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Aviation glossary

Launch customer

Also: launch operator, launch airline, first customer

Airlines and business

First airline or operator to order a new aircraft model in sufficient numbers for the manufacturer to commit to launching the programme.

What it is

Developing an airliner demands huge investment and years of work, so manufacturers look for a firm commitment before launching a programme. The launch customer takes the risk of buying an aircraft that does not yet exist and, in return, usually secures favourable terms and a say in the design, cabin or range of the new model.

Well-known examples include Pan Am with the Boeing 747, All Nippon Airways with the 787, which it put into service in 2011, and Singapore Airlines, one of the A380's launch customers, which flew the type's first commercial service in 2007.

A distinction is sometimes drawn between the launch customer, which places the first order, and the launch operator, the first to put the type into service; they are not always the same airline.

On Vuelopedia

Boeing 747 Boeing 787 Dreamliner Airbus A380

Related terms

Firm order and optionWays in which an airline or lessor orders aircraft: a firm order is a binding contract, while an option reserves a delivery slot that can be confirmed later. Entry into serviceThe date on which a new aircraft type starts carrying fare-paying passengers or revenue cargo with an airline, usually its launch customer. PrototypeAn early example of a new aircraft type, built to prove the design on the ground and in the air before the type is certified. Order backlogThe aircraft firmly ordered from a manufacturer but not yet delivered; it shows how many years of production lie ahead.
Whole glossary

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Launch customer. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer

MLA

“Launch customer.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Launch customer.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Launch customer. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_launch_customer,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Launch customer}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/launch-customer |title=Launch customer |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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