Boeing, Airbus notch up score new billion-dollar
LE BOURGET: Global airliner rivals Boeing and Airbus notched up new orders from Algeria and the Philippines at the Paris Air Show Tuesday, after the European manufacturer snagged the biggest-ever single civilian contract.
LE BOURGET: A Boeing 777x is displayed at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport, on June 20, 2023. - AFP.
Philippine Airlines will buy nine of Airbus’ A350-1000 widebody planes, while Air Algerie snapped up eight of Boeing’s medium-haul 737 MAX-9 aircraft. At list prices – usually higher than discounted bulk orders – the Airbus deal is worth $3.3 billion and Boeing’s $1.0 billion. With both plane builders’ order books well stocked, Philippine Airlines can expect delivery from 2025 while Air Algeria will have to wait until 2027.
Faced with growing demand for long-haul planes, Airbus is pushing to increase production of the A350, its latest airliner, setting a target of nine per month by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Boeing’s sales of the 737-MAX appear to be hauling it out of a slump triggered by both COVID and the aircraft’s lengthy grounding after two fatal crashes. Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair in May ordered 300 of the planes. Earlier Tuesday, Australian carrier Qantas confirmed it would buy nine of Airbus’ smaller A220 jets, the manufacturer said.
Tuesday’s deals have yet to match the 500-plane order made with Airbus by Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo, at a list price of $55 billion. Those planes from the A320 family are not expected to be delivered until 2030-35. Defense in focus Military and civilian aircraft streaked across the sky as the Paris Air Show returned after a four-year COVID-induced hiatus, with a big crowd including Ukrainian military officials and the French president. Organizers have billed the biennial event as the “recovery airshow” after the coronavirus ravaged the sector and the event was cancelled in 2021.
LE BOURGET: The cockpit of a Boeing 737 Max is seen during the International Paris Air Show at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport, on June 20, 2023. – AFP.
This year’s airshow has a new focus on defense following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with the industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, with French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in a helicopter partly using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Huge traffic jams around Le Bourget airport outside Paris were testament to the interest in this year’s show, as aircraft makers field hundreds of orders and airlines brace for a near-record number of passengers this year. The Ukraine conflict has also prompted countries to step up military spending, which could benefit aerospace defense firms.
While Russia has been excluded from the event, Ukrainian military officials toured the huge exhibition space at Paris-Le Bourget airport, some taking photos of missiles on display. Le Bourget offers a forum to announce deals with some 2,500 firms lining up to show off their latest planes, drones, helicopters and prototypes such as flying taxis. Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, who heads France’s aerospace industry association GIFAS, called it “the return of the good old times of the excitement of the show”.
Macron was welcomed as he opened the event with an aerial display including Airbus’ latest A321 XLR airliner, civilian and military helicopters and a jet fighter. Businesspeople and uniformed military visitors from around the world watched the action or headed into the guarded private spaces of the major firms’ stands. With 125,000 square meters of exhibition space – the equivalent of nearly 18 soccer pitches – around 320,000 visitors are expected during the week-long event.
Big deals Along with the Farnborough airshow in England, which takes place in even numbered years, Le Bourget is a key sales event for the civil and defense industries. Airbus and rival Boeing compete fiercely in announcing orders for aircraft running into the billions of dollars. Both industry heavyweights are also battling to solidify supply chains as they increase production to meet growing demand. At least 158 planes, helicopters and drones will be on display, from the latest long-haul commercial jets to the F-35, a US stealth fighter.- AFP.
