A notable briefly covered item was the worldwide supply chain issues with manufacturers struggling to meet demand. Not least exacerbated by the shortage of new sources of Titanium now Russian sources closed off. Hence many planned delivery dates may slip.
Engines
-SMBC Aviation Capital firm orders 22 more P&W GTF engines for their A320neos’s
-Avolon placed its largest ever engine order with P&W 160 & CFM 150 valued at $5 Billion see FII Industry 24th July for full details
-Nordic Aviation Capital placed its first direct order for 10 Leap 1A to power its batch of A321neos
-JAL selected GEnx-1B to powers 20 787-9s it ordered at the show
-British Airways has committed to purchasing GENx engines to power six new 787 Dreamliners. It marks the introduction of the engine to its fleet. BA had been the launch customer for the GE90 engine.
-GE Aerospace signed an agreement with Turkish Airlines for eight GE90-110B engines to power four Turkish Cargo 777 freighters.
-EVA Air has placed an order for GEnx engines to power four Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft. EVA currently operates 15 GEnx powered Boeing 787s
-Pratt & Whitney has received more than 950 GTF engine orders since the beginning of the year. Airlines and lessors that announced orders from the company include Avolon, Icelandair, Mexicana and SMBC.
Lessors
-Aircastle priced $500m in senior notes through 2031 to finance aircraft acquisitions
-China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC) has signed a definitive agreement for up to 60 A320neo family aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engine.
Northern Ireland
There was a strong showing of 11 specialist companies represented by ‘Invest NI’ inc. total annual revenue of £2.2Bn
Ryanair
-O’Leary says ‘may scrap UK expansion plans if they can’t hire foreign cabin crew’
-Ryanair has approved its first online travel agent aggregator with its new partnership with Paxport. The condition of the deal requires the travel agent to provide “full price transparency” on Ryanair’s products. The deal also ensures customers who book through Paxport’s approved online travel agent partners will have access to their Ryanair booking account without needing to complete further verification.
-new route Bristol to Prague since early July
New Orders
FIA 2024 estimated a total of £81.5bn in deals has been signed during the airshow. Included in these deals are 260 firm aircraft orders and 808 firm engine orders.
Boeing New orders announced
-Boeing confirmed a previously speculated order from Korean Air for 50 aircraft. The airline will receive 20 777-9s and 20 787-10s, with options for ten more Dreamliners. Korean already operates almost 30 777 aircraft, the Dreamliners will add to the backlog of several already on order.
-Luxair, the flag carrier of Luxembourg, announced it had a deal for two 737-10 jets, with options for two more. It comes a year after purchasing Boeing 737-7 and -8 aeroplanes. There is high commonality between the 737 MAX models, and this allows for significant operational savings for the airline.
-Macquarie AirFinance has made 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.
-National Airlines, an air cargo and passenger charter company based in Florida, announced the purchase of four Boeing 777-200 freighters. The first two are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year and the remaining two are expected to be delivered in the first quarter next year. The company operates a small fleet, inc. one Airbus A330-200s (leased from Air Lease Corporation). Furthermore, National Airlines announced it selected GE Aerospace for eight of its GE90-110B engines to power its new cargo jets.
-Japan Airlines announced that it is modernising its fleet with a deal of up to 20 Dreamliners. The deal includes ten 787-9s with options for ten more, adding to the company’s 50 plus fleet of the widebody.
-Korean Air places 40 firm orders for both 777-9 and 787-10 aircraft. The deal comprises of 20 firm orders for the 777-9 and a further 20 firm for the 787-10 with options for 10 more.
-Qatar Airways has placed an 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. The airline helped launch the 777X program and now has on order 60 777-9 passenger airplanes. Qatar Airways is also the inaugural launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter and has 34 of the cargo jet on order.
Airbus New orders announced
A newly certified A321XLR, 4,700nm capable, was the only type of the Big Two to be in the daily flying display: reg F-WXLR MSN 11000
-Virgin Atlantic displayed one of its Airbus A330-900neos Ruby Rebel on the static display at Farnborough, the company announced on day two it is ordering seven more of the type and will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and will take Virgin’s order total of 19. The company currently operates five of the A330-900, and with the new batch of airliners set to be delivered from 2027 to 2028, Virgin will slowly retire its older A330-300s.
– The largest commitment signed during the week’s trading was with flynas, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 75 A320neo family aircraft and 15 A330-900. At 90 aircraft. The latter will be delivered in a two-class configuration, accommodating up to 400 passengers, and be used to support flynas’ growth plans in the long haul sector. “Additionally, the A330neo will enhance our long-haul capabilities with its advanced technology and efficiency while supporting our growth plans and Saudi Arabia’s pilgrim program.”
– Latin America-based holding group Abra Group has signed an MoU with Airbus for five A350-900s to “further expand its international long-operations and increase capacity”.
-Cebu Pacific (CEB) has signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the purchase of up to 152 A321neo aircraft for an estimated US$24 billion based on list prices. This is the largest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history. The binding MOU covers firm orders for up to 102 A321neo, plus 50 A320neo family purchase rights. CEB has selected Pratt & Whitney GTF engines to power future aircraft.
-Berniq Airways, Libya’s airline, has 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 aircraft.
-Japan Airlines (JAL) confirmed an order for 31 widebody and narrowbody aircraft from Airbus during the show. The order comprises 20 A350-900s and 11 A321neo aircraft. JAL was the only operator to order both Boeing and Airbus airliners during Farnborough.
-Vietjet orders 20 A330-900 aircraft; inks deal for Trent engines. Vietjet signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of 20 A330-900 aircraft. “The new A330neo aircraft strategically enhance Vietjet’s fleet development, boosting the airline’s operational capacity to support its global expansion.” The new aircraft are set to replace Vietjet’s current fleet of A330-300s and are expected to support the airline’s strategic plan to expand its intercontinental flight network.
