Boeing has announced significant orders for its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle aircraft, securing commitments for up to 80 planes from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. This announcement, made on Monday, signifies Boeing’s efforts to recover after facing competition from Airbus, which had expanded its presence among these airlines following a setback related to Boeing’s 737 Max.
Brad McMullen, head of Boeing’s sales operations, expressed appreciation for the longstanding relationship with Japan Airlines, highlighting their choice to continue modernizing their fleet with the 787 Dreamliner. The announcement coincides with the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key event in the aviation industry. Japan Airlines has placed an order for 10 Dreamliners with an option for 10 additional aircraft. Meanwhile, Korean Air has ordered twenty 777-9 models and twenty 787-10 planes, along with an option for 10 more 787-10s.
This development comes after a report earlier this year indicating Japan Airlines had taken a significant step by purchasing 11 A321neo jets from Airbus, marking a departure from exclusively acquiring single-aisle planes from Boeing. At the same time, it was reported that Airbus had secured orders from Korean Air for various wide-body jets, which could be seen as a challenge to Boeing’s 777x.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, welcomed Korean Air’s choice of Boeing’s widebody aircraft to enhance their global network capacity. She emphasized the role of Boeing aircraft in Korean Air’s operations over the past half-century and noted that the 777X and 787 Dreamliner align with the airline’s long-term sustainability and growth objectives.