Khaleej Times

airbus steals the day with $60b plane deals

- Issac John

dubai — The Dubai Airshow on Wednesday recorded deals worth more than $90 billion, including two enormous aircraft purchase orders for both Airbus and Boeing valued at $76.5 billion.

Airbus secured the biggest-ever single order in its history for 430 A320neos valued at $49.5 billion, besides firming up orders for 90 aircraft of the same family, while its transatlan­tic rival Boeing inked a landmark $27 billion deal with Dubai’s low-cost carrier flydubai for 225 MAX family 737 aircraft.

The first Airbus deal of the day was for the supply of 430 mediumrang­e A320 family of aircraft to US investment firm Indigo Partners.

The second Airbus deal was with Dublin-based CDB Aviation Lease Finance for 90 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The value is estimated to be well above $10 billion. The third Airbus deal involving 15 Airbus 320neo was announced by AerCap Holdings and Egyptair. The value of the deal is estimated to be above $2 billion.

dubai — The fourth day of the Dubai Airshow saw total deals worth more than $90 billion, including two mammoth aircraft purchase orders for both Airbus and Boeing valued at $76.5 billion.

While European aircraft maker Airbus secured on Wednesday the biggest-ever single order in its history for 430 A320neos valued at $49.5 billion — besides firming up orders for 90 aircraft of the same family — its transatlan­tic rival Boeing inked a landmark $27 billion deal with Dubai’s low-cost carrier flydubai for 225 aircraft in its 737 Max family in what is billed as the largest-ever single-aisle jet order — by number of aeroplanes and total value — from a Middle East carrier.

The penultimat­e day saw Airbus striking three deals involving a total of 535 aircraft. The first deal inked with US investor Bill

I welcome this new sign of confidence by major airline companies taking part in this unpreceden­ted commercial deal Fabrice Bregier, COO of Airbus

Franke was for the supply of 430 mediumrang­e A320 family of aircraft to US investment firm Indigo Partners, which is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

The second Airbus deal was with Dublinbase­d CDB Aviation Lease Finance DAC for 90 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but is estimated to be well above $10 billion if the average unit price range of $116 million of the first deal is taken as a yardstick. The third Airbus deal involving 15 Airbus 320neo was announced at the air show by AerCap Holdings and Egyptair. They reached agreement on the long-term operating lease of 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft. These aircraft are from AerCap’s order book with Airbus and are scheduled to deliver in 2020. The value of the deal, although was not disclosed officially, is estimated to be above $2 billion.

We ordered [the Boeing 737 Max] as it has given us the versatilit­y and flexibilit­y to carry 44 million passengers since our first flight Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai

AerCap is also behind a leasing deal to provide EgyptAir with six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which will start operating in 2019.

Other deals adding to the order value tally on the fourth day of the largest aviation industry showcase in the region included a $1.9 billion LEAP-1A engine and services agreement signed between Gulf Air and CFM.

Another deal announceme­nt was by the UAE Armed Forces for the purchase of five CN-295 military transport aircraft and related services from Spain’s Airbus Defence and Space company for $250 million

Major-General Ishaq Saleh Al Baloushi, head of the Executive Administra­tion of Industries and Developmen­t of Defence Capabiliti­es at the UAE Defence Ministry, announced the deal.

Wednesday’s flydubai-Boeing deal is the third aircraft order placed by the Dubai-based airline with Boeing in its eight-year history and follows orders placed in 2008 and 2013. Flydubai said the new aircraft order would support its continued expansion within a geographic area that is home to 2.5 billion people.

Michele van Akelijen, managing director of organisers Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East, said the most memorable deals on Wednesday underlined that Dubai Airshow is the place where the global industry comes to do business.

— issacjohn@khaleejtim­es.com

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