Boeing wins a trifecta of commercial aircraft orders

11th April 2018 By: Rebecca Campbell - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Boeing wins a trifecta of commercial aircraft orders

A Boeing 777 (in airliner configuration)
Photo by: Bloomberg

US aerospace giant Boeing has announced a series of orders for its commercial aircraft during this month so far. The orders are for 737 MAX 10 single-aisle and 787 Dreamliner wide-body airliners and 777 freighter aircraft. The three deals have a total value of some $19.94-billion.

The first order to be announced was from American Airlines, for 47 787s, divided into 22 787-8 and 25 787-9 aircraft. The airline also took out options on 28 more of the new generation wide-body design. This is American’s third order for Dreamliners and will more than double its fleet of the type. The value of this latest contract is $12-billion.

“We are showing again and again that the 787 Dreamliner is the champion in its class,” affirmed Boeing senior VP commercial sales & marketing Ihssane Mounir. “The airplane’s tremendous value proposition explains why it has become the fastest selling twin-aisle jet in history. And when we match the Dreamliner with Boeing’s suite of services, it is a combination that delivers unbeatable value for our customers.”

The second order was from Indonesian airline Lion Air Group. Worth some $6.24-billion (in list prices), it was for 50 737 MAX 10 airliners. This is the largest incremental order for the 737 MAX 10 so far. Lion Air was the first airline in the world to bring the 737 MAX 8 into service and last month also became the first to accept delivery of the 737 MAX 9.

“Lion Air is very excited to be a launch customer of the latest version of the 737,” stated Lion Air group president director Edward Sirait. “This airplane delivers a new level of fuel efficiency and operating economics and fits in perfectly with our fleet of modern airplanes. We are proud to continue our tradition of innovation at Lion Air as we again lead the way with new airplane technology.”

The third deal will be worth (at list prices) $1.7-billion. Boeing signed a Letter of Intent to Purchase with Qatar Airways for five 777 Freighters. It will be officially classified as a sale when the deal is finalised. Qatar already operates almost 100 Boeing wide-body aircraft and has about 100 more Boeing aircraft on order.

“The addition of five 777 Freighters is a significant moment for our cargo division,” asserted Qatar Airways Group CE Akbar Al Baker. “As the world’s third-largest cargo operator, Qatar Airways continues to invest in fleet expansion. This transaction will be a reinforcement of our confidence in Boeing to continue to deliver an outstanding product that meets our exacting standards. We expect no less than perfection, and we are confident that Boeing will continue to deliver that.”