By Jack Harty / Published July 31, 2014
Today, Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) finalized an order for 40 widebody airplanes – 20 777-9Xs, 14 787-9 Dreamliners and six 777-300ERs (Extended Range) – as part of the airline’s strategic long-haul fleet renewal plan. The order is valued at approximately $13 billion at list prices, and it was originally announced as a commitment in March.
“The aircraft we have selected will enable us to modernize and expand our fleet further as we seek to become one of the world’s leading airline groups,” said Shinichiro Ito, president and CEO, ANA Holdings. “These new aircraft will give us maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency, and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.”
“This order from ANA demonstrates the strength of our 50-year partnership and we are proud to make history with ANA once again,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “We are honored that ANA has decided to continue operating an all-Boeing widebody fleet that consists of 767s, 787s, 777s and now the new 777X family of airplanes.”
In March, ANA announced that it would place firm orders for 70 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Airbus won the narrow-body battle as the carrier ordered seven A320neo and 23 A321neo single aisle aircraft. However, Boeing took home the wide-body order.
The new Boeing aircraft will be used predominantly on international routes.
The carrier chose the 777-9X in part because it boasts a 15% larger seating capacity when compared to the current generation 777-300. Since the -X program is not scheduled to gain full traction until late in the decade, the carrier bought a handful of current generation 777-300ERs.
ANA says the “introduction of these new aircraft will help it respond to the needs of the increasing number of passengers expected to arrive in Japan in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and will support the Japanese government’s plans to boost the annual total of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million.”
To date, this order is the biggest in the airline’s history, and Boeing still continues to dominate the carrier’s long haul fleet. The carrier was the launch customer of the 787, and it plans to have a fleet of approximately 80 787s once all of its orders have been delivered.
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Contact the author at Jack.Harty@Airchive.com.
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