The “firm order” will see Virgin Atlantic buy eight of the aircraft for delivery from 2019 and lease a further four from 2020. It also has a lease option for a fifth aircraft. Terms were not disclosed.
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The aircraft will operate on both business and leisure routes for Virgin Atlantic worldwide with a base at both London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Boeing and the British Government announced a long-term partnering initiative to advance growth and prosperity, including 2,000 new Boeing jobs to be created in the UK, the intent to build a new £100 million ($135 million) P-8A Poseidon facility at RAF Lossiemouth, increased Boeing capital investment in the UK and additional bidding opportunities on Boeing programs for UK suppliers.
Boeing received orders and commitments for 101 737 MAX series aircraft, generating potentially $11 billion in sales.
ALC has 180 jets on order with Boeing, which represents the company’s largest backlog for any leasing customer. The plane, first delivered in 2007, never won broad acceptance but rather accumulated estimated production costs of about $28 billion that will never be made up.
Boeing and Standard Chartered Bank announced that the financial institution ordered 10 737-800s in a deal valued at $960 million.
Airbus, which traditionally fights U.S. rival Boeing for blockbuster order announcements at Farnborough, southwest of London, revealed a $4.4-billion (3.9-billion-euro) firm order from Virgin Atlantic for 12 wide-bodied Airbus A350-1000 jets.
For its part, Boeing announced that China’s Donghai Airlines meant to buy 30 jets – comprising 25 medium-haul 737 Max 8s and 5 long-haul 787-9 Dreamliners – together worth more than $4.0 billion.
Airbus sprinted toward deals worth $20 billion to seize the initiative at a rain-soaked Farnborough Airshow on Tuesday, but industry executives said the mostly lackluster event confirmed a recent boom in aerospace orders was finally fizzling out.
In a sign of mounting competition in the single-aisle market, Boeing said it would redesign the smallest version of its 737 MAX plane, increasing seating to 150 by adding 12 seats. The engine is on track for entry into service in mid-2016 on the initial A320neo and will provide operators with a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, with an equivalent reduction in Carbon dioxide emissions; a 50 percent margin to new emissions regulations; a dramatically lower noise signature; and CFM’s industry leading reliability and low overall operating costs.
Europe’s Airbus and US rival Boeing have enjoyed years of strong growth thanks to rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient models.
The world’s two biggest aircraft manufacturers defied economic headwinds at the Farnborough trade show on Monday, as they announced new deals and raised their demand forecasts.
WOW air has signed a firm order for four A321s and become a new Airbus customer with its first direct purchase agreement with Airbus.
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Boeing said it expected passenger traffic to rise by 4.8% a year in the next two decades.
