Day 3 of the Paris Airshow only has seen a number of new-aircraft orders for Airbus and Boeing, including a couple of widebody deals that are welcome additions to the backlog. Wednesday widebody deals at Paris Airshow.
The biggest is a Memorandum of Understanding from lessor Avolon for twenty Airbus A330-900s. It was agreed just before the announcement on Wednesday and needs further confirmation. As such, it can’t be counted as a final Paris order. Yet, Airbus must be most happy with this MoU as it will grow the number of A330neo orders to over 300. To 311 to be exact, of which only twelve are for the A330-800.
Avolon will take delivery of the A330-900s between 2026 and 2028. The lessor was the launch customer for the aircraft and has placed all 35 on previous orders with customers, so the new agreement is for growing the portfolio. During the airshow, Avolon agreed with Oman’s Salam Air on the lease of three A330-900s. Part of the agreement with Avolon is the conversion of fifty A320neo’s to A321neo’s.
“Our expanded delivery pipeline allows us to offer our customers the A330neo’s range and reduced emissions, supporting their evolving fleet needs. Our recent aircraft orders and commitments reflect our confidence in the long-term growth trajectory of the aviation sector,” CEO Andy Cronin said.
The other widebody order on Wednesday was from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), which added two Boeing 787-9s to the backlog. By the end of March, ALC had 27 787-9s and six -10s in the fleet and another nineteen in the backlog. Of these, ten are scheduled for delivery in 2025. Boeing or ALC haven’t said when the two extra aircraft will be delivered.
Akasa Air buys more MAX
India’s Akasa Air went back to Boeing for another four MAX 8s, bringing the total number of aircraft on order to 76. Of these, 23 will be MAX 8s and the remaining 53 Max 8200s. The carrier currently has taken delivery of nineteen, mostly through sale and leasebacks with lessors. The order must have disappointed some, as Akasa was reportedly working on a triple-digit order for some time.
Luxemburg’s airline Luxair has been busy with fleet renewal plans in the past months, ordering two MAX 8s first and then doubling this to four. The first aircraft are due this summer. These aircraft will get company in the future of four MAX 7s, the smallest version of the MAX that still needs to be certified.
“This type of aircraft is a perfect match for Luxair and will meet the requirements of the market. Seating 160 passengers, the 737-7 will offer flexibility across the Luxair destination network while significantly reducing fuel consumption. This will help us get even closer to our commitment to sustainable flights, while demonstrating once again our support to the promise of “Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2050″ submitted by IATA,” said CEO Gilles Feith in a media statement.
