Day Three of the Farnborough Air Show has been and gone. And it’s been quiet from the show floor, to put it mildly.
Welcome to the silence of the Chalets.
Onto the headlines I’ve scavenged for today.
Airbus
BermudAir signs for the A220
BermudAir has become a new A220 customer following its order for 10 A220-300 aircraft, marking the airline’s first-ever Airbus order. The order was included in the Airbus order book in March as an undisclosed order.
Unveiled during the Farnborough Airshow, the addition of the A220 aircraft will enhance BermudAir’s fleet, offering new possibilities for route development and new destinations and becoming a new region of operations for the A220. The A220-300 will feature a 135-seat three-class layout.
In Quotes
Adam Scott, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BermudAir said:
“The A220 is the ideal aircraft to support the next phase of BermudAir’s growth,”
“Its exceptional range, operating economics and performance at constrained airports will allow us to connect more communities across Bermuda, the Caribbean and North America with direct, reliable and convenient air service.
Just as importantly, the A220 offers an outstanding passenger experience. BermudAir has quickly established itself as the premier airline serving Bermuda and the Caribbean, supported by a differentiated onboard product and 70+ Net Promoter Score. The A220’s spacious, quiet and comfortable cabin is perfectly aligned with the experience our guests have come to expect from us.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business added:
“BermudAir’s selection of the A220-300 validates the aircraft’s role as a tool for targeted regional development,”
“This agreement introduces the A220 to a distinct operational environment in the Atlantic and Caribbean, demonstrating how its efficiency supports tailored business models. We thank BermudAir for their trust in Airbus and look forward to supporting their network expansion.”
flynas firms up orders
flynas of Saudi Arabia’s has agreed to acquire five additional A330-900 aircraft and 20 additional A321neo aircraft from Airbus. The agreement further strengthens the strategic partnership between Airbus and flynas and supports the airline’s continued expansion across domestic, regional and long-haul markets.
The latest order increases flynas’ total commitment for the A330neo to 20 aircraft and brings its total commitment for the A321neo to 56 aircraft. With these additions, flynas continues to expand its all-Airbus fleet, bringing its total firm commitment to Airbus aircraft to 235.
flynas currently operates a fleet of 67 Airbus aircraft, comprising two A330-300s, four A320ceos and 61 A320neos.
In Quotes
Bander Almohanna, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of flynas, said:
“This step is aimed at ensuring the sustainable growth of the flynas fleet over the coming years to support the continued expansion of our six operating bases across the Kingdom, while also strengthening our operational and expansion capabilities for flynas Syria,”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business, added:
“This additional order from flynas highlights the continued appeal of Airbus’ latest-generation aircraft and reflects the strength of our partnership with one of the region’s fastest-growing airlines,” .
“The A321neo and A330neo deliver outstanding efficiency, performance and passenger comfort, enabling airlines to grow sustainably while expanding their networks. We are delighted to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it continues its ambitious aviation growth journey.”
Engines
- FlyOne Armenia signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with CFM International for four LEAP-1A engines to power two Airbus A321neo. The aircraft order was announced in May during the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in Yerevan. Based at Zvartnots International Airport, the airline already operates four A320ceo aircraft powered by CFM56-5B engines.
Leasing Agreements
- Vietnam Airlines has signed leasing agreements with three providers for 19 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft. Vietnam Airlines will receive 10 aircraft from SMBC Aviation Capital, 4 aircraft from Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited and 5 aircraft from Phoenix Aviation Capital (managed by AIP Capital). Aircraft are due in 2028.
- Air Seychelles are to lease two Airbus A321XLR from SMBC Aviation Capital, with deliveries scheduled for 2028. The aircraft form part of SMBC Aviation Capital’s order book with Airbus as the airline plans to operate European services with the type.
Partnerships
- Etihad Airways and Abra Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic partnership to strengthen connectivity among Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia through the combined networks of Etihad and Abra’s airlines: Avianca, GOL, and Wamos Air. The partnership will examine expanded cooperation between Etihad, Avianca, and GOL through reciprocal loyalty benefits, commercial collaboration, and codeshare agreements, with plans to launch these initiatives in 2026.
And that’s it for Day 3
Whilst Day 3 of an airshow is normally a quiet day, it’s not normally this quiet, with only a couple of orders sneaking through the front door. Given how coverage of this year’s airshow in general has been… muted, your author is not holding out much hope for a mega-order to be announced for a final flourish of orders for Thursday – the last day of the commercial air show, before the general public are admitted.
It’s notable that apart from Airbus, none of the airframers had a major announcement to share today.
We’ll see – you never know what deals are being cooked up in the background.
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