Farnborough International Airshow, the biennial airshow held every even year (with Parish Airshow taking on the odd years), went underway yesterday. The airshow is used by airlines to announce their new initiatives and commercial orders. Here is a roundup of everything that happened on Day 1 of the Farnborough Airshow.

Qatar Airways unveils its new Qsuite Business Class.

Qatar Airways kicked off the airshow by launching the Qsuite Next Gen, scheduled to debut on the carrier’s Boeing 777X in 2025. Here is a detailed post on what to expect.

Boeing takes the lead in commercial orders.

On Day 1, Boeing dominated the order flow and announcements, taking a march over Airbus. Here are the announcements that came our way:

Four Boeing 777F Freighters for National Airlines: National Airlines was the first to place an order. National Airlines ordered four Boeing 777F freighters, adding to the string of recent orders for the type, such as those from Turkish Airlines (four 777Fs) and Emirates SkyCargo (five 777Fs). Deliveries for these orders are expected between 2025 and 2026.

Up to 50 Boeing widebodies for Korean Air: Korean Air announced an order for 20 777X and 30 787-10 aircraft (split between 20 firm orders and ten options). Deliveries of these planes are expected to start in 2028.

1. Up to 4 737 Boeing 737 MAX for Luxair: Luxembourg-based Luxair ordered two firm orders and two options for the 737 MAX 10, the most prominent member of the 737 MAX family. Luxair already has two 737 MAX 8 aircraft, four 737 MAX 7, and two 737 MAX 8 aircraft on order.
2. Up to 20 Boeing 787 aircraft for Japan Airlines: Japan Airlines placed a firm order for ten 787-9 aircraft and another ten options, leaving the choice of the variant open. This order was earlier provisionally announced in March 2024.

For Airbus, there were only two significant orders to take home.

Five A320 family aircraft for Drukair: Airbus announced signing a memorandum of understanding with Drukair – Royal Bhutan Airlines covering three A320neo aircraft and two A321XLR aircraft.

20 A330neos for VietJet Aviation: VietJet Aviation confirmed an order of 20 A330neo aircraft for Airbus, which was signed as an MoU at the Singapore Airshow 2024.

Bottomline

On the first day of the Farnborough Airshow, Boeing took a big lead over Airbus, showcasing its confidence in the aviation market despite its recent troubles. More orders are expected to arrive on Day Two of the airshow. Follow our coverage for more details.

What do you think of day one at the Farnborough Airshow?

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