Airbus raises goal after A320 wins contracts

TOULOUSE: Airbus SAS is closing in on its 2013 order target four months into the year after already winning more than 600 orders from airlines snapping up the fuel-efficient A320 single-aisle bestseller.

The planemaker has targeted 700 gross orders for the year, a goal that’s come within reach after the company listed 431 gross contracts through March. Combined with commitments for 102 planes from Deutsche Lufthansa AG and 82 from Turkish Airlines, new business won so far this year comes to 615 units.

After opening 2013 with a prediction for as many as 650 orders, Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy has raised the goal by a further 50 planes. The planemaker is most likely to exceed even that target, given the Paris Air show, a oneweek event in June that typically coincides with large-scale orders.

“The figures show just how solid the cycle for new aircraft demand is,” said Yan Derocles, an analyst at Oddo Securities in Paris. “Even if some airlines are having difficulties, it’s clear that Airbus will easily manage to find buyers for planes.”

Among customers Airbus is pursuing is Easy Jet Plc, which is negotiating to add single-aisle planes for fleet expansion plans beyond 2017. Easy Jet’s last major purchase was a decade ago, for 120 Airbus singleaisle planes valued at US$6bil.

In the first three months, the planemaker delivered 144 planes, including 114 single-aisle aircraft, 26 A330 wide-bodies, and four A380 superjumbos, it said yesterday.