International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, has confirmed a record long-haul aircraft order from Airbus and Boeing for 71 aircraft. This includes the 18 aircraft ordered in March.
British Airways will receive the bulk of this order, with the remainder allocated to Iberia, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL. This is one of the largest widebody aircraft orders ever made by a European airline or airline group.
Talks with Boeing and Airbus had already been underway for 18 months, and the new US-UK trade deal did not directly influence purchases (even though the announcement came shortly after).
One-third of the new orders are for growth, while the rest are earmarked for replacing older jets, or, in the case of LEVEL, replacing short-term leases. The group is still seeing resilient demand for air travel across all markets, particularly in premium cabins.
In this post:
What’s On Order for British Airways?
In total, British Airways now has 44 long-haul aircraft on order, including 32 Boeing 787-10s, which are a mainstay for future long-haul operations and have better fuel efficiency. These will add to the 13 787-10 planes BA already has, which feature 8 seats in First, 48 in Business, 35 in Premium Economy, and 165 in Economy (the new aircraft configurations have yet to be confirmed).
These new orders follow orders already placed in March this year, and announced today, including:
- 6 Airbus A350-1000s: A ‘top-up’ to be used on routes that don’t require First Class.
- 6 Boeing 777-9s: Still pending certification, the 777-9x will become BA’s largest twinjet.
British Airways has also secured the option to purchase up to 10 additional Boeing 787s.
General Electric engines will power all Boeing aircraft in this order, while the Airbus fleet will use Rolls-Royce engines.
The new aircraft will replace ageing jets, particularly the Boeing 777-200ERs, which have an average age of 21, and grow BA’s long-haul capacity. Deliveries will range from 2028 to 2033 (subject to shareholder approval in June), with some early arrivals (including A350S and 777-9s) expected as soon as 2027.
What About the Rest of IAG?
Other IAG airlines are also benefiting. 21 Airbus A330-900neos will be allocated across Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
This new order follows orders already placed in March of 6 Airbus A350-900s headed for Iberia. The group has also retained purchase rights for 13 additional A330-900neos.
Luis Gallego, IAG’s CEO, said:
“This order marks another milestone in our strategy and transformation programme and underlines our commitment to strengthening our airline brands and enhancing our customer proposition. Looking ahead to the next decade, these new aircraft will enable us to strengthen our core markets and further improve our customer experience, while continuing to drive long-term value for our shareholders.”
The announcement also comes just after IAG released its Q1 results, which included 9.6% revenue growth.
Luis Gallego commented on the results:
“Our strong first quarter results reflect the performance of our businesses and the effectiveness of our strategy and transformation. We continue to deliver on our industry-leading financial targets”.
“We remain focused on strengthening our broad portfolio of market-leading brands across our core markets of the North Atlantic, Latin America and intra-Europe”.
Production and Improvements
The announcement comes amid Boeing’s efforts to restore production confidence. They are aiming to increase the output of the 737 MAX to 38 aircraft per month, following a turbulent 2024 marred by quality control issues and executive shake-ups.
The new planes are expected to improve the onboard experience, increase efficiency, and enable increased frequency on major routes and the launch of new long-haul destinations.
What do you think about this order? Let us know in the comments below:
