The quality issues of Boeing have attracted the attention of the entire industry, leading to a sharp decline in its aircraft sales. The latest data shows that Boeing has only sold 14 new aircraft in the past month, of which only 3 are civilian passenger planes; The total aircraft orders in the first half of this year decreased by 70% year-on-year.
The biggest crisis facing Boeing is the difficulty in rebuilding the safety reputation of its aircraft. However, despite the difficulties, there is no way out, and a new village is emerging.
According to industry sources, South Korea's largest airline, Korean Air, may place a large order with Boeing at the Farnborough Airshow in July, planning to purchase 20-30 Boeing 777X jets.
According to market trends, the value of each aircraft is approximately 198 million US dollars. According to this estimate, the value of this transaction will reach 4-6 billion US dollars. In March, Korean Air had already ordered 33 A350 aircraft from Airbus.
Layout of Korean Air
At present, Korean Air is in the process of acquiring another smaller domestic airline in South Korea, Asiana Airlines, with plans to acquire approximately two-thirds of its shares for $1.4 billion. In February, the European Union had already approved this transaction, and Korean Air stated that the United States may approve it in October.
According to previous reports, the alliance with Asiana Airlines will bring Korean Air the highly sought after Airbus jet wide body aircraft A350. Korean Air does not operate its own A350 aircraft, but there are already 15 A350s in the Hana Air fleet, and an additional 15 have been ordered but not yet delivered.
As of the end of last year, Korean Air had nearly 160 aircraft and about 100 aircraft were yet to be delivered.
Due to the optimistic outlook on the tourism industry and the manufacturing capacity of aircraft manufacturers in short supply, airlines have increased their demand for wide body aircraft. But due to quality issues with Boeing, many airlines have had to turn to Airbus.
At the same time, Korean Air hopes to simplify its fleet and reduce costs before merging with Asiana Airlines, so it may take more actions in addition to changing its fleet composition.
In June of this year, Walter Cho, Chairman of Korean Air, also stated that he was weighing whether to choose the Boeing 787 or more Airbus A350. But industry sources say that since then, Korean Air has once again turned its attention to Boeing's 777X model, but the contract is still under negotiation and does not guarantee a smooth completion in July.
However, industry analysts believe that if the deal is successful, it will significantly help Boeing reopen its sales channels.
The Boeing 777X is the largest twin engine jet aircraft in the industry, capable of carrying approximately 400 passengers. It is also the latest model developed by Boeing, but its launch has been postponed for five years due to certification delays and other issues.