European planemaker Airbus this week unveiled a batch of aircraft orders at the Farnborough Airshow – but its total new business at the global aviation showcase trailed previous years.
Airbus, which designs wings for all its aircraft at its giant Filton plant, has won orders potentially worth $6.35bn in four deals.
These took its total by day four of the show to 115 aircraft worth $16.9bn – including firm purchase orders of 54 aircraft worth around $11.1bn and commitments to buy a further 61 worth $5.8bn..
This is way down on the $72bn of business booked at last year’s Paris Airshow – the other prime aviation industry trade fair which alternates with Farnborough.
Boeing's orders last year totaled just $22bn but this year Airbus’s US rival is faring much better and is expected to ink a major deal with United Airlines later today. It has already announced more firm and committed orders than Airbus at this year's show.
Airbus today confirmed that Russian carrier UTair has ordered 20 short-haul A321s in a $2bn deal, Synergy Aerospace, a Latin American company, has firmed up a previous $1.9bn order for nine long-haul A330s, Middle East Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 10 A320neo aircraft worth $1 billion and Irish leasing company Avolon has committed to buy 15 A320neo aircraft, worth $1.45bn – all quoted at list prices and not including discounts.
Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier said: "The quality of orders at Farnborough has been high at the show, with significant endorsement from leading customers of our strategy to continuously innovate and improve our products.”
