OSLO: Boeing Co. widened its lead over Airbus Group SE at the Paris Air Show with a $15 billion second-day haul of deals for its single-aisle planes, the most widely flown aircraft type in the global airline fleet.
A 100-jet order for Boeing’s 737 Max from AerCap Holdings NV boosted the U.S. company’s odds of claiming bragging rights on Airbus’s home turf at the industry’s biggest trade event. Boeing orders and commitments had a list value of $33.5 billion to Airbus’s $16.4 billion, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.
“This is a big day for us, it’s a real highlight of the show,” said Ray Conner, the head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft unit. Buyers typically get discounts off published prices.
Korean Air Lines Co. and lessor SMBC Aviation Capital together netted Boeing 40 planned sales of the 737 Max, the upgraded version of the planemaker’s top-selling model. SMBC and AerCap will get the Max 8, while Korean Air’s Max 8 agreement includes “substitution rights” for the larger Max 9.
“Boeing’s announcements so far at the Paris Air Show are somewhat better than expected,” Cai von Rumohr, a Cowen & Co. analyst, wrote in a note to clients, citing commercial demand and sales of the C-17 military transport. He rates Boeing as outperform.
