Boeing’s new aircraft and innovative technologies attracted customers, partners, government officials and media at the 2012 Farnborough International Airshow.
The show saw the first flying display of the innovative 787 Dreamliner in Qatar Airways livery and the new Enduring Awareness Pavilion, a display of advanced command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Customer demand for the 737 family of airplanes – including the new 737 MAX – continued to grow this week. Leasing company customers Air Lease Corporation, GECAS, ALAFCO and Avolon announced orders and commitments at the show for 220 737 family airplanes.
In addition, United Airlines also announced today in Chicago an historic order for 150 737 airplanes, including 100 737 MAX 9s and 50 Next-Generation 737-900ERs. The deal, worth $14.7 billion at list prices, brought the world’s most popular single-aisle jetliner’s total order book to more than 10,000 to date, an industry record.
Over the past week, customers have announced orders and commitments for 396 airplanes, valued at more than $37 billion. The number of Boeing net orders for 2012 currently stands at 691, and the 737 MAX has accumulated 649 orders to date.
Boeing announced during the show key partnerships with Embraer (weapons integration for A-29 Super Tucano) and Elbit Systems (collaboration on Hermes unmanned airborne systems). The company also shared plans for the 2012 ecoDemonstrator, an American Airlines 737-800 that will be used as a flying testbed to accelerate environmentally progressive technologies. New Boeing offerings for defense and security customers unveiled at the show include a medium-sized Maritime Surveillance Aircraft and the introduction of the Intelligent Sensor Camera System, that fully integrates video processing capability.
Other highlights at the show were the presence of a Korean Air 737-900ER with the new Boeing Sky Interior; the multi-role F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter; the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor; the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter; the F-15E Eagle fighter and the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter.
Boeing also highlighted its services portfolio, a growing market segment projected to reach $2.4 trillion on the commercial side over the next 20 years. The 2012 Pilot & Technician Outlook forecasts a 20-year demand for more than a million commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians. The company signed a long-term agreement with TUI Travel to cover complete fleet training for Thomson Airways, including its new 787 Dreamliners.
