Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- Critical labor contract vote for Boeing, IAM 751 today September 12, 2024
- The A330neo for medium haul or twice the frequency with A321XLR? Part 2 September 12, 2024
- “Hyper focus on reliability and durability out of the gates” September 11, 2024
- A320neo replacements needs to be ~25% more efficient September 11, 2024
- Boeing IAM vote in 2 days; approval a hard sell September 10, 2024
Farnborough/Thursday
For all practical purposes for commercial aviation geeks, the air show is over. Even John Leahy left.
There was one significant order today, from Virgin America for 40+20 Airbus A320s with options to convert to A321 and to use sharklets.
Boeing announced a minor order swap involving three airplanes. Bombardier didn’t announce any CSeries orders, but then, we knew by July 12 this was unlikely.
Below are the orders through Day 4, minus a couple of minor ones due after we left the field to wrap up our reporting before going home. Over the course of the next week or so, we’ll pick write some additional stuff.
Updated Day 4
Announced Orders
| Customer | Airbus | Boeing |
| Air Lease Corp | 31 A320s, 20 A321 Sharklets
Delivery from Jan 2011 to early 2015. The 2011 are two Air New Zealand A320s Hazy bought prior to ALC’s forming and have been transferred over to ALC. $4.4bn value. Engines a mix of CFM and IAE. |
|
| GECAS | 60 A320 family. CFM engines. Sharklets optional. | 40 737-800s, announced list value $3bn. A320 $5bn |
| Aeroflot | 11 A330-300s. $1.7bn | |
| Emirates | 30 Boeing 777-300ERs, $9.1bn. 18 now confirmed as previously ordered but Unidentified. Value of new additions, $3.6bn | |
| Norwegian | 15 737-800s | |
| Day 1 | 122 orders | 67 new orders |
| Day 2 | ||
| Avolon Leasing | 12 737-800s $921m | |
| Royal Jordanian | 3 787s | |
| LAN | 40 A320s, 10 A321s MOU | |
| Hong Kong Airlines | 15 A350, 10 A330-200 MOU
Converts 15 previous A330 orders to these A350s and orders 10 additional A330s |
|
| Air Lease Corp (see below, Other) | 60 737-800 (54+6) | |
| Day 2 orders | Net: 60 | 75 |
| Day 3 Orders | ||
| RBS Aviation Capital | 52 A320 Family; announced but previously ordered and undisclosed; not added to our new order tally | 43 737 Family; announced but previously ordered and undisclosed; not added to our new order tally. |
| Germania | 5 A319s, converting a previous MOU. Delivery from 2011. | |
| Thai | 7 A330-300s, MOU, from end 2011 | |
| ALAFCO (lessor) | Converts 12 A350-800s to -900s. Not included in new order tally | |
| Garuda | 6 A330-200s, from 4Q12 | |
| American | 35 737-800s | |
| Qatar | 2 777-200LRs; previously ordered, Unidentified, not included in order tally | |
| Okay Airways (China) | 10 737-800s; previously ordered, Unidentified, not counted in new order tally | |
| Air Austral | 2 777-200LRs | |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | 1 767-300ER , 2 767-300F in place of 2 737NGs | |
| Virgin America | 40+20 A320, MOU | |
Others Announced
Day 1: 37 other types
Sukhoi Superjets: Kartika, 30
Embraer: TRIP of Brazil, 2 E-190s; Azul of Brazil, 5 E195s
Day 2 Other: Up to 264 other types
- Azul Brazil, 40 ATR 72-600 $850m
- Air Lease Corp., 15+5 E-190s (LOI); 10+10 ATR 72-600s
- Flybe (UK), E-175: 35+65 and purchase rights to 40 more, all-in list value $5bn
- Nordic Aviation Capital, 7 ATR-42
Day 3: Other Orders
- Republic, 24 E-190s
- Pearl Aircraft Corp. (new company), 30+15n Sukhoi Superjet
- Crecom Burj (Malaysian lessor), 50 MS-21
- Vnesheconombank’s leasing arm VEB-Lizing, 15+15 MS-21
- Qantas, 7 Q400s
- Orient Thai, 12+12 Superjets
“Other” are doing well – but not Bombardier unfortunately
747-8 MISSING AT FARNBOROUGH
There has not been visible the slightest sign of the new Boeing 747-8 at Farnborough. The 787 Dreamliner showed up and made its impressive debut, but not one single 747-8, despite three of them should be available now, and the 747-8 urgently needs some more than the current ~ 100 orders to get profitable.
Is it because development of the 747-8 is already so terribly behind schedule now (> 1 year, if I recall it right) ?
Or is it, because cost overruns are so huge now (> $ 1 billion, if I recall it right) that Boeing didn’t want to add those presentation costs to the already dire bill ?
Too busy testing, is my guess. In any case, I don’t think appearances at air shows sell many planes. Witness the 787, A380, A400M this time, or the very impressive display of the A346 in Le Bourget five years ago.