Boeing has reduced its commercial aircraft presence at the Farnborough air show later this month, versus previous years, and has decided not to participate in the exhibition's airliner flying display amid the company's efforts to improve quality and safety.
The US airframer says it will show a sectional cabin mock-up for its in-development 777X programme and include a Qatar Airways 787-9 in the static display. Activities for Boeing Commercial Airplanes will additionally cover the company's ecoDemonstrator test aircraft, freighter line and joint X-66 sustainable flight demonstrator programme with NASA, it says.
At last year's Paris air show and previous a Farnborough in 2022, Boeing had included test aircraft for its in-development 777-9 and 737 Max 10 programmes in daily flying displays. "We are concentrated on implementing our comprehensive safety and quality plan and meeting our customer commitments. With these priorities in mind, we have reduced our commercial airplanes display and flight demonstrations at the show, and will focus on new technology, sustainability, security and services solutions," states Boeing Global president Brendan Nelson. "The best way to build trust," he adds, "is through high-quality performance in our factories, one airplane at a time." Boeing will include F-15QA fighter jets in flying displays at Farnborough air show during 22-26 July. A US Air Force F-15E, US Army AH-64E Apache and CH-47F Chinook helicopters, and a US Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft will be on static display.

Fitch Ratings has withdrawn its rating of SriLankan Airlines' $175 million government-guaranteed 7% unsecured bonds due 25 June 2024, citing "commercial reasons". In a 15 July update, it adds Fitch will "no longer provide ratings or analytical coverage for SriLankan Airlines". In the same commentary, the ratings agency affirms the bonds at 'C', on the basis that it sees "average- to below-average recovery prospects following a default". The airline has missed multiple coupon payments since 2022, triggering events of default. Most recently, it did not pay the interest and principal amount due 25 June, triggering another event of default, but is still within the 30-day grace period. In a 20 June filing to the Singapore exchange, the carrier said it would communicate with bondholders to reach a "mutually agreeable solution". The Sri Lankan government announced in March that it had taken over around $312 million of the carrier's debt owed to Sri Lankan banks, which left the bonds as the next largest debt holding for the carrier. SriLankan is, in the meantime, undergoing a privatisation process.

Airbus has projected that the number of aircraft in service globally will hit 48,230 in 2043, representing a near-doubling from the 24,240 in operation at the start of 2024. Last year, the European airframer forecast that by 2042, the global fleet of 100-plus-seat passenger aircraft and freighters would total 46,560. Demand for newly delivered aircraft in the period will be 42,430 across the period to 2043 – around 80% of them narrowbodies – which compares with a 20-year forecast of 40,850 last year. The remainder will be aircraft that have already been delivered and will still be in service. Included in its projections is a subtle shift toward widebodies, although single-aisles will remain dominant. Of the new aircraft demand to 2043, Airbus now expects that 33,510 will be single-aisle and 8,920 widebodies, which equates to increases on last year of 2.6% and 8.9%, respectively. The projections are based on route-and-flow analysis which, Airbus head of business analysis and market forecasts Bob Lange says, "gives us a view on whether a route is likely to be operated by a widebody or single-aisle, or in the cusp between the two". With widebodies being used on short- as well as long-haul routes, he adds, "more widebodies [are] coming up in that mix, and from that point we see that balance tipping that way. "It doesn't mean that it's cast in stone, and it's something we can see consolidating in regions. Some [widebody demand] may go towards the [A321]XLR – we don't know, it's not in service yet." The airframer projects that orders will begin to shift geographically, reflecting the speed at which different regions emerged from the pandemic and airlines have been able to re-establish themselves financially. "For an airline to order aircraft, they need to have their balance sheet in good shape," notes Lange. "One of the things we've seen is the US came out [of Covid] fastest, and US airlines returned to profit fastest, and we've seen a lot of aircraft orders from the US. As we look at the order potential for the future, let's look more at the parts of the world that are still recovering, that haven't been as profitable, and that haven't taken their re-fleeting decisions." The need to replace older aircraft is a key demand driver, which, Airbus asserts, is the most efficient way to drive environmental and economic performance. The latest aircraft generation now account for around 30% of the global fleet, and the short-term priority for decarbonisation "includes to replace the remaining 70%". Baked into Airbus's projections are an ongoing spurt in air passenger demand as airlines continue to recover from the pandemic. The manufacturer believes that over the next three years demand will rise on average by around 8.4%, as measured by RPKs, amounting to a "short-term strong recovery". After that, passenger demand will slow to an average of 3.6% until 2043, led by demand from China and India, which will have the effect of "further shifting aviation's centre of gravity towards Asia". Passenger demand is in turn underpinned by the expansion of the global economy, led by a growing middle class and improved infrastructure, particularly in Asia. "People want and need to fly. Aviation connects people, is a catalyst for trade, enables commerce, and supports communities," states Airbus.