Why No New Boeing Orders?

As the 2025 Paris Airshow comes to a close, upon reflection, it was a show dominated mainly by new commercial aircraft orders from Airbus.

However, for Boeing, it was a show that experienced little to no fanfare, with no fresh commercial orders being confirmed. Why?

A Boeing 787 Crash

One of the biggest reasons why Boeing lacked a formal presence at the Paris Airshow was driven by last week’s fatal accident involving one of its own 787 Dreamliners at Air India.

The incident, which has shaken the entire industry and extended beyond the world, has once again put Boeing’s name in the spotlight, despite no cause having been determined yet.

In response to the crash, Boeing confirmed that its presence at the 2025 Paris Air Show would not be as intended, as executives had chosen not to travel.

Instead, Boeing’s entire focus was on supporting those involved in the Air India crash and offering assistance, especially during the investigation, aware that the time for new order announcements had not yet arrived.

What is described as a backseat approach allowed Airbus to steal the spotlight, as the planemaker naturally finds itself in a more comfortable set of circumstances, despite its supply chain challenges.

The one minimal announcement for Boeing was an order confirmation arriving from ANA on Day 1; this deal had already been documented as of February, but ANA took the Airshow as an opportunity to publish it formally.

Boeing Must Rebuild

Away from the tragic events aboard an Air India 787, Boeing has also been hellbent on rebuilding itself as a business over the last 18 months.

As a result, while airshows present the opportunity to showcase innovation and also announce landmark contracts, the American planemaker is aware that priorities lie elsewhere.

The 777X remains uncertified and has, of late, continued to see its certification pushed back; it is a priority to get this plane approved to please customers and move forward.

However, the nature of uncertified jets extends to the smaller 737 MAX series, where despite the lengthy production life, the program already has, there remain two variants which have yet to be approved to carry passengers as well.

Similarly to the 777X, airline customers are awaiting these planes to enter service, and the longer the MAX jets remain uncertified, the greater the impact that has.

For Boeing, these Airshows over the last year have held, if attended, greater importance than announcing new deals and have instead focused on repairing relationships and showing the progress.

Many other areas of the Boeing business have been damaged and require higher priority; however, fundamentally improving production practices is also crucial, as caps still exist from the FAA.

A Visit To The Middle East

While the Paris Airshow presents an excellent opportunity for new landmark contracts to be announced as industry delegates congregate in one location, other chances exist.

A mere matter of weeks before the Paris Airshow, key U.S. delegates, including the President, visited the Middle East and secured hundreds of new aircraft deals for Boeing as a result.

The contracts in the hundreds were also for widebody jets and thus, at market value, far exceeded what Airbus was able to report at the 2025 edition of the Paris Airshow, even though discounts are typically handed down in such circumstances.

However, just because these deals occurred weeks ago doesn’t mean that others weren’t in the works before the Air India crash.

Royal Air Maroc was touted as a highly likely deal to be confirmed during the show as part of their fleet renewal efforts, which involved single-aisle jets and widebodies, only for that trail to go cold.

Other opportunities will arise for Boeing to secure new deals after what has already been a successful start to 2025 in this regard, but priorities for the moment lie elsewhere.