After a busy two days, Day Three of the Paris Air Show has been a little quieter in terms of orders on Day 3 – but more importantly, they’ve still been coming in.
Airbus
Widebody deals to make the heart sing
Avolon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to order 20 A330neo aircraft, with them selecting the A330-900, reflecting its vision to secure the earliest available slots, to take advantage of growing widebody demand around the world.
Including owned, managed and committed aircraft, Avolon currently has a total fleet of 616 Airbus aircraft. This includes 55 A330neos as well as 208 A320ceo, 285 A320neo, 51 A330ceo and 17 A350s).
Andy Cronin, Avolon CEO, said:
“We have been a strong supporter of the A330neo programme since its launch and with our existing widebody orderbook fully placed we are now locking in future growth in a supply constrained environment. Our expanded delivery pipeline allows us to offer our customers the A330neo’s range and reduced emissions to support their evolving fleet needs. Our recent aircraft orders and commitments reflect our confidence in the long-term growth trajectory of the aviation sector, which is outlined in our recent World Fleet Forecast projecting that the global passenger fleet will almost double by 2042.”
Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus added:
“It’s fantastic to see Avolon once again commit additional investment in the A330neo aircraft and lead the lessor market reordering widebody aircraft. Avolon’s vision and timing could not be better with this commitment for a further 20 aircraft to its portfolio. Avolon will benefit from the strong wave of growth and replacements that we currently observe across all markets,”
Boeing
Luxair to order the 737-7 MAX
Luxair and Boeing have selected the 737-7 as it continues their single-aisle growth strategy. In doing so, they become the launch customer for the 737-7
The airline has signed for four of the type.
Since March 2023, Luxair has placed orders for four 737-8. With today’s announcement of the selection, the airline’s commitment for four 737-7s will bring the airline’s firm orders for the 737 to eight. Luxair will also initially lease two 737-8 (due summer 2023), before taking direct delivery of its first 737-8.
Gilles Feith, Luxair CEO said:
“We continue to invest in Luxair’s growth and this agreement for four Boeing 737-7 is an extra step towards securing a long term future for our national airline. 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,”
Brad McMullen, senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes added:
“We are delighted that Luxair has chosen to build upon its 737-8 order by selecting the 737-7 and in doing so becoming the launch customer in Europe for the airplane type,”
“The 737-7 is perfectly suited across Luxair’s network, seamlessly integrating in to its existing fleet and adding capacity on to regional routes. By selecting the 737-7 Luxair will operate a common fleet allowing it to move aircraft around the network based, increasing and dropping capacity based on seasonality and demand, ensuring maximum profitability flying all year round.”
Akasa Air to add a further four 737s
Boeing and Akasa Air announced an order for four additional 737-8 jets.
With the order of four additional aircraft, the Indian carrier’s order book comprises 76 jets, which include 23 737-8s and 53 high-capacity 737-8-200.
Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air said
“As the world’s fastest growing airline, we are excited to add four more Boeing 737-8 airplanes into our fleet, taking our initial order of 72 aircraft up to 76 jets which will be delivered over the next four years. In addition to supporting our rapid domestic expansion, these airplanes allow us to take full advantage of the category leading 737-8 aircraft with its unparalleled range, as we prepare our foray into international routes,” said
“The fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions of the 737-8 allows us to remain focused on sustainable operations, while also providing our environmentally conscious passengers with a more comfortable way to fly. Sustainability is at the core of our business, and we strive for more opportunities to reduce our impact to the environment.”
Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing
“This follow-on order by Akasa demonstrates the market-leading capabilities of the 737 MAX in the world’s fastest-growing commercial aviation market,”
“The efficiency and range of the 737-8 support Akasa Air’s plan to expand domestic and regional networks.”
Air Lease Corp adds more Dreamliners
Air Lease Corporation announced at the Paris Air Show 2023 that it would expand its fleet, with a purchase of two 787 Dreamliners.
ALC has been a long-standing 787 customer, placing its first purchase for the 787-9 in 2010. Its portfolio currently includes the 787-9 and 787-10.
Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said
“ALC is a key strategic leasing partner to Boeing, and we are delighted that it continues to see the value proposition of the 787 family for its customers,”
“With its unparalleled fuel efficiency, the 787 Dreamliner family is playing a major role in pioneering new routes in the long-haul travel market while reducing fuel use and emissions, allowing airlines to meet their sustainability objectives.”
De Havilland Canada
More DHC6 Action
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and Zimex Aviation Ltd. to acquire two new DHC-6 Twin Otter® Classic 300-G™ aircraft.
Brian Chafe, Chief Executive Officer, De Havilland Canada said:
“As the first operator of our DHC-6 Twin Otter 400 Series aircraft, we are delighted that Zimex will be among the first to fly the new Classic 300-G,”
“With the same rugged airframe, the lighter weight Classic 300-G will deliver increased payload range and decreased operating costs for our customers. De Havilland Canada is once again driving the utility transport aircraft market forward.”
Daniele Cereghetti, CEO of Zimex Aviation Ltd.
“We can confidently say that the Twin Otter aircraft have been the backbone of our business for the last 54 years,”
“It brings me great excitement to once again be the launch customer for the latest series and we are thrilled to welcome the new Twin Otter into our family. We are also immensely proud to be the first operator of the new DHC-6 Twin Otter Classic 300-G with EASA approval. Not only do we take great pride in being a De Havilland-endorsed service centre, offering extensive maintenance services to customers around the globe, but we also wholeheartedly appreciate the exceptional capabilities of this remarkable aircraft”.
Embraer
A new Passenger 2 Fregith Conversion Partner.
Embraer signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group for 20 E190F and E195F E-Jets Passenger-to-Freight Conversions (P2F).
Embraer and Lanzhou intend to cooperate on establishing E190F and E195F conversion capability in Lanzhou, China, which will support and accelerate the introduction of E-Jet first-generation freighters to the Chinese market.
E-Jet Freighter – Rendering, Embraer.
Lanzhou Group becomes the launch customer for Embraer’s P2F conversion in China, and the base in China for Embraer’s P2F conversions.
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO Embraer Commercial Aviation said
“The opportunity in China had a significant influence during the decision-making process of the launch of our P2F program. It is a market with increasing demand for cargo aircraft to accommodate the tremendous growth of E-commerce trade and the consequent evolution of the logistics industry. We’re confident in this booming market and always willing to support the sector’s further progress in cooperation with our Chinese partners,”
“We welcome Lanzhou Group to be the region’s launch customer for Embraer’s P2F conversion, and we expect to bring new vitality to Chinese market with our E-Jets freighters.”
Chen Zhiqiang, President of Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group.
“We are honored to be the launch customer of the Embraer E-Jets freighters in China. We believe the ‘China speed’ in aviation logistics will be an important basis for the sustainable and efficient growth of the Chinese economy,”
“By cooperating with industry-leading aircraft manufacturer, Embraer and introducing E-Jets freighters to China, we’ll fully leverage our domestic strength and competitive advantages to boost China’s air cargo market growth. We expect that the project, after it comes to fruition, will also help achieve high-quality economic development in Lanzhou, Gansu, and western regions of China.”
Pool party
Both Star Air and Amelia by Regourd Aviation have signed for or extended access to the Embraer Pool programme, to receive support for a wide range of repairable components for the airlines’ fleets.
Other interesting headlines
- Riyadh Air has selected General Electric’s GEnx engines for its 787 family order.
- Deutsche Aircraft is making progress with its D328eco – the next generation of the D328 with the supply chain nearing readiness
- TAAG Angola has been busy shopping around, leasing two A220s from Nordic Aviation Capital and Azorra
- Air Lease Corp has placed two A220s with Cyprus Airlines
- And Airbus unveiled the test-flight livery of its A350F. It’s rather good…
Onto the final day
As the Paris Air Show starts to morph on its final day from a commercial trade show to a public show, there was a tradition for any airframe to pull a big order out of the bag.
We’ll have to see if these traditions are still there, and if anyone wants to make a last-minute splash
Who knows, tomorrow they might…
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