Airbus Secures Monumental A350 Order from JAL
JAL plans to take the first of 31 Airbus A350s in 2019. (Photo: Airbus)
JAL plans to take the first of 31 Airbus A350s in 2019. (Photo: Airbus)

In a serious blow to Boeing, Japan Airlines (JAL) has signed a purchase agreement covering 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s worth $9.5 billion at list prices. The deal, which also includes options on another 25 of the mostly composite widebodies, marks the first order from Japan for the A350 and Airbus’s first-ever order from JAL. But perhaps most important for Airbus, it represents a monumental incursion into traditional Boeing territory, where the Chicago-based aerospace giant has long enjoyed what amounts to a near monopoly due, in part, to its many industrial ties with Japanese aerospace suppliers.