During the 2015 Paris Air Show, Airbus won $57 billion worth of business for a total of 421 aircraft. The deals comprise firm orders for 124 aircraft worth $16.3 billion and commitments for 297 aircraft worth $40.7 billion.
In the widebody market, Airbus kicked-off the show with the announcement of the first operator for the new A330 Regional, with Saudi Arabian Airlines taking 20 on lease from IAFC, a leading lessor in the Middle East. The A330 Regional will enable airlines to serve fast-growing domestic and regional routes at least cost and maximum efficiency.
The A350 XWB continues to attract new business with commitments for 31 A350-900s, reinforcing its leading position as the world’s most modern, advanced widebody aircraft.
Airbus’ most modern, comfortable, efficient and reliable range of wide body aircraft won 55 orders & commitments worth USD 15.6 billion, comprising 31 A350-900s, 20 A330 Regional and four A330-300s.
In the single-aisle sector, the market leading A320 Family garnered an impressive 366 endorsements (comprising 103 firm orders and 263 commitments) worth USD 41.4 billion. Of these, 323 are NEO’s, taking total orders and commitments for the A320neo Family beyond 4,000 since launch in December 2010.
Boosting the longevity of the best-selling A320 Family, Airbus announced a new freighter conversion programme in partnership with EFW and ST Aerospace. This broadens Airbus’ portfolio of innovative solutions, meeting the requirements of customers in all market segments.
John Leahy, Airbus’ Chief Operating Officer, Customers said: “Our latest forecast for 32,600 planes in the next 20 years is being proved correct. The orders and commitments at this year’s Paris Air Show demonstrate three things; Asia is powering the growth, we are leading in single-aisle and widebody and our A321neo is the aircraft of choice in the middle of the market.”
The achievements at the Paris Air Show included amongst others:
- easyJet reached an agreement with Airbus’ Upgrade Services division for the retrofit of up to 105 of its A320 cabins with the SpaceFlex v2 to enhance the cabin efficiency of its Airbus single-aisle fleet;
- AirAsia became the launch customer for the latest Airbus “Smarter Fleet” electronic Flight Folder (eFF) – a software application allowing pilots to access their briefing package on-board the aircraft;
- Airbus launched the first Airbus maintenance training partnership in Africa, with TunisAir, Tunisia, to establish local A320 and A330 maintenance training services;
- Airbus ProSky (APS), a subsidiary of Airbus, launched an innovative flight tracking service, ‘AirFlight’ which customises the popular FlightRadar24 airliner flight tracking service for a professional audience and expand global coverage of Airbus aircraft.
Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer of passenger airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus has design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain, and subsidiaries in the US, China, India, Japan and in the Middle East. In addition, it provides the highest standard of customer support and training through an expanding international network.