Aviation: widebody order activity is heating up in the Asia-Pacific region

While LCCs have built up a massive narrowbody order backlog in the Asia-Pacific region, this year has seen a noticeable uptick in widebody orders as airlines look to restock their long haul fleets.

This resurgence is partly due to the fact that international markets are booming again after the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and many airlines are finding themselves short of capacity after retiring many older widebodies.

But these widebody orders are generally aimed at the longer term, as airlines restart widebody fleet modernisation programmes that have been shelved over the past four years.

There have been several significant widebody orders either announced or placed in the first quarter of 2024, and there are also more pending as airlines negotiate with manufacturers. Their choices are closely tied to their network and market strategy for the next decade or more.