All Nippon Airways, a Boeing stalwart for many years, on 27 March placed a series of tentative commitments that will have disappointed and pleased Airbus in almost equal measure.
The heart of the fleet replacement programme is a deal – still to be firmed up – for six current-generation 777-300ERs and 20 Boeing 777-9Xs, with the latter to replace the 19 existing 777-300ERs in its fleet. It will also take 14 additional 787-9s, bringing its total Dreamliner fleet to 80.
That Airbus, buoyed by an earlier commitment from rival Japan Airlines for its A350-1000, even considered ANA a possible sales target shows something of the state of play in Asia – particularly on the back of the issues experienced with the 787’s introduction. The deal was there for Boeing to lose, it seemed.
But in the end, ANA’s deep ties with Boeing, Japanese industry’s equally strong relationship with the airframer – and the performance promised by the 777X – seem to have won out.
Although Toulouse will no doubt be disappointed at the outcome, ANA did offer it a crumb of comfort with its narrowbody fleet renewal, through a deal for seven A320neos and 23 A321neos, maintaining the re-engined narrowbody’s advantage over the rival 737 Max.
Airbus will be pleased to have dislodged Boeing as ANA’s single-aisle vendor, having lost out to the US manufacturer a decade ago. That 2003 737 deal was a surprise at the time, as ANA was already established as an A320 customer and had been expected to stick with Airbus.
The airline retains 15 A320s delivered in the 1990s, but the majority of its narrowbody fleet comprises 737NGs, with 37 in service, Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database shows.
However, orders for the 777X series were already outstripping those for the A350-1000. Airbus order data to the end of February lists 189 commitments for the -1000, while – assuming the ANA deal is firmed – Boeing has already garnered 300 orders for the revamped 777.
To an extent, the A350-1000 does not compete directly with the 777-9X, ceding around 30 seats and 200nm (370km) of range to its rival, but Airbus will nonetheless have pitched it to ANA. Save for the A380, it could offer nothing else.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
