Dubai, November 15 (BNA) Airbus concluded a major deal today, Monday, worth billions of dollars, to sell 111 new aircraft to Air Lease Corporation, which is its second huge order at the Dubai Air Show.
Air Lease, the Los Angeles-based aircraft finance and leasing company, has added to its expanding fleet with 25 A220-300s, 55 A321neos, 20 A321 XLRs, four A330neos and seven A350Fs.
At Airbus’ pre-pandemic price list, demand would exceed $15 billion, although big deals usually see manufacturers offering deep discounts to buyers.
The sale of the European planemaker’s new, twin-engine A350 freighter is seen as a direct challenge to the Boeing 787’s long-range Dreamliner, which has suffered repeated production problems.
The Dubai Airshow puts the two major companies up against each other in a vibrant Middle East market filled with long-haul carriers connecting East and West. US rival Boeing has yet to announce a major sale deal at the show.
On the opening day of the air show, Airbus, Airbus booked the sale of 255 new aircraft to Indigo Partners’ various low-cost carriers — a deal estimated to be worth nearly $30 billion, based on pre-pandemic list prices.
At a press conference as a daring overseas flight show took off, senior executives from Airbus and Air Lease announced their commitment as evidence of rising demand and the resurgence of a devastated airline industry.
The Dubai Airshow sees a series of orders and product announcements over its five days. Nigerian Airlines Overland also signed a $299 million contract to purchase three E175s from Brazil’s iconic aircraft manufacturer Embraer, to be delivered from 2023, along with three purchase rights for the same model.
The sales came as Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, announced that it handled 20% more passenger traffic in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, sparking cautious optimism even as a full recovery continues for years. . Just 20.7 million people have squeezed through the airport so far this year – 74% less than it was before the coronavirus spread in 2019.
About 6.7 million passengers passed through the airport during the third quarter, with flights up 17% between January and September compared to the same period last year.
With a 40% rise in bookings last month, the airport is preparing for a bounce at the end of the year, betting that speeding vaccinations and easing travel restrictions will allow Europeans to escape the wintry weather of Dubai’s beaches and tourists to visit the city’s giant World Expo that runs through March.
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