-body jets to Korean Air around the same time, which could be seen as a rejection of the 777x model, still awaiting regulatory approval. In response, Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, emphasized the honor of Korean Air choosing Boeing’s latest widebody aircraft to enhance its operational capacity and support its goals for sustainability and growth.