The Up Front Update 11: widebody values, IndiGo 787-9 to Heathrow, Cathay’s 777X top-up, Air Côte d’Ivoire first class, and more…

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By John Walton 7 min read
Interior, A330neo factory, under a wing, with the Update logo.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Up Front Update, whether you’re catching up around some holiday time or, like us, in the office keeping an eye on what’s going on across the industry.

The big thing to note this week: currently produced widebody values are high and staying high, with implications for seatmakers and interiors suppliers

Market values for the latest generation of widebody aircraft — the 787, A350 and A330neo — are up by more than 20% since their nadir 2021, aviation consultancy IBA says in a new report. 

All except the smallest Dreamliner, the 787-8 are now maintaining a level at or above their reference January 2019 value, but even the -8 jumped from around 92% in January to roughly 97% in July.

Chart illustrating that all the current widebodies except the 787-8 are now maintaining a level at or above their reference January 2019 value, but even the -8 jumped from around 92% in January to roughly 97% in July.
Chart: IBA

“The A350-1000 has benefited from delays to the Boeing 777X programme, securing significant orders and supporting robust value performance alongside the A350-900,” says the consultancy, noting also that “the A330-900 is also showing positive momentum in the secondary market, particularly as a viable A330ceo replacement.”

With factors including inflation, longhaul demand and airframer price increases, IBA “expects values for new generation widebody types to remain on an upward trajectory”.

As these aircraft move further into the secondary market, demand for widebody retrofit programmes — already a core trend in the world of aircraft interiors — will continue to grow.

Interior, A330neo factory, under a wing, with two large images of the A330neo on the factory wall.
The widebody market remains strong, with implications for retrofit and linefit programmes. Image: John Walton

This week on The Up Front: 

Right in time for the summer holiday travel peak, we explore a surprisingly efficient option between the UK and Europe: the Channel Tunnel’s car shuttle autotrain, now rebranded LeShuttle. 

Has last year’s rebrand changed the experience, how does it measure up to other ways to travel between the UK and France — and what can aviation learn from LeShuttle, especially thinking about border controls?

Interior, single-deck car train, with one car nearly a full carriage ahead driving along the carriages. The overall aesthetic is yellow-white lighting with some yellow security striping.
Yes, the car shuttle train is really cool, but you're only on it for half an hour. The real key to the Channel Tunnel autotrain experience is before you even drive onto the carriage. Image: John Walton

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On our radar: what’s going on around the industry?

The Up Front Update787A350A330neoIBAIndiGoLondon HeathrowCathay Pacific777XAir Côte d'IvoireFirst ClassStudio ClassAlaska Airlines787-9Air FranceParis Charles de Gaulle
John Walton

Editor in chief of The Up Front, with two decades of experience reporting across the global aviation industry, specialising in business and first class, seats, cabins and the passenger experience.