Airbus’s order backlog for widebody aircraft in the Asia-Pacific leads Boeing’s by eight percentage points, with Airbus having 431 of the region’s 792 confirmed widebody orders.
Flightglobal Ascend’s online database indicates that Airbus has 54% of the future widebody orderbook, compared with Boeing’s 46% share.
A crucial element in Airbus’s lead is the A350 family, particularly the A350-900, which has an overall orderbook in the region of 204 aircraft. Boeing’s 787-9 occupies the number two slot with 126 firm orders in the region, followed by the popular A330-300 with 115 orders.
Among long-range, high-capacity types, the 777-300ER has a backlog of 79 aircraft in the region. Despite the two airframers’ gamble that Asia-Pacific carriers will require ultra-large aircraft to connect major hubs, the A380-800 has a regional backlog of just 38, while the 747-8I’s backlog is a mere 15.
On a country basis, Singapore dominates the region’s widebody backlog. Operators based in the city state have firm orders for 141 widebodies, mainly owing to Singapore Airlines' 121-strong orderbook for a range of types comprising A330-300s, A350s, and 787s. In addition, its long-haul low-cost unit, Scoot, will receive 20 787s from 2014 to 2017.
Japan has the second most widebody orders, with 126, followed by Hong Kong, with 97. Chinese operators have 77 widebodies on order, while Indian operators have just 35.
In regard to deliveries, Ascend indicates that there are still 30 widebodies due for delivery to Asia-Pacific operators in 2013, with 164 aircraft to follow in 2014, 130 in 2015, 98 in 2016, and 92 and 2017. After this, the order backlog gradually tapers until 2024, when just four aircraft are scheduled for delivery.
Source: Flight International
