Boeing and Thai Airways have signed a historic deal at the Singapore Airshow

The world-famous aircraft manufacturer Boeing recently announced that Thai Airways has placed an order for 45 Dreamliners. This was the first major deal announced by the American aircraft manufacturer at the Singapore Airshow.

During the air show, China presents its first domestically produced passenger aircraft. With its C919, Beijing is trying to challenge decades of dominance by Airbus and Boeing while reducing its dependence on foreign technology, as reported by Brattleboro Reformer.

In addition to a large order of 45 Dreamliners for Thai Airways, Boeing announced that Royal Brunei Airlines has ordered four 787s. At list prices, the order in Thailand will cost $13.16 billion, but customers usually receive discounts when placing bulk orders for aircraft. According to Thai Airways representatives, the planes will be equipped with the latest fuel-efficient engines to help the carrier reduce carbon emissions.

In turn, the China Civil Aviation Corporation (COMAC) said it had received an order from Tibet Airlines for 40 of its C919s and 10 of its ARJ21s. Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Group also purchased six ARJ21s, which it will use for firefighting, maintenance, and emergency management.

At the same time, analysts say that it will be difficult for the Chinese manufacturer with the narrow-body C919 to attract buyers outside of China. It is emphasized that the aviation industry still has a stigma attached to the "made in China" brand, even though China is now the world's leader in the electric vehicle market.

Experts note that major airlines around the world are looking to have a "third option" besides Boeing and Airbus, but "it is difficult to convince them to buy the C919." Moreover, Boeing is still suffering from a near-catastrophic incident in January, when an emergency occurred with a Boeing 737 MAX 9 of Alaska Airlines. The incident forced the US Federal Aviation Administration to ground more than 170 MAX 9 aircraft for about three weeks.

More than 1,000 aviation and defense companies take part in the air show, which is held every two years. For example, Airbus is demonstrating its new long-range A350-1000 aircraft. Organizers expect the show to attract 50,000 visitors from around the world, roughly in line with pre-pandemic levels.

Earlier, TravelWise wrote about an unusual incident on board the plane when worms fell on passengers in the cabin.