Yesterday was a big day at the Dubai Air Show as both Airbus and Boeing received huge orders, with the latter also receiving their largest ever.
Bombardier announced some orders for their aircraft as well, undisclosing an order for up to 24 CS300 aircraft.
Indigo Partners signs historic deal with Airbus
American private equity firm Indigo Partners (not linked in any way to the Indian LCC IndiGo) and Airbus have signed a historic deal for 430 aircraft of the A320neo family for the firmâs airlines Wizz Air, Frontier, Volaris and start-up JetSmart.
This deal, valued at US$49.5 billion at list prices, comprises 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos and is structured as follows:
Wizz Air will get a total of 146 aircraft: 72 A320neos and 74 A321neos;
Frontier will get 134 aircraft: 100 A320neos and 34 A321neos;
Volaris will get 80 aircraft: 46 A320neos and 34 A321neos;
and Chilean LCC start-up JetSmart will get 70: 56 A320neo and 14 A321neos.
The airlines part of the equity firm had already placed orders for a total of 427 A320 Family aircraft.
Bill Franke, the firmâs co-founder, said at the signing ceremony in Dubai:
This significant commitment for 430 additional aircraft underscores our optimistic view of the growth potential of our family of low-cost airlines, as well as our confidence in the A320neo Family as a platform for that growth. Our airlines know that a great aircraft coupled with a great business plan will create value for our customers. We look forward to bringing comfort and low fares to more passengers around the world as Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSMART and Frontier continue to expand.
John Leahy, Airbusâ COO and CCO, said:
Indigo Partners have been a tremendous customer and supporter of the Airbus single-aisle fleet for many years. An order for 430 aircraft is remarkable, but itâs particularly gratifying to all of us at Airbus when it comes from a group of airline professionals who know our products as well as the folks at Indigo Partners do. We are proud to augment their airline fleets in Latin America, North America and Europe with the single-aisle aircraft that offers the lowest operating costs, longest range and most spacious cabin: the A320neo Family.
Franke also added that the engines to be used on these aircraft still havenât been decided and that an announcement will be made at a later date.
CDB Aviation confirms order for 90 A320neo Family aircraft
A render of a CDB A320neo. © Airbus
Dublin-based lessor CDB Aviation Lease Finance DAC (CDB Aviation) has announced a firm order for 90 A320neo Family aircraft during the show.
The deal was reached in two steps: a first deal for 45 A320neo Family aircraft was signed in 2014 and kept undisclosed to date; the second step was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Paris Airshow in June this year for an additional 30 A320neos and 15 A321neos.
CDB Aviationâs President and CEO Peter Chang said:
By confirming todayâs order for 90 A320neos, we have doubled our overall order position for the aircraft family. CDB Aviation is now well positioned with a leading order book for the latest technology narrowbody aircraft to realize our aggressive fleet growth plan and further strengthen our ability to serve airline customers around the world with narrowbody fleet requirements. Our business model is grounded in our unmatched access to competitive funding, our industry-leading global team, and the large order book associated with strong strategic OEM partnerships.
It is a pleasure to see CDB Aviation firming up another commitment for Airbus products and we are looking forward to strengthen our relationship with such fast growing player in the industry. The order from CDB Aviation is another true endorsement from the lessor community for the A320neo Family. This latest order demonstrates its continued confidence in our product for its airline customers and recognizes the A320neo as a sound financial asset in its portfolio.
flydubai signs historic deal for 225 737 MAXs
flydubaiâs first 737 MAX still wearing its test registration. © Boeing
Boeing and low-cost carrier flydubai have signed an agreement for 225 737 MAX aircraft, with a value of US$27 billion at list prices.
This deal is the largest ever single-aisle jet order, both by number and total value, from a Middle Eastern carrier.
The agreement comprises a commitment for 175 MAXs and purchase rights for 50 of the same type. More than 50 of those 175 aircraft will be MAX 10s, but the rest will be made out of both MAX 8s and 9s, which will allow flydubai to have high fleet commonality.
This new deal surpasses the flydubaiâs previous record order of 75 MAXs and 11 Next-Generation 737-800s which was signed at the 2013 Dubai Airshow.
During the signing ceremony at the Dubai AirShow, flydubai Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said:
We welcome the continuation of our long partnership with Boeing. Their airplanes have provided a foundation for the success of our business model, providing us with the operational flexibility and range to build a network of 95 destinations in 44 countries. Understanding the demand for travel across our network, our innovative approach to our cabin design and developing a product unique to our market has allowed us to exceed our passengersâ expectations in their flying experience.
Also, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister said:
We are extremely honored that flydubai has selected to be an all-Boeing operator for many years to come. This record-breaking agreement builds on our strong partnership with flydubai and the other leading carriers of this region. With flydubaiâs proven business model and ambitious growth plans, we look forward to hundreds of flydubai 737 MAXs connecting Dubai with the rest of the world.
EgyptAir sinks deal for up to 24 CS300s with Bombardier
At the presence of His Excellency Minister of Civil Aviation of Egypt, Mr. Sherif Fathi, the chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company, Safwat Musallam, and the president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, Fred Comer; the Canadian manufacturer has announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for up to 24 CS300 aircraft with EgyptAir Holding Company.
The deal includes orders for 12 CS300s with purchase rights for an additional 12.
The value at list prices is near US$1.1 billion, but should the holding company exercise its 12 purchase rights it would reach nearly US$2.2 billion.
It is our pleasure to have this new partnership with Bombardier, which came as a continuation of our fleet modernization strategy. We undertook a thorough evaluation process of our fleet and realized that the CS300 would fit perfectly into our business plans and growth strategy. We selected the C Series aircraft because its excellent range will allow us to best serve domestic and regional destinations, including neighboring Arab cities, the Middle East as well as several European destinations. This is in addition to the CS300 aircraftâs exceptional economics and outstanding cabin. We look forward to expanding our network with the CS300 and we are happy to see that the partnership announced with Airbus will bring added support to the C Series program.
Weâre thrilled that EgyptAir selected the CS300 aircraft to renew its fleet. Bombardierâs 20-year market outlook foresees demand for 450 airplanes in the 60- to 150-seat category for the region and this LOI confirms the need for right-sized aircraft in the Middle East. We are confident that our small single-aisle C Series is ideally-suited to serve the hot temperature environments of the region and will undoubtedly provide performance and economics that will drive higher profitability.
 Big-order day at the 2017 Dubai Air Show Yesterday was a big day at the Dubai Air Show as both Airbus and Boeing received huge orders, with the latter also receiving their largest ever.
