Boeing took the spotlight on the first day of the Farnborough air show 2024. Interestingly, the major order announcements regarding the American manufacturer come from east Asia. First came the Korean Air order for 50 planes, then Japan Airlines. JAL didn’t go big as Korean did, but its order is just as interesting to talk about.
In this post:
- JAL Orders Up To 20 New Boeing 787s
- The Unique Need For Wide Body Planes of The Japanese Market
- Sign up to my newsletter
JAL Orders Up To 20 New Boeing 787s
Japan Airlines, or JAL, has announced that it will be purchasing up to 20 more 787s. The order is specifically for 10 787-9, on firm order, with options for 10 more of the type.
That brings the grand total of Boeing planes on order for JAL to:
- 10 Boeing 787-9
- 21 Boeing 737 MAX
JAL has opted for the 787-9 variant which, of the Dreamliners, is the one that possesses the longest range. A compromise between capacity and range.
The Unique Need For Wide Body Planes of The Japanese Market
Japanese carriers really use their planes to the maximum. There is no other aviation market with the unique needs of the east Asian country. Airlines operate frequent and high-capacity routes between major cities. That means that planes go through many more pressurisation cycles than they world anywhere else. That is particularly true for the wide body planes that are usually associated only to long range services.
Therefore, as you might have guessed, keeping the fleet young is of key importance for Japanese carriers. That’s why it is uncommon to see frequent wide body orders coming from Japan for both Airbus and Boeing planes.
Just think that Boeing in the early ’90s went out of its way to design a specific variant of the 747-400 for the Japanese market. A