It’s time to go to the sands of Dubai and see what’s hot and happening at the Dubai Air Show, as we leave Day 2 behind
And as usual, we’re going in alphabetical order.
Airbus
Two bits of news – all from the same launch. Air Lease Corporation has announced a letter of intent with Airbus, in particular launching the Airbus A350F – yes. A freighter variant.
. The agreement is for
- 25 A220-300s
- 55 A321neos
- 20 A321XLR
- four A330neos
- seven A350F
The order which will be finalised in the coming months, makes the Los Angeles based ALC one of Airbus’ largest customers and lessor with the biggest A220 order book.
ALC has ordered a total of 496 Airbus aircraft to date.
In Quotes
Steven F Udvar-Hazy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporationsadi
“This new order announcement is the culmination of many months of hard work and dedication by both organizations to optimize and fine tune the size and scope of this large aircraft transaction in view of the rapidly growing global airline demand to modernize their jet fleets through the ALC leasing medium,”
“After lengthy and detailed consultations with several dozen of our strategic airline customers around the world, we are focusing this comprehensive order on the most desirable and in demand aircraft types, covering the A220, A321neo, A330neo and A350 families. ALC is an international Market Leader in each of these categories of the most modern Airbus product lineup. These multi- year additions of new technology aircraft assets to ALC’s expanding portfolio will allow us to grow our revenues and profitability while satisfying our airline customer requirements.”
Udvar-Hazy added:
”ALC was the launch customer for the very popular A321LR and XLR versions. Now, we become the launch lessor for the A350F and by far the largest lessor customer for the A220. We had the vision to be first adopters of the A321 and are convinced we have made the right choice again on the A220 and A350F, responding to what we see the market will need in the period of recovery ahead. In addition, we are very enthusiastic to have inked a partnership for a sustainability fund which will contribute to the green future for our industry.”
John Plueger, Air Lease Corporation CEO and President
“With this major order, we underscore our confidence not only in the strong future and growth of global commercial air transport, but in ALC’s business model, in our specific aircraft purchase decisions including, for the first time, the new A350 Freighter, and finally in our long term view that ordering new aircraft is an optimum investment of our shareholder capital,”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.
“This is a major announcement for Airbus in 2021. ALC’s order signals we’re moving beyond the Covid doldrums. With foresight, ALC is solidifying its order portfolio for the most desirable aircraft types as we exit the crisis and in particular, it has seen the formidable value the A350F brings to the cargo market. ALC’s endorsement confirms the global enthusiasm we see for this quantum leap in the freighter space and we applaud its insightfulness in selecting it and in beating everyone to the finish line for the first A350F order announcement. In addition we agreed to make our sustainable aviation vision part of this agreement which is a priority for us both,”
ATR
Air Corsica announced a firm order for five new ATR 72-600 aircraft to be powered by the new Pratt & Whitney Canada engine, the PW127XT. The order means a full upgrade of Air Corsica’s ATR 72 fleet.
Deliveries will start by November 2022.
The airline has been an ATR operator for the past 30 years.
In Quotes
Stefano Bortoli, ATR’s Chief Executive Officer, stated:
“We at ATR are very proud to have an historic customer like Air Corsica, with ongoing confidence in our aircraft to support its growth and modernisation strategy. In choosing ATR, Air Corsica has made a strategic decision that is both economical and responsible: it is the most cost-effective solution for operating regional routes, with the most environmentally friendly technology available on the market.”
Marie-Hélène Casanova-Servas, President of Air Corsica’s Supervisory Board, commented:
“When carrying out a public service mission, there’s a multitude of factors to consider: what is the most reliable, efficient, cost-effective and modern aircraft? And for a territory as preserved as Corsica, we also pay a specific attention to the environmental impact of our aircraft. This is why we have chosen the latest version of the ATR 72-600, to continue the modernisation of our fleet, started end 2019.”
Luc Bereni, Air Corsica’s Chairman of the Board, added:
“Since our first flight in Spring 1990, the history of our airline is closely linked to ATR’s, with whom we continue to propel ourselves into the future with this order of five ATR 72-600 equipped with PW127XT engines. These new aircraft, that are even more efficient, will enable us to offer several innovations in terms of customer experience, whilst fulfilling our model of air travel in Corsica which has led to our success: frequency, regularity and reliability.”
Boeing
Cargo is the order of the day from Boeing Commerical Aircraft.
First is an order for nine 767-300 Boeing Converted aircraft to be operated by DHL.
This is DHL’s largest single 767-300BCF order to date. The additional freighters will help expand DHL’s long-haul intercontinental fleet in response to increased global demand for cargo capacity. DHL already operates the type under subleases to partner airlines.
In Quotes
Geoff Kehr, senior vice president, Global Air Fleet Management, DHL Express.
“We are confident in the quality and OEM expertise that comes with Boeing’s converted freighters,”
“The additional B767 freighters are part of our efforts to modernize DHL’s long-haul intercontinental fleet in order to fly eco-friendlier and more cost-efficiently. Our goal is to enhance our well-connected global network whilst reducing carbon emissions and fuel consumption to benefit the environment, partners and customers alike.”
Ihssane Mounir, Boeing’s senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing.
“We are pleased that DHL continues to expand their 767-300BCF fleet to help meet the growing demand for their global logistics and cargo business,”
“The versatility of the 767-300BCF makes it the preferred medium widebody converted freighter for both the general and express cargo markets, ensuring DHL will have the capability, reliability and efficiency they need to capture growth opportunities and maximize their air cargo operations.”
Next up is an order for two Boeing 777F aircraft from Emirates.
Emirates Skycargo Boeing 777F – Image, The Boeing Company.
The freighters will be operated by Emirates SkyCargo, which currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 10 777 Freighters and also carries cargo on Emirates’ 134 777 passenger aircraft.
In Quotes
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group said
“Emirates plays a key role in making essential goods available to customers and consumers globally through the capacity available on our widebody fleet, the reach of our global network and the advanced infrastructure at our Dubai hub,”
“Today, we are delighted to announce an investment of $1 billion to further expand our freighter capacity. This underscores our commitment to supporting our customers’ requirements, and reflects our confidence in our future growth and status as one of the largest airline cargo carriers in the world.”
Ihssane Mounir, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing said
“We are honored that Emirates has once again placed its confidence in the 777 Freighter as the backbone of its global network,”
“As the largest operator of 777 passenger and freighter models worldwide, Emirates’ success is a testament to the 777’s market-leading efficiency, improved sustainability and incredible range.”
Embraer
Embraer announced today, a firm order for three new E175, plus three purchase rights for the same model of aircraft, with Overland Airways, from Nigeria.
The 88-seat aircraft, with premium class cabin configuration, will be delivered from 2023. The deal is worth USD 299.4 million, at list prices (with all purchase rights being exercised).
The president and CEO of Overland Airways, Capt. Edward Boyo, said,
“We are confident that this is the right moment to invest, as regional aviation is on an optimistic post-pandemic recovery. Our customers will really enjoy all comfort in the E175, and we appreciate our partnership with Embraer.”
Cesar Pereira, Vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Embraer Commercial Aviation said,
“We are proud of this partnership with Overland and to support their regional expansion. We are seeing growing long-term demand for rightsized aircraft to deliver profitable domestic connections in Nigeria.” During the pandemic, the E175 has been a vital tool for many regional airlines, as they are perfectly suited to rebuilding network, enhancing frequencies and efficiently adding capacity to meet demand that has been gradually recovering.
IFE and Connectivity
Two announcements from Panasonic Avionics.
Iraqi Airways selected Panasonic Avionics for its Narrowbody and Widebody IFE and Connectivity. The agreement covers 21 narrowbody and 10 widebody aircraft.
Iraqi Airways Airbus A220
These aircraft, which includes five A220, 16 B737MAX and 10 B787 aircraft types, will be line-fitted with Panasonic’s X Series IFE solutions and are expected to enter service in October 2022. eX1 systems will be installed on the Boeing 737 MAX fleet with in-flight wifi. On the A220 platform, Wireless streaming IFE is installed with the eWX solution, along with inflight Wi-fi.
Finally, for the Iraqi Airways’ Boeing 787 aircraft, Panasonic Avionics is providing its eX3 in-flight system and global high-speed connectivity services.
Meanwhile, Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) has agreed with Panasonic Avionics to provision its latest 4K and Bluetooth audio in-flight entertainment (IFE) innovations on its 35 new Airbus A321neo family aircraft.
Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Ken Sain, CEO, Panasonic Avionics Corporation at the signing – Image, Panasonic Avionics.
Panasonic Avionics’ NEXT IFE system will be installed on 20 new Airbus A321neo and 15 Airbus A321neoXLR aircraft. It leverages a large and evolving suite of digital services from Panasonic Avionics aimed at improving loyalty, revenue generation and passenger engagement.
Saudia will also feature Bluetooth audio streaming, allowing Saudi’s guests to unlock entertainment options safely, using their personal Bluetooth-enabled headphones.
In Business class, 16″ 4K monitors will be installed, with wireless charging installed. In Economy, Class Saudia has selected 12-inch 4K screens, and high power USB charging at every seat.
Quiet Airshow? That’s a fat no.
It seems the four major airframers are having reasonably good shows, with orders announced and even a new type of aircraft announced today, with the Airbus A350F programme now being offered to Air Lease, Boeing picking freighter orders, ATR gaining new launch customers and even Embraer getting a piece of the action.
For those who were expecting a quiet airshow, that isn’t happening – it seems the industry is back with a bang, ready to make those big orders after a period of inactivity.
We’ll have to see what escapes out over the next few days as we progress through the show to see if anyone else has some mega orders lined up.
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