Aircraft makers awaited more orders yesterday at the Farnborough Airshow, a day after it took off with rivals Boeing and Airbus netting US$23 billion in new contracts.
A rush of orders for 192 short and long-haul passenger jets worth a total of US$23.3 billion marked the start of the show, as airlines and leasing firms sought to meet soaring Asian demand for air travel.
The biggest single order came from Dubai airline Emirates for 30 Boeing long-range 777 aircraft worth a combined US$9.1 billion.
PHOTO: EPA
General Electric’s aircraft leasing unit agreed to buy 40 single-aisle 737-800 planes worth US$3 billion from US aerospace giant Boeing.
GE Capital Aviation Services also bought 60 A320 single-aisle planes with a catalog price of US$4.5 billion from Boeing’s fierce European rival, Airbus.
Airbus won a US$4.4 billion order from new US group Air Lease Corp for 51 A320 jets, while Russian airline Aeroflot confirmed it was buying 11 long-haul Airbus A330-300 carriers worth US$2.3 billion.
“The leasing companies are looking to not only an upturn in Western European and US markets, but they are also seeing the opportunity in emerging markets,” independent aviation analyst John Strickland said.
“There’s strong demand for aircraft coming through from not only the Middle East but other parts of Asia and in particular China, so getting those aircraft on the books now ... really is placing them in a strong position to take advantage of that upturn and the growing economies in the years to come,” he said.
Although the 192 planes ordered on Monday are together worth more than US$23 billion, customers traditionally receive large discounts on the list price of each plane when the orders are of a certain size.
Emirates’ huge order came only a month after the airline agreed to spend US$11.5 billion on 32 Airbus A380 superjumbos, the biggest single contract in civil aviation history.
The Farnborough International Airshow near London is one of the aviation world’s biggest trade events and renowned for being an arena for major deal announcements.
Defense was to be in focus at the event yesterday, which traditionally sees the announcement of orders for military jets. But with governments set to slash defense budgets to help reduce huge public deficits, major deals may be scarce.
Boeing will be hoping to secure more orders here for its mid-sized 787 Dreamliner — a fuel-efficient jet which will be on display in Farnborough after making its first flight outside of the US on Sunday.
The plane, which can fly very long distances and seat up to 330 passengers, has been beset by production delays.
Meanwhile, British low-cost airline Flybe has ordered up to 140 aircraft worth US$5 billion from Brazilian maker Embraer, the carrier said in a statement yesterday.
French-Italian regional turboprop manufacturer ATR yesterday also announced that it had agreed sales worth US$663 million at catalog prices with Brazilian carrier Azul Linhas Aereas and Air Lease Corp.
The orders were for 30 ATR 72-600 turboprops.
ATR added that it had netted a deal to sell six ATR 72-500s worth US$128 million, but did not disclose the buyer.
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