Day Two of the Farnborough Air Show has been and gone. Let’s see what headlines we have from the day, and who has been splashing the cash.
As usual, we’ll be presenting this alphabetical order of the Civil Aircraft OEMs, followed by any other headlines that raise an eyebrow.
Airbus
Virgin Atlantic opts for further A330neos
Virgin Atlantic has placed a firm order for seven A330neo aircraft as part of its wider fleet transformation. The agreement takes Virgin Atlantic’s commitment for the A330neo to 19 aircraft in total.
The order was announced during the Farnborough Airshow onboard Virgin Atlantic’s A330neo, named ‘Ruby Rebel’, and registered as GB-VSRB after founder Sir Richard Branson, to celebrate the airline’s 40th anniversary.
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said,
“Today, we complete our multi-billion-dollar fleet transformation, with the purchase of seven additional A330-900s, which we know our customers and our people love to fly. Flying the youngest fleet is the most readily available and significant lever towards decarbonising long-haul aviation and we are proud to already operate one of the youngest and most fuel and carbon efficient fleets across the Atlantic.”
“Our special partnership with Airbus began with the arrival of ‘Lady in Red’ in 1993, with our most recent arrival, ‘Ruby Rebel’, arriving to mark our 40th birthday this year. Virgin Atlantic has flown more than 60 Airbus tails in the last three decades. While not first to the party, they’ve been our main dance partner, making our customers smile ever since.”
Airbus Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Aircraft, Christian Scherer said,
“We are grateful for Virgin Atlantic’s decision to expand its A330neo fleet as part of its strategy to have the youngest fleet across the Atlantic. The A330neo not only delivers unbeatable operational seat mile cost and an exceptional passenger experience, it also greatly enhances Virgin Atlantic’s fleet efficiency and contributes to their sustainability journey. We look forward to continuing this smooth and successful collaboration for many years to come.”
Japan Airlines firms up its A350 and A321neo order
Japan Airlines (JAL) has signed a firm order with Airbus for 20 A350-900 widebody aircraft and 11 single-aisle A321neo, finalising a commitment announced earlier this year.
The order was announced at the Farnborough Air Show 2024 during a signing ceremony with Yukio Nakagawa, Executive Officer and Senior Vice President Procurement of Japan Airlines, and Christian Scherer, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft business.
The new A350-900s will join the carrier’s A350 fleet serving international routes, while the A321neo will operate on domestic services within Japan.
To date, JAL has ordered a total of 52 A350s, with 18 in service. The A321neo contract represents JAL’s first order for the Airbus single-aisle product line.
Executive Officer and Senior Vice President Procurement of Japan Airlines Yukio Nakagawa said, “
We are delighted to have signed the firm order for the introduction of additional A350s and new A321s. We will accelerate the introduction of the state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient aircraft to provide our passengers with excellent service and to reduce CO₂ emissions. We believe that this additional introduction of Airbus aircraft will further deepen our partnership.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Commercial Aircraft business, Airbus, Christian Scherer said,
“We thank Japan Airlines for placing its confidence once again in the A350. In addition, we celebrate a new milestone in our partnership with the airline following its order for the A321neo. We are committed to providing our full support to Japan Airlines as its growing fleet is deployed on more routes across its network, both domestically and internationally.”
Berniq Airways signs for six A32oneos
Berniq Airways of Libyahas placed a firm order with Airbus for six A320neo Family aircraft. The airline already operates six A320s and intends to further develop its regional and international routes with the additional A320neo Family aircraft.
Waseem Ezzway, Chairman of Berniq Airways said,
“We are proud to be the first airline in Libya to order the advanced A320neo Family aircraft. This significant investment marks a new chapter for Berniq Airways as we continue to lead the way in modernizing our fleet and enhancing our service offerings.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business said,
“It is a pleasure to see Berniq Airways expanding its fleet with the world’s best-in-class single-aisle aircraft. The A320neo family will enable Berniq Airways to provide its customers with unparalleled comfort while offering the airline exceptional economic advantages.”
Boeing
Qatar Airways adds further Boeing 777-9 aircraft to its backlog.
Boeing and Qatar Airways announced the Middle Eastern airline’s order for 20 more 777-9 airplanes. The order, which expands the carrier’s 777X order book to nearly 100 airplanes, was finalised this year and listed as unidentified on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.
Qatar Airways helped launch the 777X program and now has on order 60 777-9 passenger airplanes. The airline is also the inaugural launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter and has 34 of the next-generation cargo jet on order.
In addition to the 777X family, Qatar Airways has 12 787 Dreamliner and 25 737 MAX aircraft on order.
The 777-9 is designed to hold 426 passengers in a typical two-class configuration and a range of 7,295 nautical miles (13,510 km). It’s also timely as Boeing kicked off the certification campaign of the type.Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said:
“Qatar Airways is proud to announce an expansion to the existing Boeing 777X aircraft order with an additional 20, totalling 94 Boeing 777X aircraft,”
“We, as the World’s Best Airline, are an industry leader and operate one of the youngest fleets, offering unparalleled innovation and quality. Keeping an eye on the future, we continue to ensure that all Qatar Airways passengers are only met with the best products and services available in the industry.”
Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes added
“Qatar Airways is a leader in our industry, and we are honored the airline added 20 more 777-9 jets to its large Boeing order book,”
“We appreciate their confidence that Boeing’s market-leading widebody family will provide outstanding fuel efficiency and a superior passenger experience for its global operations.”
Macquarie AirFinance makes its first direct order for Boeing airplanes.
The purchase of 20 737-8s doubles Macquarie AirFinance’s existing 737-8 order book, which it acquired from ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Co. in 2023.
By expanding its 737 MAX portfolio, Macquarie AirFinance will scale up its fleet of fuel-efficient, new-generation airplanes to meet the growing demand of its airline customers.
Eamonn Bane, CEO of Macquarie AirFinance said:
“The continued expansion and renewal of our fleet underscores our confidence in the strong future growth prospects of global commercial air transport. This order increases our existing OEM order book to 86 firm aircraft and will enable our airline partners to access the most modern, fuel-efficient aircraft,”
Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes added:
“As single-aisle fleet renewals gain momentum, Macquarie AirFinance’s choice of the 737-8 will allow its customers to phase out older airplanes and operate the industry’s most fuel-efficient jets,”
“Lessors such as Macquarie AirFinance are key partners to Boeing and our airline customers, supporting airplane deliveries and offering financial solutions to carriers that want to renew or grow their fleets with the 737 MAX.”
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
ANA Holdings to add seven Dash8-400s
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and ANA Holdings (ANAHD) have signed a letter of intent to purchase seven DHC-certified reconditioned Dash 8-400 aircraft.
As part of the commitment by De Havilland Canada to “keep the fleet flying,” DHC has initiated the process to purchase, refurbish and re-market Dash 8-400 aircraft in a program to develop and maintain the Dash 8 family of aircraft in response to customer demand.
The seven aircraft that will be acquired by ANAHD are part of this program and will be integrated into the ANAHD fleet over the coming years.
The aircraft will be reconfigured to reflect ANA Group’s current fleet of Dash 8-400s and will extend the in-service life of ANA’s Dash 8-400 fleet.
Ryan DeBrusk, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for De Havilland Canada said:
“We are pleased to continue to support ANA Group in providing outstanding customer service to their passengers and customers,”
“We look forward to continuing to work with ANA Group for years to come as they take delivery of these aircraft.”
Other headlines
ATR Aircraft has signed an agreement with Ethopian MRO (Maintence and Repair and Operations) to deliver maintenance & repair capability for Africa & the Middle East
The Letter of Intent is aimed at developing Ethiopian MRO’s ATR aircraft maintenance and training capabilities. This strategic agreement marks a significant milestone in expanding ATR’s presence in Africa and the Middle East, enabling enhanced support to local operators and fostering market growth.
The cooperation would cover the development of Ethiopian MRO’s maintenance capabilities for ATR aircraft types and the establishment of a local spares’ stock to reduce response time for ATR operators in the region. It would also explore collaborative ways to train new ATR pilots with the Ethiopian pilot academy.
CFM Engines have an signed agreement with – Avolon, a leading global aviation finance company- for an order for 150 LEAP-1A engines to power 75 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The agreement also includes purchase rights for 150 additional LEAP-1A engines.
On top of that CFM Engines have signed an agreement with Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC),for an order of ten LEAP-1A engines to power five Airbus A321neo family aircraft. The agreement also includes options for two additional LEAP-powered A321neo family aircraft.
Pratt and Whitney (an RTX Company) has been equaltiy busy, signing Avolon for 160 Geared Turbo Fan eingnes, with options for another 160 (to poweer 80 Airbus A320neo family aircraft per config)
They also added a memorandum of understanding Cebu Pacific’s purchase of up to 152 engines, covering 204 Eigneins for the A321neo (102 aicraft, plus options for50 aircraft (100 engines). Again, this is utilsing the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine.
Finally, Chilean-based SKY Airline has entered into a memorandum of understanding to select the GTF engine to power 10 firm Airbus A321XLR aircraft (20 engines), with options for 29 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft (58 engines)
It’s been a wide(body) show so far…
It seems that widebody aircraft are the order of the show, with orders across all the major famiies of widebodies from Airtbus and Boeing, wilst the bread and butter of the manufactueres – the single ailse aircraft – have had a quiet show so far.
Given the backlogs, this could well be intentional.
Things are quiet too, in the smaller end of the commerical market, with minimal peeps out of ATR, Embraer or even Airbus with its A220 so far.
Certainly, we’re looking at a much quieter show than normal. But who knows what Day 3 will bring.
We’ll have our update out later that day.
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