Page 6 - PARIS AIRSHOW 2023 INSIGHT | GBP

range, isn’t yet a profitable program, and demand for international travel rapidly coming back, more than
having a larger version would not only give the a few carriers will be looking at the aircraft with more than pass-
company a worthy challenger for the Boeing ing interest.
737 MAX 8 but also lower overall production
costs per aircraft. On the flip side, a larger Overall, Airbus remains comfortably placed, with a backlog of
A220 variant would unwittingly become a 7,202 aircraft compared to Boeing’s 4,567 aircraft, but after
competitor for the 150-seat A320neo. its forgettable performance in Farnborough, the company will
be keen to walk away from the ongoing show with a slew of
Boeing is promoting its newest commercial orders. Delta Air Lines, which is looking to replace a combined
jets 737-Max 10 and 777-9, both of which are fleet of more than 100 older A330 and 767 jets, is reportedly in
making their show debut. The 737 Max-10, talks withthe plane manufacturer for a significant wide-body air-
which was launched at the 2017 edition of the craft orderthat involves both A350 and A330neo twin-aisle jets.
Paris Air Show, is designed to carry a maxi- However, it is not a given that the news will be announced over
mum of 230 passengers. The aircraft has not the course of the week. Success could come Boeing’s way from
completed its certification process yet, but the the Middle East at the current show, with Riyadh Air looking to
company expects it to compete well against purchase around 150 737 Max aircraft and Turkish Airlines eyeing
the Airbus A321neo, which has a maximum a massive order of up to 600 aircraft, including both Boeing and
passenger capacity of 244. According to the Airbus jets. Indian carriers could end up hogging the headlines
company, the 737-10 will provide operators as well, with IndiGo have gone public with its plans to order 500
with more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and aircraft and Akasa also looking at a triple-digit order.
the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle
airplane. The aircraft type has already met Springing a Surprise
with an enthusiastic response from carriers
around the world, including Delta Air Lines, Farnborough 2022 threw a surprise, with Embraer stealing the
Ryanair and Ukrainian SkyUp. Do not be sur- limelight with orders for as many as 280 aircraft, 35 more than
prised if the company finishes the show with Boeing and streets ahead of Airbus that ended the show with
a few more significant orders for the aircraft. orders for 29 new aircraft. Both Airbus and Boeing seem to have
In the 777-9, which can carry 426 passengers warmed up nicely for the main event of the year, if sales in May
up to 7,285 nautical miles, the company has are anything to go by. While the European plane maker delivered
a clear winner in the long-haul market. With 63 aircraft, Boeing handed over more than 50 jets last month, up
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