DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Airbus Lands Record $16 Billion IndiGo Order

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Airbus Lands Record $16 Billion IndiGo Order

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - January 11, 2011: Airbus on Tuesday announced what it called the biggest jet order in commercial aviation history, a $15.6 billion deal to sell 180 planes to Indian budget carrier IndiGo that includes the first orders for a revamped model.

The deal comes as the European planemaker tallies its plane orders for 2010, but will not enter the order book in time to decide whether Airbus will come from behind to win a fiercely contested annual battle against Boeing (BA.N) for most sales.

The order includes 30 classic A320s -- Airbus's best-selling model, which carries 150 people on short and medium routes -- and 150 upgraded versions of the same type of aircraft, which Airbus says will offer airlines significant fuel savings from 2016.

"It is the largest single firm order number for large jets in commercial aviation history, and also makes IndiGo a launch customer for the A320neo," Airbus said in a statement.

The claim for a place in the aviation record books refers to deals for large aircraft, a category of planes with over 100 seats, ranked by the volume of planes sold.

Single-aisle planes are the backbone of most airline fleets and sell for around $80 million at list prices. Airlines usually win discounts, especially for launch orders, but the neo has been marketed at a premium due to its lower operating costs.

Airbus launched the "A320neo" -- an upgraded version of its best-selling A320 150-seat workhorse -- in December but had not so far won anything more than messages of support.

Airbus says airlines will benefit from 15 percent fuel savings by choosing the upgraded "neo" model, which will have state-of-the-art engines and upward-sloping wingtips.

Boeing (BA.N), the world's second-largest planemaker behind Airbus, has expressed doubts over whether airlines want such a model when it believes an all-new airliner, with even better performance, might be available around the end of the decade.

IndiGo, which had already ordered 100 Airbus A320s in 2005, said last August it planned to buy 150 more planes over two to three years as it looks to fly international routes.

IndiGo will have completed five years of operations in August 2011, which makes it eligible to fly overseas routes.

India's aviation sector, which has close to a dozen carriers, is expanding sharply as the booming economy revives the market for air travel.

The "neo" order will spark a showdown between Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies (UTX.N), and CFM International, jointly owned by General Electric (GE.N) and French group Safran (SAF.PA), for the right to supply engines.

IndiGo will select the engines at a later date, Airbus said.

The IndiGo fleet consists of the following aircraft as of January 2011

(*Source: Wikipedia)

IndiGo Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers (Economy)	Notes
Airbus A320-200	39	91	180	5 Leased
Airbus A320neo	0	150	TBA
Total	39	241

^{*5 planes are on short term lease with Turkuaz Airlines and Etihad Airways.}

As of December 2010 the average age of the IndiGo fleet was 2.1 years.

[]Aircraft orders

The interior of an IndiGo A320

IndiGo placed an order for 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft during the 2005 Paris Air Show. The total order was worth US $6 billion, one of the highest by any domestic carrier during the show. The carrier has set a target of serving approximately 30 Indian cities by 2010 with a fleet size of 40 A320 aircraft. The airline will receive all 100 A320 family aircraft by 2015-2016. The Indian Government has approved the airline's aircraft import plan "in principle".

IndiGo has plans to buy additional 150 aircraft for deliveries before 2025. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 180 eco-efficient Airbus A320 at 11th January 2011.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Gary Hill)

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

© Copyright (c) DTN News Defense-Technology News

DTN NEWS ON TWITTER (30 SUBJECTS)

DTN News: Dubai Leasing Firm Slashes Airbus Order By $3 Billion

DTN News: Dubai Leasing Firm Slashes Airbus Order By $3 Billion

* Lessor cuts Airbus order volume by 25 pct, data shows * Move follows apparent cancellation of 25 Boeing planes * Boeing leads 2010 order race, Airbus ahead in production

Source: DTN News / Reuters By Tim Hepher

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - August 7, 2010: Europe's Airbus said on Friday it had more than doubled its tally of 2010 orders due to a bumper Farnborough Airshow, however the pick-up was marred by $3 billion in cancelled orders from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). The Dubai-based lessor slashed an order for 100 Airbus passenger jets by 25 percent in volume terms, shedding 18 orders for narrow-body A320 planes and seven orders for A350-900 mid-sized jets, July figures released by the European planemaker showed. The move brings to more than $8 billion the catalogue value of DAE cancellations, totalling 50 aircraft, revealed in Airbus and Boeing (BA.N) data published in the past 24 hours. "I have no comment on that," Mohammed Al Zarooni, recently appointed chairman of state-owned DAE, said when contacted by telephone. Airbus and Boeing declined to comment on the cancellations. Leasing companies were hard hit during the financial crisis though some returned with bulk orders for narrow-body planes at last months' Farnborough trade show, which delivered unexpectedly robust evidence of an economic turnaround. Excluding the effect of cancellations, Airbus said its cumulative 2010 orders jumped to 286 planes by the end of July from 131 planes in the first half of the year. Deliveries reached 298 aircraft. The EADS (EAD.PA) unit targets over 400 orders and a record 500 deliveries this year. There have been several specialist industry reports that part of DAE's order portfolio would be transferred to Dubai's Emirates airline, which ordered 30 more 777s at Farnborough. Al Zarooni's predecessor as DAE chairman was Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of The Emirates Group. On Thursday, Boeing data revealed cancellations for 25 jets worth over a total of $5 billion at catalogue prices. Comparisons with previously published data indicated the cuts came from DAE. DAE had ordered the 15 787-8 Dreamliners and 10 777-300ER aircraft in 2007, at the peak of a global order boom. Boeing's latest backlog did not include any such wide-body passenger jets for the leasing and repair firm. It did, however, have 91 unfilled DAE orders for narrow-body jets and freighters. DAE also still has 52 Airbus A320 planes and 23 A350-900s, designed to compete with the Boeing Dreamliner, on order with a total list value of $10 billion at current prices. The Director General of Dubai's Department of Finance, Abdelrahman al Saleh, said recently DAE was in negotiations with Boeing and Airbus on its total of some 220 plane orders. Airbus Sales Chief John Leahy said at Farnborough that it was "no secret" that DAE was facing disruption over its orders. After adjusting for total cancellations in the past month, Airbus reported a net total of 245 new orders in the first seven months of the year, up from 117 by the end of June. The data leaves Boeing ahead of its rival in the race for 2010 orders as the industry exits recession, though it still ranks in second place behind Airbus in terms of production. Boeing said it had received total orders for 319 planes between January and July, and a net total of 255 planes after adjusting for cancellations. The net orders include 229 narrow-body Boeing 737 short-haul and medium-haul planes.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Erika Solomon; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter, Sharon Lindores)

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY January 07, 2010 ~ Turkish Airlines Orders 20 A320 Family Aircraft

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY January 07, 2010 ~ Turkish Airlines Orders 20 A320 Family Aircraft *Source: DTN News / Airbus (NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - January 07, 2010: Turkish Airlines signed a firm order for 20 Airbus A320 Family aircraft on 30 December 2009. The order is for a mix of A319s and A321s with exact numbers of each to be finalised shortly. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2011 onwards, and will be used for expansion of domestic and regional routes.

This new order brings the total number of Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2009 to 36, including four A321s, 10 A330-300s and two of the all new A330-200F. Turkish Airlines introduced its first Airbus aircraft in 1985 and today operates the largest Airbus fleet in the country with a total of 67 aircraft, including 47 A320 Family aircraft, four A310s, seven A330s and nine A340s.

"The high reliability and low operating costs of our A320 fleet have been a key factor in our success so far and we see the aircraft as an integral part of our expansion plans" said Mr. Hamdi Topcu, Chairman of Turkish Airlines. "This order underlines our commitment to continued growth whilst providing the highest level of comfort to our passengers."

"Turkish Airlines is one of the fastest growing European airlines and we are delighted that they continue to partner with Airbus to support their expansion" said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. "The additional A320s will allow Turkish Airlines to further exploit the commonality benefits offered by the Airbus Family of aircraft."

Airbus aircraft share a unique cockpit and operational commonality, allowing airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, bringing operational flexibility and resulting in significant cost savings.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognised as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. More than 6,400 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 4000 delivered to more than 300 customers and operators worldwide, making it the world's best selling commercial jetliner ever.

With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerised cargo system, which is compatible with the world wide standard wide-body system.

DTN News: Airbust!

DTN News: Airbust!

*Source: DTN News / The Times

(NSI News Source Info) JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - July 26, 2009: SAA doesn’t have the cash for 15 new aircraft ordered in 2002, writes Roger Makings. More turbulence at SAA: Airline in fresh pickle, this time for airbus deal worth over R1BN. Just as SAA was showing signs of a turnaround, the airline finds itself fighting off another crisis that could again send it reeling into technical bankruptcy. At the heart of the problem is a resolute Airbus, the French aircraft manufacturer, which is pressuring the cash-strapped carrier to honour a deal struck in 2002 to acquire 15 A320s, for which the airline does not have the money. Sensing that it has SAA over a barrel, Airbus has said it would toss the carrier a lifeline if it increased the order to include two long-range A340-500s which SAA does not want. It is believed that the type, of which Airbus is said to have surplus stock, is not popular with airlines — which Airbus denies. “We can either perfect the deal, for which we don’t have the money, try to force a cancellation and run the risk of incurring damages, challenge Airbus in court over the validity of the contract or, preferably, find a solution acceptable to both parties,” says acting chief executive Chris Smyth. If SAA honours the five-year- old deal, it would have to come up with R1.2-billion in pre-delivery payments. If it doesn’t, it will have to find more than R850-million to repay credits advanced for an earlier acquisition of aircraft owed to engine manufacturers as well as Airbus. The airline does not have the money for either option and if forced to concede, will find itself technically bankrupt. Industry sources say that Airbus, which is also feeling the effects of the recession, is hoping that the government will bail out SAA, as it has done previously. The impasse began in 2002, when SAA’s then CEO Andre Viljoen announced that a multibillion-rand fleet renewal contract had been awarded to Airbus. The order was made up of 41 aircraft, including 15 A320-200 aircraft. The first of the deliveries would have been due early next year. However, the airline found itself insolvent after a currency hedging programme went sour and, in the two years from 2002-03, SAA had recorded net losses of nearly R14.6-billion. The SAA board was forced to cancel the order for the 15 A320s. Airbus was notified, says SAA, and acknowledged receipt of such, but did not, apparently, concede that the deal was cancelled. The airline acquired 21 Boeing 737-800s in 2000 during Coleman Andrews’ tenure. Four of these are in the stable of SAA’s budget airline Mango, and the leases on these aircraft begin to expire from next year. They were scheduled to be replaced by the 15 A320s. As much as a showdown seems inevitable, SAA has several options. The least favoured is to challenge the validity of the Airbus claim in court, when that money, should it lose the case, could go towards the new aircraft which SAA is, in any event, going to have to buy in the next few years. What the airline needs is time to come up with the funding. “In the interim we can extend the leases on our Boeings until such time as we are in a position to go ahead with the Airbus deal,” said Smyth. He said SAA had achieved an operational turnaround which would need another three years to generate the capital needed for the acquisition. Airbus was agreeable to the three-year extension but then introduced the deal-busting condition that two long-range A340-500s be added to the list. “We are still evaluating the A340-500s and cannot take them until we are satisfied that they can work for us,” said Smyth. “No airline can afford to be saddled with expensive aircraft that it doesn’t need. We must be satisfied they will not impact negatively on operational efficiency and profitability in the years to come, which is exactly what we are trying to correct.” He said Airbus is a tough negotiator and although the two parties find themselves in an adversarial scenario, he believes that a solution can be found. Airbus, he said, had not issued summons, which indicated there was a will to find a solution. (The manufacturer did not respond to questions on whether it might seek legal recourse if the talks collapsed.) “We are well on the way to be in a position to fund the deal. There will be an operational profit of more than R1-billion, although we may still show a net loss at the end of the financial year, firstly from a hedging loss, and secondly the Airbus deal, which can’t be ignored,” Smyth said. “A substantial amount will have to be put aside for this to satisfy the auditors, whether it be to pay for the aircraft or force a cancellation, which I don’t expect will be necessary.” Airbus described the negotiations with SAA as “constructive”, but added that as they were contractual, they remained confidential. In defence of the A340-500 an Airbus spokesman said: “The A340 remains popular on routes where carriers need the superior takeoff performance of four engines from high-altitude airports (like Johannesburg’s OR Tambo), on long-haul routes.” The question now is whether the government will step in to defuse the standoff or whether SAA will have to go it alone. Another bailout would be hugely unpopular and Smyth and his team are likely to have to stare Airbus down on their own.

DTN News: Airbus To Deliver First China-Made Airplane

DTN News: Airbus To Deliver First China-Made Airplane *Source: AFP (NSI News Source Info) - BEIJING - June 21, 2009: European aviation giant Airbus is set to deliver the first A320 airplane assembled at its factory in China, in a symbolic event further marking the nation's global rise. European aviation giant Airbus is set to deliver the first airplane assembled at its plant in China The first plane to be made at plant in northern Tianjin, the only Airbus factory outside Europe, will be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing and will be flown by Sichuan Airlines, a regional Chinese air carrier. A grand ceremony is expected to be held for the roll out, but so far Airbus has remained discreet about who has been invited to the event which will take place with no minister-level officials from Germany or France, sources said. The plane took its first test flight last month with the first Chinese test engineer trained by Airbus. Ten middle-distance A319/320 aircraft will be delivered by the end of the year, before the factory starts to churn out up to four planes a month before the end of 2011. The Tianjin plant, modelled on Airbus' factory in Hamburg, Germany, has an investment of nearly 10 billion yuan (1.47 billion dollar) and went into operation in September in the presence of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. The joint venture factory, about 120 kilometres (72 miles) southeast of Beijing, is 51 percent owned by Airbus, subsidiary of the European group EADS, and 49 percent by a Chinese aviation consortium. Unions raised concerns when the deal was struck, but the aviation giant insisted orders would not fall at its European plants and that it had worked to minimise technology transfers to China. The venture has also revealed the extent that Airbus has gone to get a foot hold in one of the world's most dynamic markets. At the inauguration Airbus chief-executive-officer Thomas Enders said the company's "new house" would become "the jump off point for the future development of Airbus in China and in the region." China's air market, the second biggest in the world, makes up 15 percent of sales at Airbus, which sold its first plane here -- an A310 -- in 1985. The decision to build the China plant was based on strong growth estimates that expect the nation to buy up to 2,800 passenger and transport planes over the next 20 years. These planes, of which 190 are expected to be jumbo jets, are valued at about 329 billion dollars. In the next two decades, passenger travel is also expected to increase five-fold, according to industry estimates. Airbus' goal is to gain half of the China market from now until 2012, compared with a 39 percent market share in mid-2008 and up from a seven percent share in 1995. Its main rival is current global market leader Boeing. Coinciding with Tuesday's roll out, China Eastern Airlines, the nation's third largest air carrier, signed an order last week at the Le Bourget Air Show in France for 20 Airbus A320s to be delivered between 2011 and 2013. The order is part of a deal for 160 jets -- 110 A320s and 50 A330s -- that China said it would buy in 2007 during a visit to Beijing by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In September, Chinese air carriers had signed agreements and memoranda for the purchase of a total of 280 planes, Airbus said. Tuesday's delivery and the China Eastern order will be a boost for Airbus as it tries to weather the recent fatal accident of the Air France jet over the Atlantic, as well as a market still reeling from the global financial downturn.

First Made-In-China Airbus Makes Maiden Flight / First A320 Assembled In China Passes Maiden Flight

First Made-In-China Airbus Makes Maiden Flight / First A320 Assembled In China Passes Maiden Flight

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING - May 18, 2009: The first Airbus plane built outside Europe made a successful four-hour maiden flight on Monday in China, European consortium EADS (EAD.PA) said. Airbus began assembling some A320 jets in Tianjin near Beijing in September from fuselage parts shipped from Europe, increasing its presence in the world's fastest growing markets for large aircraft. An Airbus A320 is assembled at the workshop in north China's Tianjin municipality, on Dec. 23, 2008, with three other Airbus A320 also in the process of assembling at the same time. "This A320 assembled in China unquestionably demonstrated the same quality and performance as those assembled and delivered in Hamburg or Toulouse," Fernando Alonso, senior vice president at Airbus, said in a statement. Airbus aims to reach output of four A320s a month in China by the end of 2011. Airbus has estimated that China would need more than 3,000 large aircraft between 2006 and 2025, including 180 super jumbo passenger planes. The first aircraft will be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing in June and be operated by China's Sichuan Airlines. Chinese firms have ordered more than 700 aircraft from Airbus, the majority of which are from the A320 family of planes, it said. Airbus and U.S. rival Boeing (BA.N) have been turning to Asian markets, led by China, for growth as demand weakens at home. The jet is to be delivered to Dragon Aviation Leasing in June for operation by Sichuan Airlines, a regional carrier based in central China's Sichuan province. Airbus holds a 51 percent stake in FALC, a joint venture between Airbus and a consortium that includes China Aviation Industry Corp., the country's biggest aircraft maker, and the Tianjin Free Trade Zone. But Airbus faces criticism from European unions who say the move adds to outsourcing fears amid the recession and could result in the loss of European technology to a potential jet-making rival. Beijing may need an estimated $30 billion to realise an ambitious goal to manufacture passenger jets with more than 150 seats and freighters capable of handling more than 100 tonnes of cargo to take on Boeing and Airbus by 2014. ($=6.83 yuan) (Reporting by Kirby Chien; Editing by Nick Macfie)

DTN News: Aircraft Lessor DAE Capital Signs Firm Order for 100 Airbus Aircraft

DTN News: Aircraft Lessor DAE Capital Signs Firm Order for 100 Airbus Aircraft (NSI News Source Info) PARIS - July 16, 2008: DAE Capital, the aircraft leasing and financing division of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 30 Airbus A350-900 and 70 Airbus A320 aircraft.

The contract follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the Dubai air show in November 2007.

DAE Capital aims to become a leading lessor based in the Middle East. DAE Capital’s parent company DAE is a fast developing global aerospace company with activities including airport development and operations, engineering, manufacturing and services.

“DAE Capital has built a business from ground-up and has made impressive progress since its launch. With our industry-experienced management team and well-defined road map DAE Capital will become one of the top leasing companies globally,” stated Bob Genise, CEO of DAE Capital.

“DAE’s order is a tremendous endorsement of our aircraft products and in Airbus and we thank them for this. The A350 XWB and the A320 products are leaders in their class. Airbus looks forward to building on this partnership in the years to come,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.

The A320 Family, which includes the A318, A319, A320 and A321, is recognized as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Each aircraft features fly by wire controls and all share a unique cockpit and operational commonality across the range.

Around 6,200 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold and more than 3,500 delivered to some 280 customers and operators worldwide, making it the worlds best selling commercial jetliner ever.

With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft. Uniquely, the A320 Family offers a containerized cargo system, which is compatible with the world-wide standard wide-body system.

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) Family is Airbus’ response to widespread market demand for a series of highly efficient medium-capacity long-range wide-body aircraft.

With a range of up to 8,300 nm / 15,400 km, it is available in three basic passenger versions: the A350-800 accommodating 270 passengers, the A350-900 seating 314, and the A350-1000 for 350 passengers in a typical three-class layout.

The A350 has the widest fuselage in its category, offering unprecedented levels of comfort, the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile cost of any aircraft in this market segment.

Powered by two new generation Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines delivering each up to 92,000 lbs of thrust, the A350 XWB Family is designed to confront the challenges of high fuel prices, rising passenger expectations, and environmental concerns.

Orders for the aircraft stand at more than 350 from over 20 customers. Airbus is an EADS company.