Boeing Tries to Salvage 787 deal with Emirates at the expense of 777X

On the eve of the Paris Air Show, Dominic Gates of the Seattle Times put out an article where he interviewed Emirates' President Tim Clark.  In the articles Tim Clark did let it be known that Emirates let the LoI for the 40 787-10 lapse and is now using this lapse order as a bargaining chip with Boeing to defer much of the 777X order which numbers 150 aircraft.

According to the articles, Boeing is trying to get the 787 deal back on even if it means deferring a sizable number of 777X to a later date so far out that they will probably never be delivered.  The article also revealed that Emirates may opt for the 787-9 since they ordered the A350-900 and the A330-900NEO when they canceled the A380s.  Boeing is eager to land sales for the 787-10 as the order book for that version of the Dreamliner is still quite weak and as we have seen with Emirates past fleet planning, once they ordered a certain model they tend to be repeat buyers.  It is interesting that Clark insists that he will take delivery of all 150 777X and 40 787s.  However, Emirates financials have been weak and of course there is the recent cancellation of the A380 as proof that Emirates can change it is mind about the future of its fleet.

Lastly, I will be tracking the order action at the Paris Air Show and will be posting a daily tracker of the orders on the blog.  I don't expect that this will be a great show for Boeing given all the bad news with the 737 Max and the recent delays to the start of 777X flight testing and certification.