U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing is expanding its market share in the global aviation market by leveraging President Donald Trump's "aviation diplomacy." After suffering a prolonged slump in sales due to a series of crashes, Boeing has recently overtaken rival Airbus in sales and is showing signs of recovery.
According to Bloomberg on the 23rd (local time), Boeing sold 725 aircraft from January to August this year. During the same period, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus sold only 600, and Boeing is expected to surpass its European rival on an annual basis for the first time since 2021.
Boeing has struggled to secure new orders after a string of aircraft accidents starting with the 2018 Lion Air crash in Indonesia. In 2021, it sold 909 aircraft, outpacing Airbus, which sold 771, but it then fell behind Airbus, and by 2023 the order gap had widened to about 800.
The mood shifted at the start of this year when the Donald Trump administration, which has put forward "America First," took office. When President Trump imposed high tariff rates on trading partners on 4th, countries in succession said in negotiations that they would buy Boeing aircraft from U.S. corporations in large quantities to lower the tariff rates.
In May, Qatar Airways signed a contract to purchase about 160 Boeing aircraft to coincide with President Trump's visit to Qatar. The United Kingdom, Japan, and Indonesia then agreed to introduce Boeing aircraft during their trade negotiations with the United States. Last month, taking advantage of President Lee Jae-myung's summit, Korean Air announced a contract to purchase 103 Boeing aircraft, the largest in Korea's aviation history.
Moreover, additional contracts for countries to purchase Boeing aircraft are expected to be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which opens in New York starting today. Bloomberg projected that leaders from around the world visiting the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly may buy additional Boeing aircraft both to win favor with President Trump and to strengthen their national airlines' capabilities.
Bloomberg said, "Large aircraft orders are usually made at air shows in Paris, Dubai, and Singapore, but this week Washington and New York appear to be the unexpected stage for major transactions."
Türkiye is a prime example. At the talks to be held in Washington on the 25th, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye is expected to meet President Trump to discuss specific terms for purchasing Boeing aircraft along with Lockheed Martin fighter jets from the U.S. defense industry. Foreign media previously reported that Türkiye could order up to 250 Boeing aircraft.
In addition, Morocco's state-owned airline Royal Air Maroc is reviewing bids from Airbus and Boeing to add dozens of aircraft. Indonesia also agreed to a trade deal in Jul. and pledged to purchase 50 Boeing aircraft, but the details were not disclosed, making it highly likely that the deal will be finalized during the U.N. General Assembly.