Boeing dominates Farnborough day one, led by SMBC's 100-jet 737 MAX order

Boeing had the stronger opening day at the Farnborough International Airshow, even though the show's single biggest customer ended up handing an equal prize to each of the two planemakers. Aircraft lessor SMBC Aviation Capital ordered 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets in the morning, made up of 60 of the larger MAX 10 and 40 MAX 8s, then returned later in the day with a matching order for 100 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, splitting a 200-jet commitment evenly between the rivals.

Even with that split, Boeing set the pace. Beyond the SMBC narrowbodies, the American manufacturer booked widebody business worth around 48 orders and options for its 787 Dreamliner from Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's state-backed start-up carrier, and from Philippine Airlines. The Riyadh Air agreement also handed Airbus its clearest win of the day, options on six A350-1000s.

The Philippine Airlines order carried its own significance: Boeing's first from the carrier in roughly two decades, a 787 Dreamliner commitment with deliveries scheduled from the early 2030s. By Bloomberg's count, Boeing gathered close to 150 orders across the opening day.

The flurry came despite muted expectations. In the run-up, the head of Boeing's commercial airplanes unit had played down order announcements, saying the company was focused on lifting production, and analysts had warned that supply-chain bottlenecks would keep the week's total well below the 800-plus aircraft some once forecast. Airbus and Boeing between them had been expected to book only a little over 300 orders.

With the show running through Friday and several campaigns still open, more deals are likely before the week is out. But the opening exchanges went Boeing's way, even as its biggest single customer hedged its bets across both jet families.