Boeing has announced significant orders for its popular 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle aircraft from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. The announcement was made on Monday, indicating that Boeing has secured orders for up to 80 planes in total. This comes after Airbus had made inroads with these carriers amid Boeing’s ongoing issues related to the 737 Max.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s head of sales operations, expressed satisfaction with Japan Airlines’ decision to re-select the 787 Dreamliner for fleet modernization. He stated, “We value our long-standing partnership with Japan Airlines and are pleased that they have re-selected the 787 Dreamliner.”
This announcement coincides with the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key event in the aviation industry. Japan Airlines plans to acquire 10 Dreamliners with an additional option for 10 more. Meanwhile, Korean Air has placed orders for twenty 777-9 models and twenty 787-10 planes, with an option for 10 more 787-10s.
The phrase “long-standing partnership” recalls a previous Reuters report detailing Airbus’ sale of 11 A321neo jets to Japan Airlines, marking the airline’s first purchase of a single-aisle aircraft from a manufacturer other than Boeing. At that time, the A321neo was competing with the troubled 737 Max, which was facing a significant scandal and production issues.
Similarly, Bloomberg had reported that Airbus sold several wide-body jets to Korean Air, whose fleet has largely consisted of Boeing aircraft. This was seen as a potential slight to the Boeing 777x, which is still nearing regulatory approval.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplane division, highlighted the longstanding relationship with Korean Air, stating, “We are honored Korean Air has selected our largest, most efficient widebody airplanes to add capacity to its global network. Boeing airplanes have played an integral role with Korean Air over the past 50 years, and the 777X and 787 Dreamliner will continue to support the airline’s long-term goals for sustainability and continued growth.”