Day 2 of the 53rd Paris Air Show saw activity aplenty. Not least came a shot in the arm for Boeing in the shape of a commitment from International Airlines Group (IAG) for 200 of its 737 MAXs.
Boeing
After a miserable Day 1 for the Boeing Company, IAGs offer boosted the viability of the American corporation, the productivity of which has languished since the grounding of its MAX fleet.
Multinational holding company IAG, which has airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling under its wing, yesterday signed a letter of intent worth in the region of $24bn, according to a Boeing press release.
As a result Boeing shares jumped 5.4% to 373.96 on the US stock market according to Gillian Rich writing for Investors.com.
Despite still not having any firm orders on Day 2 the aerospace giant also announced its receipt of a commitment from Korean Air for 20 of its B787 Dreamliners. The Korean deal is thought to be worth $6.3bn.
Airbus
Airbus continues to dominate the Show. It received purchasing commitments from IAG and Philippine airline Cebu Pacific for its new A321XLR. Cebu Air has ordered 10 A321XLR jets just one day after Airbus’s unveiling of its new long-range single-aisle airliner.
Cebu also signed a memorandum of understanding for 16 Airbus A330neos and five A320neos. The combined deal is said to be worth around $6bn. The carrier’s A330neo will be configured to accommodate 460 single-class seats.
IAG has ordered 14 A321XLRs from Airbus. Eight XLRs are destined for service with Spanish flag carrier Iberia and six with Irish carrier Aer Lingus.
The twinjets will allow Aer Lingus (already a loyal customer of the A321LR) to operate extended transatlantic services.
Deliveries to Iberia and Aer Lingus are expected to start in 2023.
And in other news…
Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR has received a letter of intent from Nordic Aviation Capital. The leasing company wishes to purchase 35 ATR72-600s with the option for a further 35. Delivery of the first batch is expected between 2020 and 2025.
Delta Air Lines has ordered five more A220-100s from Airbus. The manufacturer’s biggest customer of the A220-100 now has 95 A220 types on order including 50 A220-300s. LCCs JetBlue and Moxy still retain their lead with the most A220-300s on order.
As previously reported AirAsia yesterday converted an order for 253 A320-200neos to the larger A321-200neo. The low cost airline has also agreed with CFM International the purchase of 200 LEAP-1A engines in order to power its new neos.
Regional Spanish airline Binter Canarias has finalized an order for two E195-E2s from Embraer. Binter hopes to receive the first of the larger medium-range jet airliners in the latter part of this year. On receipt Binter will become Europe’s first customer of the new type.
Korean Air has committed to the purchase of 20 B787s split halfway between the -9 type and the -10. In addition to the leasing of 10 further B787s from Air Lease Corporation the Korean fleet of Dreamliners will stand at 40.
Carrier expansion favors Airbus
Japanese domestic carrier Fuji Dream Airlines has ordered two E175s from Embraer. The airline operates E170s and E175s from its hubs at Shizuoka Airport and Nagoya Airfield. Delivery of the new E175s is expected to be made later this year.
National carrier of the Faroe Islands, Atlantic Airways, has agreed to buy two A320neos from Airbus. Industry insiders suspect the purchase is a precursor to the airline announcing services to the United States. Earlier this year we reported that Atlantic Airways had submitted an application for commercial services to the US.
Finally, Saudi Arabian Airlines ordered 30 A320neos from Airbus in a deal that includes 15 A321XLRs. Airbus intimated that the Saudi airline also intended to purchase 30 more A320neos at a cost of $3.3bn.
Stay tuned to Simple Flying for a Day 3 report from the Paris Air Show.