FARNBOROUGH — The absence of flying activity at Boeing this year was understandable, but the quiet show for Airbus was somewhat surprising. Record sales for its flagship aircraft, especially the A320 and A350 families, combined with supply chain constraints in interiors and engines, have left most airlines with limited options from Airbus. Currently available are mainly the A220s or A330neos.
Virgin Atlantic announced the purchase of seven more A330-900s to retire its older A330-300 aircraft. This announcement coincided with the airline’s 40th anniversary celebration at Farnborough.
Japan Airlines (JAL) signed for 11 A321neos and added 20 new A350-900 aircraft for its international routes. These additions will complement JAL’s existing international A350-1000 fleet and domestic A350-900 aircraft. Additionally, a single A350-900 is on order to replace an aircraft involved in a January 2024 crash at Tokyo Haneda. Deliveries are set to start in 2028.
Nakagawa Yukio, JAL executive officer and senior vice president for procurement, explained that the A321neos are intended to replace the Boeing 767-300ER aircraft used domestically. Nakagawa stated there “is no direct replacement” for these aircraft.
Regarding a middle-of-the-market aircraft often discussed a decade ago, JAL has enough long-haul 787-8 aircraft to potentially reconfigure domestically around either side of the 767-300ER’s capacity.
Airbus offers flexibility to move between models within its families of aircraft, aiding airlines in adjusting to changing demand requirements. This flexibility allows airlines to make firm orders for smaller family members like the A320neo and decide closer to delivery dates whether they want larger or upgraded versions.
Runway Girl Network asked Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus’ commercial aircraft business, about lead times for changing between various A320neo family models between order and delivery.
“I can’t give you a precise answer,” Scherer told RGN. “But considering the strength of our backlog, which now extends into 2031, we have ample time for airline customers to make the determination as to whether or not they want to quote-unquote upgrade to the XLR capability or not.”
Nakagawa also mentioned that JAL has yet to select interiors and seats for their new aircraft. The current long-haul A350-1000s feature custom Safran Seats UK first class and launched Unity platform in business class.
Safran’s Unity seat debuted on JAL’s A350-1000s. As of early April, Safran was finishing up business class seats for shipset six while first-class seats had already departed for Toulouse. However, even by late July, JAL could not provide a delivery date for their fourth aircraft due to ongoing supply chain issues affecting nearly all airlines.
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Featured image credited to John Walton
