Paris Air Show Day 4 Recap
Airbus sees strong demand for new commercial aircraft products at Paris Air Show Day 4
During the 2019 Paris Air Show, Airbus achieved new business for 363 commercial aircraft, comprising 149 firm orders and 214 commitments. In addition to these totals, airlines and lessors also converted 352 existing aircraft orders – mostly from the A320 single-aisle aircraft up to the larger A321neo and also to the new A321XLR. This clearly reflects Airbus successful strategy in offering customers longer-range aircraft in this segment. Moreover, Le Bourget saw successes for the A220 which won new business for 85 aircraft, and for the widebody A330neo for which Airbus received orders and commitments for 24 new aircraft.
The star of the show was clearly the new A321XLR – the next evolutionary step from the A321LR. The XLR is world’s most efficient and longest-range single-aisle aircraft, which will enable operators in this segment to access markets requiring even more range and payload. Overall, this newest model won orders for 48 aircraft, commitments for a further 79 aircraft and 99 conversions from A321 to XLR. These came from a wide range of launch customers from around the world.
In the widebody segment, the new A330neo has built on its positive market reception with additional business from Cebu Pacific and Virgin Atlantic. Particularly pleasing was the sales momentum at Le Bourget for the A220.
Meanwhile, Airbus Services demonstrated how it is enhancing its traditional services in maintenance, training, flight operations and upgrades, leveraging Airbus’s Skywise platform and new technologies.
Meggitt and Lufthansa Technik enter China partnership
Meggitt, a high performance components maker for the aerospace, defence and selected energy markets, and Lufthansa Technik, have signed an agreement for the provision of comprehensive component MRO services for commercial aircraft in mainland China. Under the terms of the deal signed at the Paris Air Show, Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen (LTS), a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Beijing Kailan Aviation Technology, will build local
MRO capabilities for Meggitt products including heat exchangers, valves, fire detectors and fire suppression. The partnership will provide customers in mainland China with world-class repair and service levels for a range of products; delivered from LTS’s 25,000 square metre facility. Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions for aerospace, with a large number of aircraft entering into service to meet growing passenger demand. An additional 4,700 aircraft are forecast to be delivered into the region over the next decade.
Alsim signs 2 deals at Paris
Alsim said it has signed two additional deals at Paris. The first deal with Aeroclube de Goias will be the first Brazilian customer for ALSIM purchasing their AL250 simulator. Another order for an ALSIM AL42, Diamond DA42 replica was also placed by European Flyers, a training centre based in Madrid, Spain.
Flynas signs MOU for A321XLR
Flynas, Saudi Arabia’s first low-cost airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 10 A321XLR aircraft. As part of the commitment, the airline will also upsize 10 of the A320neo it currently has on order to the A321neo. Flynas operates a fleet of 30 A320ceos and 2 A320neos.
JetBlue Airways to add A321XLR and additional A220s to its fleet
JetBlue Airways will add the A321XLR to its fleet of Airbus aircraft and increase its existing order for Airbus A220s. JetBlue has contracted to convert 13 existing A321neo orders into firm orders for the new A321XLR. Also, JetBlue has firmed up an order for an additional 10 A220-300 aircraft from existing options.
AFI KLM E&M teams up with 2AS
AFI KLM E&M and AIBD Assistance Services (2AS), the airport ground handling services provider at AIBD (Aéroport International Blaise Diagne), signed a partnership agreement to pool their expertise and resources in a joint venture dubbed 2AS Technics. 2AS Technics’ operations will focus on line maintenance support for airlines based at or flying to the new Dakar airport.
Nordic Aviation Capital orders 20 A220 family aircraft
Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 20 A220 family aircraft. NAC serves over 76 airline customers in 51 countries. The agreement represents the first major order for the A220 from a regional lessor.
Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Company becomes China’s ACH160 launch customer
Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Company (Shenzhen Eastern GAC) has signed an agreement for one ACH160, becoming the launch customer for the VIP version of this medium helicopter in China. The aircraft will be used to perform mainly private and business aviation (PBA) missions around the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area of China, which is home to approximately 70 million people and contributes to 12 percent of China’s GDP. As a general aviation operator in the Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen Eastern GAC is the only general aviation company in China to participate in a pilot project that explores the easing of low-altitude airspace regulations in China. The company was also the first Chinese helicopter operator to fly between Hong Kong and the mainland. Its in-service helicopter fleet is made up of 12 aircraft, including three light twin-engine Airbus H135 helicopters.