This is a blog article that shouldn’t be a movie or a
best seller fiction novel. The unidentified is about the Boeing order book and
those customers who do not want any acknowledgement for its Boeing orders. They
are called the “Unidentified”. The
answer for all this secrecy may be explained below with this end of year
contribution.
The Boeing Order Book, has this category for its customers. Boeing claims this service is in the customer’s hands whether it announces or does not announce the purchase, or what aircraft type is the impending order placement. The secrecy of it all, is often not so secret, but having announcement value of unidentified, contains its own mystique and market value.
2015 Net
Orders
|
563
|
2
|
49
|
58
|
71
|
743
|
Customers
|
737
|
747
|
767
|
777
|
787
|
Total
|
AerCap
|
100
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
100
|
Air Austral
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
Air Tahiti Nui
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
AirBridgeCargo Airlines
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
Alaska Airlines
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
ALC
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
8
|
All Nippon Airways
|
5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
8
|
Atlas Air, Inc
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
Australia P-8
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
BOC Aviation
|
23
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
23
|
Business Jets / VIP Customer(s)
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
8
|
COPA Airlines
|
51
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
51
|
Delta Air Lines
|
20
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
20
|
EL AL Israel Airlines
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
3
|
Enter Air Sp. z o.o.
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
Ethiopian Airlines
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
6
|
Etihad Airways
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
EVA Air
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
18
|
25
|
FedEx
|
-
|
-
|
49
|
-
|
-
|
49
|
GECAS
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
GOL Airlines
|
9
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
Jet2.com Ltd
|
30
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
30
|
Korean Air
|
30
|
-
|
-
|
7
|
-
|
37
|
Norwegian
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
19
|
19
|
Oman Air (SAOC)
|
20
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
20
|
Qantas
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
5
|
Qatar Airways
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
14
|
-
|
14
|
Ruili Airlines
|
30
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
30
|
Ryanair
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
SilkAir
|
6
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6
|
Silk Way Airlines
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
SMBC Aviation Capital
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
Sriwijaya Air
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
Swiss Global Air Lines Ltd
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
3
|
-
|
3
|
TUI Travel PLC
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
Turkish Airlines
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
Unidentified
Customer(s)
|
244
|
-
|
-
|
15
|
36
|
295
|
United Airlines
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
-
|
10
|
United States Navy
|
9
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
9
|
Virgin Australia Airlines
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4
|
2015 Gross Orders
|
633
|
6
|
49
|
58
|
97
|
843
|
Changes
|
-70
|
-4
|
-
|
-
|
-26
|
-100
|
2015 Net Orders
|
563
|
2
|
49
|
58
|
71
|
743
|
737
|
747
|
767
|
777
|
787
|
Total
|
Blue highlighted text in the chart above
indicates updates for the current week.
|
About 40% of all Boeing net orders are “unidentified”, why? Here comes an
answer containing words like “purpose and vague”.
Purpose: As in all business operations, there is an overarching strategy kept secret, in a sanctimonious chamber on a top floor of some building, where cigars are smoked. It is known only to those who are considered, shakers and movers of some risky idea in the aviation world. This comes to the “purpose”. The vision statement of a company starts it all. Somewhere in between its Vision and Mission evolves a purpose. In that purpose only a select few advance the strategy. “Unidentified”, becomes that strategy. “Let’s become as vague as possible so our competition can’t switch financial resources with any certainty meeting our market grab and plans.
Example: The country of China is an interesting example. Last month they announced upwards to 300 Boeing aircraft would be purchased as a strategy for meeting its own market growth in the region. It mentioned an order splitting up single aisle types with the approximate wide body order of fifty or more Boeing types, “If Boeing completed negotiations meeting China’s recommendations”, Winging It believes the 143 single aisle unidentified ordered comes from China, only with Airlines who have gained approval from its nation when signing with Boeing. The caveat is, kept it “unidentified”, for the sake of others who have pending announcements until all condition are met with China and Boeing.
Vague: was the opening description of this intent. China represent all its vast number of airlines as the nation isn’t defined as airline but a country. The various Chinese airlines operating cannot validate a purchase until its government approve of the sale. Look at the precise chart above and look at single aisle additions, specifically unidentified line in awful Pink highlight. About one hundred and forty-three 737’s were just added as unidentified this week making a total of 295 unidentified orders for 2015. A significant vague purpose. I will assume it came from China with its various airlines approved for an order play.
Surprise: You
can’t surprise many in the airline industries. Competitor spying has its own
expense lines in corporate financial statements. The unidentified on the Boeing
Order Book, is a known number of whom,
well an approximate number. Competitors figure each other’s strategy.
Announcements become part of the mystique and a direction an airline is
heading. Eventually a competitor figures it out, but it becomes too late to do
anything about it, as in an unidentified mission
accomplished.
Timing: A
very critical component for a successful operation. Timing is everything for
airlines, and it’s a counterpart from real estate’s famous slogan, “Location-Location-Location”.
Timing is that critical [Timing,-Timing-Timing]. When Airbus stole the march on a single aisle upgrade
with its NEO, it beat a self-absorbed and 787 centric Boeing Corporation by eleven months, after which Boeing announced its own MAX program. Air framers can’t sit back
like its customers and announce an “unidentified” new aircraft models. A manufacturer
must “nearly” always announce and identify its intent in order for gaining its purpose
for new models when it launches. It’s a manufacturer conundrum not to identify
what its intending. Timing becomes more critical for both maker and buyer. However, timing for the airline customer
becomes a strategic added value and mate for the unidentified
sector, during ordering and adding to the Boeing order books.
Boeing's Total Unidentified:
| Model Series | Eng | First Order | Orders | Deliveries | Unfilled | First Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 737 MAX | CF | 01-Oct-2012 | 647 | - | 647 | |
| 737-700 | CF | 15-Nov-2007 | 9 | - | 9 | |
| 737-800 | CF | 28-Sep-2007 | 324 | 12 | 312 | 14-Oct-2014 |
| 737-900ER | CF | 24-Apr-2015 | 6 | - | 6 | |
| 737 Total | 986 | 12 | 974 | |||
| 747-400 | GE | 02-Apr-2002 | 1 | 1 | - | 27-Feb-2003 |
| 747-8F | GE | 27-Nov-2012 | 2 | 2 | - | 23-Mar-2013 |
| 747 Total | 3 | 3 | - | |||
| 767-200ER | GE | 15-Apr-2002 | 1 | 1 | - | 27-Mar-2003 |
| 767-300ER | PW | 25-Sep-2001 | 3 | 3 | - | 24-Oct-2002 |
| 767 Total | 4 | 4 | - | |||
| 777-300ER | GE | 22-May-2014 | 17 | - | 17 | |
| 777F | GE | 22-Jan-2014 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 26-Mar-2015 |
| 777X | GE | 04-Jun-2015 | 10 | - | 10 | |
| 777 Total | 37 | 4 | 33 | |||
| 787-9 | GE | 30-Mar-2015 | 6 | - | 6 | |
| 787-9 | 05-Dec-2008 | 43 | - | 43 | ||
| 787 Total | 49 | - | 49 |
