Emirates has ordered 50 copies of the A350 from the European aircraft manufacturer and Air Arabia has signed a firm contract of 120 aircraft of the A320 family. Two contracts valued at $ 30 billion.
Airbus has definitely buried the A380, yet the passenger's preferred plane. On the occasion of the Dubai Air Show, which is held until November 21, Emirates, the first customer of the super jumbo of the European aircraft manufacturer with 114 copies in service and 9 on order, announced Monday, November 18, a Giant order of 50 long-haul A350s, the latest addition to Airbus wide-body aircraft. A contract valued at $ 16 billion (€ 14.5 billion) at list price, even if the aircraft manufacturer has decided, for almost a year, no longer publish its tariffs.
This contract replaces a previous order of 39 additional A380s, which the Dubai company had finally decided to abandon. A flip-flop that, at the time, precipitated Airbus' decision to end its super-jumbo program once all orders were delivered. Interviewed on the sidelines of the show, Guillaume Faury, president of the European aircraft manufacturer, said that the last A380 will be released in 2021. However, the management was anxious to reassure the current client companies of the very large aircraft, indicating that it "Will continue to maintain the device"including maintenance and supply of spare parts.
Nevertheless, the choice of the A350 by Emirates is a positive signal for the long-haul whose sales struggled so far to take off. From now on, nearly 1,000 A350s have been ordered. Especially in its intermediate version, the one chosen by the Dubai company. In contrast, the model with the largest capacity has not yet fully found its market.
"There is a lack of capacity"
As good news never comes alone, Airbus also recorded a large order from Air Arabia, a low-cost airline in the United Arab Emirates. Air Arabia has signed a firm contract for 120 aircraft in the A320 family. An order valued at $ 14 billion. In total, in one day, Airbus has garnered some $ 30 billion in new orders.
While the European group rubs its hands, his American rival Boeing is stuck in the crisis of his 737 MAX
From now on, the aircraft manufacturer must deal with problems of the rich. In particular, how to meet the airlines in time. "We see that our customers really need their products, especially with regard to the situation, said Faury, referring to the March blocking of the Boeing 737 MAX. There is a lack of abilities. " With more than 6,700 A320s in the Airbus order book, airlines need to be patient. For nearly five years. The first niche of delivery is in 2024, said the boss of Airbus. The Air Arabia order is in addition to that of the Indian company Air Indigo. At the end of October, the low-cost airline had signed a giant contract of 300 copies of the A320neo, the remotorized, less fuel-hungry version of the Airbus medium-haul. An order evaluated, alone, at 30 billion dollars.
