Airbus “owns the sky” at the Paris Air Show

Airbus had a dominant presence at this week’s Paris Air Show – from the high-profile participation of its aircraft in the display area and during daily flight presentations to the event’s business-oriented hospitality chalets – where new orders and commitments were announced for 466 jetliners.

In a reference to the newest A380 marketing campaign, John Leahy, Airbus’ Chief Operating Officer, Customers said the company literally “owned the sky” at the show’s Le Bourget Airport venue.

The 466 new orders and commitments unveiled this week were led by the best-selling A320 Family of jetliners, with 283 for the A320neo – retaining a 60 per cent market share for this new engine option product line. The remaining 88 orders/commitments were for the A320ceo, filling a portion of the production slots that still remain for the current engine option version, according to Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier.

The widebody A350 XWB – which is Airbus’ latest jetliner product line member – will be entering the fleets of three more airlines as the result of agreements announced this week at Le Bourget: Air France, KLM and SriLankan Airlines. Other A350 XWB orders/commitments were from Singapore Airlines and United Airlines – contributing to the week’s total of 59 for the A350-900 and 10 for the A350-1000.

Rounding out the activity was an order for six A330s, further contributing to this jetliner’s overall sales total and validating its continued competitiveness in the international marketplace.

Airbus’ Brégier said new business unveiled this week represented an even more remarkable performance for the company in 2013 when these results are added to the 517 gross firm orders booked during the year’s first five months.

Not only are the Paris Air Show’s new business numbers impressive on their own, the agreements represent important wins in terms of market segments, geographical regions and customer base. As an example, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Doric Lease Corp for 20 A380s opens up new access for airlines to the double-deck jetliner – providing operators with the flexibility of operating lease agreements.

The new Tunisian-based carrier Syphax Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy three A320neo jetliners – the first time an African-based carrier has ordered the NEO, representing a breakthrough for Airbus in one of the world’s fastest-developing markets.

In the static display area at Le Bourget, Airbus aircraft that turned heads during the show included the first A380 for British Airways, the 200th A320 Family jetliner for LATAM Airlines Group; the first Sharklets-equipped A320 for Air New Zealand, Airbus Military’s milestone 100th C295 multi-role tactical transport aircraft, and the no. 2 A400M multi-role airlifter for the French Air Force.