The order of the year in aviation is about to materialize. Airbus and Boeing may be rubbing their hands as Air India is expected to announce its mega-order for 495 aircraft this Friday.
Boeing’s order is for 190 737 MAX narrow-body jets, 20 787 wide-body jets and 10 777X long-range jets, two sources told Reuters. This order would be formalized today.
The second half of the order, which according to industry sources includes 235 single-aisle aircraft and around 40 Airbus A350 widebody aircraft, is expected to be officially completed in the coming days.
The European aircraft manufacturer would thus win the largest part of this contract with 275 aircraft compared to 220 for its American competitor.
The issue of deadlines
Air India, now owned by Indian giant Tata, has never directly confirmed the order, but in a memo to employees on Friday marking the first anniversary of the Tata era, it said it was “finalizing a landmark order for new aircraft to help Her future”. growth”.
It must be said that the company must quickly renew its fleet, its last order for new aircraft dates from 2006 with more than 100 aircraft purchased from Airbus and Boeing, in order to take advantage of the strong recovery in air traffic.
And the ambitions are high: Air India aims to become a “world-class airline (and targets) a 30% market share” as low-cost competition in the country gains significant market share.
It remains to resolve the issue of deadlines. Faced with a still very tense supply chain, Airbus has failed to reach its delivery target in 2022. For Boeing, problems with 777X certification they also risk prolonging delays (which could benefit Airbus).
Air France-KLM orders 7 additional A350s from Airbus
The French-Dutch company acquires three A350-900s for Air France. They must be delivered from 2024. The French company already had orders for 38 aircraft of this type, of which 20 have been delivered.
It also includes four A350Fs for Martinair, the group’s Netherlands-based cargo subsidiary. These aircraft, available from 2026, will replace the fleet of four Boeing 747Fs operated by KLM Cargo and Martinair, according to a press release.
The A350F is the cargo version of the jumbo jet and is scheduled to enter service in 2025. Its CO2 emissions are reduced by more than 40% and its noise footprint is halved compared to the Boeing 747F operated by Air France- KLM.
The amount of this order has not been disclosed but it exceeds two billion dollars, according to the last list price – never applied – communicated by Airbus in 2018.
“The renewal of our fleet and sustainable aviation fuels are the strategic challenge for the coming years” for the group, Anne-Marie Couderc, chairwoman of its board of directors, recalled this Thursday.
Source: BFM TV
