US planemaker Boeing triumphed this week as it picked up more orders than its European rival Airbus at the first Farnborough Airshow since Covid ravaged aviation.
After a four-year absence, Farnborough hosted the industry’s biggest players and signaled that the industry’s recovery from the pandemic is underway, albeit a bit bumpy.
Boeing won orders for a total of 297 aircraft during the spectacle, while Airbus lagged behind with just 85 jets. However, these numbers remain dramatically lower than in 2018.
The US titan stole the show on Monday with a blockbuster $13.5 billion deal with US airline Delta for 100 of its MAX-10 aircraft and options for 30 more.
The MAX – which suffered two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 – has seen a rush of interest with orders also from Japan’s ANA, US investment fund 777 Partners, leasing firm Aviation Capital and Qatar Airways.
Airbus could not keep up with the rapid pace; The largest order was 56 A320neo single-aisle aircraft, valued at US$6.2 billion, from British low-cost carrier EasyJet.
– ‘Humiliating Week’ –
Still, Boeing remains confident of its successful performance after the recent turmoil and stressed its focus on safety.
“It’s been a very humbling week in terms of what we’ve been through as an industry and as a company,” Boeing senior vice president of commercial sales and marketing Ihssane Mounir told reporters Thursday.
“We always say that the airshow weeks are just one week out of 52 – and that ends up being the culmination of all the work and coming together and celebrating and announcing and so on, especially after the Covid pandemic and everything we’ve been through to have .
“From a business perspective, the recovery is in full swing. We’ve seen it in the domestic markets and now it’s starting to gain a foothold in the international markets as well.”
Industry analyst John Strickland said Boeing has made significant progress.
“Boeing will leave the show feeling it has made valuable progress in securing orders from key customers Delta and Qatar, while being transparent about its ongoing work to refocus on safety and quality,” he said.
– Starts and stops –
Global air travel has been paralyzed by the coronavirus pandemic, which grounded planes and decimated demand while the recovery is shaky.
Aviation still faces headwinds from skyrocketing inflation fueled by historically high oil prices, higher wages, labor shortages and supply chain problems, while airports struggle.
“The world stopped and then had to start again, and there are inevitably some starts and stops, like a traffic jam,” Warren East, CEO of British engine maker Rolls-Royce, told AFP in a summary of the impact of the pandemic.
Airbus forecasts that the narrowbody market will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, while widebody aircraft will reach that point by 2025.
Global air travel is on track to regain its 2019 levels in 2024, according to industry body International Air Transport Association.
Aviation has yet to see a boost for widebody aircraft, although analysts remain optimistic.
– ‘Busy’: Airbus –
Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, told AFP in Farnborough that “the big problem” for the Franco-German group is delivering aircraft – not expanding the order book.
And he also emphasized that the order situation was “good” – while the airshow was more about exchanging ideas with an important network of suppliers.
“For 2022, the order level at Airbus will be good,” Faury told AFP.
“At Farnborough we spend a lot of time with suppliers – which gives the impression that there is less activity because fewer large orders are announced.
“However, from my point of view it is an air show with a lot of activity.”
Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer added separately that it was “about time” for Boeing to win the order game.
Elsewhere, defense at Farnborough has been a hot topic as nations step up their forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The British government also unveiled the latest advances in its state-of-the-art future fighter jet project Tempest.
Defense deals will be made on the sidelines of the event, but these will not be publicized like commercial deals.
Farnborough, one of the world’s largest civil and defense exhibitions, offers dizzying aerial displays and opens to the public on Friday.
#Boeing #maneuvering #Airbus #Farnborough #time #Covid
