Airbus and Boeing reach sky-high orders as Farnborough Airshow begins to wind down
Leading plane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing have won combined orders for nearly 1,000 aircraft at the Farnborough AirShow so far this week, as the UK’s biggest calendar event for the aerospace and defence sector draws to a close.
In a week-long competition to land multi-billion dollar deals, Boeing beat Airbus to the top spot with 528 new orders and commitments at the Airshow, boosted by a renewed rise in air cargo markets.
However, Airbus secured orders and commitments for 431 aircraft, with a late order from AirAsia pushing numbers up yesterday morning. Both plane manufacturers have enjoyed a strong take-up of orders during the week, fueled largely by a string of unidentified buyers.
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Boeing said yesterday it had won an order for 100 737 MAX planes worth $11 billion (£8.5bn) from an unidentified buyer.
In the first four days of the Airshow, a total of roughly 1400 commercial aircraft have been ordered at an estimated value of around £150bn.
Eric Schulz, chief commercial officer at Airbus, said: “Our year to date and our end of show commitments confirm the strong market appetite for all our leading aircraft product families.”
President and chief executive of Boeing Dennis Muilenburg said: “Boeing led the way at Farnborough, demonstrating value for our customers, capturing important new business in products and services, and announcing the unique strength of our strategic partnership with Embraer.”
Muilenburg added: “We will continue to win in the marketplace thanks to our talented team, who innovate across our enterprise with One Boeing collaboration and deliver on our proven portfolio with relentless customer focus.”
The mammoth orders brought in by the two plane makers came in the same week as the UK government unveiled its plans for a sixth-generation fighter jet.
Named “The Tempest”, the new fighter aircraft is part of a long-awaited combat air strategy aimed at bolstering the UK’s defence capabilities post-Brexit.