Airbus beats Boeing: Air France-KLM orders 50 A350s to renew long-haul fleet

These are. One of the largest orders in recent years from a European company or group, the one announced by Air France-KLM, which will take delivery of 50 Airbus A350-900s and A350-1000s between 2026 and 20230. The agreement with the European manufacturer also includes an option to purchase an additional 40 airplanes of the same type.

The economic value of this order is truly monstrous: more than $16 billion. Although normally these list prices are heavily discounted in such cases, but billion plus billion minus we are talking about an investment that aims to strengthen the position of the Franco-Dutch company in the skies of Europe and around the world.

The order for 50 new aircraft

The order is in addition to the one the Franco-Dutch group had already placed for 41 Airbus A350-900s, all destined for Air France and in the process of being delivered (a few days ago the 22nd aircraft arrived at the Paris Charles De Gaulle base). "This new order is a key step in the renewal of our group's fleet. Since its entry into service in 2019, the A350 has performed very well and is a machine highly appreciated by both our crews and our passengers," explained Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith

The new aircraft will replace Airbus A330s and the most 'dated' of the Boeing 777s in service with the two companies, although it was not specified how many aircraft will adopt Air France's livery and how many KLM's. The latter, by the way, has just begun an operation to upgrade the interiors of its Boeing 777-200ER and -300ER aircraft, with The introduction, in particular, of new Business Class and Premium Economy cabins. The same operation is underway on the Air France regarding the Boeing 777-300ER fleet. and Airbus A350-900s.

Current fleets

To date, Air France has 61 Boeing 777-200ERs and -300ERs in service with an average age of 17.4 years; of these, the 200ERs are the oldest, while some of the -300ERs are just 6-7 years old. In contrast, the 14 A330-200s have an average age of close to 21 years.

On the KLM side, there are still 6 A330-200s in service with an average age approaching 20 years and 5 A330-300s with half as many years on their shoulders. The Boeing 777-200ERs are between 16 and 19 years old while the 777-300ERs have an average age of around 10 years, but the two newest ones have been in service for just two years.

When the delivery of the 50 new aircraft is completed in 2030, the Air France-KLM group will have a fleet of 99 Airbus A350s, making it the world's largest operator of that type of aircraft. For Airbus, order represents a major victory over rival Boeing, because it means that, Instead of focusing on Boeing 777-X, one of the world's largest groups has decided to renew its long-haul fleet, which includes a large number of Boeing aircraft, with products from Airbus.

For Boeing, this is theYet another flop for the 777-X program, whose uncertainty related to the timing of the airplane's certification and the start of deliveries has prompted many airlines in recent years to choose larger versions of Boeing 787s or, indeed, A350s to replace their aging Boeing 777s.

Air Canada prefers Dreamliners

On the day Airbus was able to celebrate the order it received from AF-KL, the American manufacturer consoled itself by announcing the order received from Air Canada for 18 (plus 12 options) Boeing 787-10, the most capacious version of the Dreamliner, with deliveries scheduled to begin in late 2025.

Currently, the Canadian carrier already has 30 Boeing 787-9s and 8 Boeing 787-10s in service, and with the arrival of the 787-10, it would join the small group of airlines (which includes All Nippon Airways and British Airways, among others) that have all three versions of the Dreamliner in their fleets.

The new aircraft will most likely replace the oldest of the Airbus A330-300s in service with the Canadian carrier, which have an average age of more than 20 years, and older examples of the Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 fleet.

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