Boeing has announced significant orders for its 787 Dreamliner and 777 double-aisle aircraft from Japan Airlines and Korean Air. The aircraft manufacturer revealed on Monday that it has secured orders for up to 80 planes, indicating that it is responding proactively after Airbus made inroads with these carriers during the fallout from the Boeing 737 Max incident earlier this year.
Brad McMullen, Boeing’s head of sales operations, expressed satisfaction with Japan Airlines’ decision to order the 787 Dreamliner as part of their fleet modernization, emphasizing the strong partnership between the two companies.
This announcement comes on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, a key event in the aerospace industry. Japan Airlines has committed to purchasing 10 Dreamliners, with an option for an additional 10. Meanwhile, Korean Air has ordered 20 models of the 777-9 and 20 of the 787-10, also with the option for 10 more 787-10s.
The mention of a “long-standing partnership” reminds us of a Reuters report from March, revealing that Japan Airlines had previously ordered 11 A321neo jets from Airbus, marking its first acquisition of a single-aisle aircraft from a competitor to Boeing. The A321neo is in direct competition with the 737 Max, which faced significant challenges at the time.
Additionally, Bloomberg reported that Airbus had also sold multiple wide-body jets to Korean Air, which primarily operates Boeing aircraft. This development was perceived as a slight to the 777X, which is still nearing regulatory approval.
Stephanie Pope, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, expressed gratitude for Korean Air’s selection of Boeing’s most efficient wide-body aircraft to enhance its global network capacity. She acknowledged the integral role Boeing planes have played in Korean Air’s operations over the past 50 years, stating that the 777X and 787 Dreamliner will align with the airline’s sustainability and growth objectives.