Half of the year has already gone by. Just six months and so many events. Launches of new aircraft, first flights, technological achievements. And Paris Air Show 2019. And some tragic accidents which claimed the lives of hundreds. And all of these took place here, in aviation.
One of the hottest topics in the sector, however, surrounds Airbus and Boeing duopoly. What are their results? What is the impact of the Boeing 737 MAX crisis on the overall business performance? Let’s see.
Will this Year Be Disastrous for Boeing?
Since the 737 MAX crisis, which burst out after the fatal Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash in March, 2019, the company has entered severe turbulence. The global 737 MAX fleet grounded in the end of March is still on the ground, airlines are demanding compensations, the planemaker is lacking space to store the newly-manufactured planes, etc.
But beyond all these problems, there is the major one. Luck of trust in the most promising Boeing aircraft program, 737 MAX.
It could be concluded on the basis of the report released by the company. In the course of six months, the company secured only 108 gross orders. With all the changes and cancellations, currently the net orders are even negative, a total of minus 119.
Although during the Paris Air Show 2019 Boeing has received a confidence boost from the International Airlines Group which signed a letter of intent to order 200 versions of these planes, the future still looks gloomy.
Deliveries were also week. A 37% drop during the first half of 2019. The company, which held the title of being the world’s biggest planemaker, managed to deliver only 239 commercial aircraft. This number includes not only single-aisle planes, but also widebodies.
For comparison, last year Boeing delivered a total of 806 commercial jets. 580 out of 806 were 737 program aircraft. As for now, for all the programs deliveries stand at 239. Thus, full year forecast seems to be not very promising.
Nevertheless, right after the problems with 737 MAX occurred, Boeing launched a new aircraft, 777X. Although the debut was silent and internal in respect to the tragic events, the manufacturer is working hard. Amid problems and with this plane as well, the certification date is nearing. Airlines are hungrily eyeing the newcomer. Maybe this will serve as a remedy for MAX issues.
Airbus Is Leading the Race
Going steady and confidently, Airbus has set itself as a leader. Speaking globally, Airbus did not take an advantage of Boeing losses, the company was working in a regular mode. Although managed to launch several new aircraft programs and even go for maiden flights.
The orders’ front looks a bit better than Boeing’s. 213 gross orders with a total of 88 net orders (with all the changes and cancellations) for the half of the year. But this is not a number to be extremely proud of. Slowdown in orders and weakening demand for new planes seems to be noticeable worldwide.
Important to highlight that most of the orders were placed during the Paris Air Show 2019 for the newly launched Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
What concerns deliveries, the results are really great. As of 20 July, there were 389 Airbus aircraft delivered worldwide. While Boeing struggled with deliveries of its 737 program, Airbus was actively supplementing its customers with the desired single aisle planes from A320 family. 315 units!
What the future will look like, it is difficult to determine. Aviation is too dynamic to predict much.