PARIS AIR SHOW Daily Digest Day 1: The Day of the Airbus

It’s time for Economy Class and Beyond’s Daily Digest Coverage from the Paris Air Show. There’s plenty to get through, so get comfortable.

As usual, we’ll be running this in Alphabetical Order, with the major airframers first (with their comments), then everyone else, in announcement order.

Airbus

AviLease orders Airbus A350F freighters and A320neo Family aircraft

AviLease (PIF) has announced an initial order for 10 A350F freighters and 30 A320neo Family aircraft. The agreement has options for a further 12 A350F and 25 A320neo Family aircraft.

Edward O’Byrne, CEO of AviLease, said:

“We are proud to establish an Airbus order book, strengthening our position as a full-service, investment grade global lessor. The addition of these latest generation aircraft enhances our ability to offer modern, fuel-efficient fleet solutions to our airline partners in Saudi Arabia and around the world. We thank our local partners and Airbus for the strong long-term partnership we have established and look forward to placing these aircraft across our valued customer base,” 

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business added:

“We are delighted to welcome AviLease as Airbus’ latest customer with this significant order for the all new A350F and leading A320neo Family”,

“The A350F will set the benchmark in air cargo, offering at least 20% reduced fuel burn, better loading capacity and increased range, while the A320neo Family continues to be the world’s most popular single-aisle aircraft. This dual order reinforces AviLease’s credentials as a leading lessor, and it demonstrates the broad appeal of our products among lessors and their airline customers.”

Riyadh Air places firm order for 25 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Riyadh Air of Saudi Arabia has placed a firm order for 25 A350-1000 aircraft, with options for a further 25, taking the order up to 50 A350-1000.

The signing ceremony was attended by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Christian Scherer, CEO Commercial Aircraft at Airbus and Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air.

Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Ai,r said:

“This order marks a significant step forward in building a world-class airline that reflects the ambitions of Vision 2030. The A350-1000 will bring outstanding efficiency and comfort to our fleet, supporting our sustainability goals and enabling Riyadh Air to offer a premium experience while connecting Saudi Arabia to the world,” 

”It’s a clear signal of our intent to shape the future of air travel and contribute meaningfully to the Kingdom’s fast-growing aviation ecosystem.”

Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business said:

“We are proud to extend our strategic partnership with Riyadh Air as it continues to build a pioneering carrier for the Kingdom. As the long-range leader, the A350-1000 will provide unrivalled efficiency, range and passenger comfort, making it the ideal choice to support the airline’s ambitious growth plans and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives to enhance global connectivity and economic diversification”, 

ANA Finalises A321neo fleet order

ANA has been chalet-hopping today. Over at the Airbus Chalet, they have finalised their Airbus order for 24 single-aisle A321neo and three A321XLR.

The order covers 14 additional A321neo for All Nippon Airways (ANA) as well as 10 A321neo and three A321XLR for its group airline, Peach Aviation, to upgrade the group’s current fleet.

Peach Aviation will become the first Japanese airline to operate the A321XLR, which has the longest range of any single aisle aircraft, flying up to 4,700nm / 8,700 km non-stop.

 Koji Shibata for ANA said:

“We are delighted to have signed the firm order for the introduction of additional A321neo and first A321XLR into our group airlines. We believe that this additional introduction of Airbus aircraft will further deepen our relationship,” 

“We will accelerate the introduction of state-of-the-art and fuel-efficient aircraft to provide our passengers with excellent service and to reduce CO₂ emissions.”

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry for Airbus added

“From its first order in 1987 to an order book now approaching 100 aircraft, ANA has been a long-standing customer for the A320 Family. The exciting addition of the A321XLR for Peach Aviation further underscores ANA’s innovative spirit and trust in the A320 Family’s unrivaled capabilities,”

“We are committed to providing our full support to ANA and Peach Aviation as their growing fleet is deployed on more routes across their networks.”

LOT Polish Airlines selects the A220

It seems LOT is switching around its fleet, with the airline choosing its first order ever of Airbus Aircraft – the Airbus A220, beating out Embraer.

LOT Polish Airlines has placed a firm order with Airbus for 20 A220-100s and 20 A220-300s, with options for a further 44 A220s. These will replace the existing Embraer aircraft that LOT currently uses (numbering 47 currently).

LOT will select seating from Recaro Aircraft Seating in regards to its new fleet.

Michał Fijoł, LOT Executive Officer, said:

“Today’s decision is about the future. The Airbus A220 family aircraft, which will start joining our fleet in 2027, open up new opportunities for development and growth – key pillars of our strategy. These modern, efficient, and passenger-focused aircraft will allow us to compete effectively in the European skies, strengthen our position as the preferred carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, and prepare LOT for its role as a leading airline at the Central Communication Port,”

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business added:

“This order for 40 Airbus A220s marks a historic milestone as we officially welcome LOT Polish Airlines into the Airbus family. The A220 Family will be instrumental in LOT’s fleet modernisation and network expansion strategy with the A220-100 and A220-300 being the ideal combination for their needs. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with LOT, leveraging Airbus global expertise to support its  renewal program and ensure the A220’s seamless integration,”

ATR Aircraft

ATR and RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Canada Collaborate on Propulsion Technology to Advance Next-generation Regional Turboprops

Let’s cross over to ATR, which has announced its intent to work together with Pratt & Whitney Canada on the next generation engines for regional turboprops. This builds on the ATR72/42-600 with the current generation PW127XT, through to new generation technologies to power the ATR ‘EVO’ Concept.

The work will include improving efficiencies, performance operating economics of regional turboprop engines, focusing on:

• improving thermal efficiency to further reduce fuel burn;
• applying advanced materials for improving engine durability and reliability to reduce maintenance costs;
• refining aircraft aerodynamics by optimising engine, nacelle and aircraft integration.

In addition, ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada will explore the disruptive potential of hybrid-electric propulsion as part of the feasibility study for ATR’s next-generation concept, known as ATR ‘EVO’.

Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, Chief Executive Officer, ATR, said

“From our pioneering collaboration on the PW120 in the 1980s, ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada have continuously raised the bar in regional aviation. We are now setting our sights on the next generation of engines, advancing fuel efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing operational performance. As we work together on further improvements to the PW127XT-M, we are shaping the technologies that will drive the next generation of regional aircraft – a key step in the feasibility study for the ATR ‘EVO’ concept.” 

Maria Della Posta, president, Pratt & Whitney Canada, added:

“As we celebrate the centennial of Pratt & Whitney, our strong collaboration with ATR highlights our continued commitment to leading the regional turboprop segment. For over 40 years, we’ve shared values of safety, reliability, and innovation, driven by our commitment to meet the specific needs of regional aviation operators. With over 30 derivatives specifically tailored for regional turboprop applications, we continue to enhance aircraft performance by building on the benefits of the exceptional PW127XT engine.” 

Boeing

Boeing is seemingly having a quiet show. This could be due to the deals announced earlier this year, as well as the aftermath of AI171.

We’ll see if there’s anything big in the civil aviation orders tomorrow.

De Havilland of Canada

Two sales have been announced by De Havilland Canada.

One is a single Dash 8-400 aircraft to Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick), one of the world’s largest gold mining companies. The aircraft will support Barrick’s Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC) operations in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. It marks the first time that the Dash 8-400 will become the first of its kind to operate in Pakistan.

In addition, one has been purchased by an undisclosed regional operator for use in South America.

Embraer

ANA Finalises Fleet Order for Embraers

In their tour of the challets, ANA confirmed and finalised its order for 15 Embraer E190-E2s for its regional services.

This is made up of an order for 15 aircraft, with options for a further five aircraft down the line.

A busy day… for Airbus

For day one of an airshow, it’s been busy over at the Airbus chalet, whilst the others are drip-feeding news as it comes, with one steal (LOT Polish Airlines), and two headline orders (LOT and Riyadh Air).

But with everything going on, it’s quiet in comparison to other years. With everything going on in the world, it’s not surprising, as there are a lot of new numbers that airlines and lessors may not want to play with currently, in addition to the backlogs of equipment.

We’ll have to see if things get a little more lively tomorrow.

Next:

Day 2 beckons, hopefully with further orders and news. We’ll be keeping an ear open on what’s happening at Le Boruget.

We’ll be back without the daily digest around 19:30 BST tomorrow.