In the wake of the recent Boeing passenger aircraft crash in India, interest in Airbus is rising in the global aircraft market. While its competitor Boeing is focusing on managing the aftermath of the accident, Airbus is drawing attention by securing a series of large-scale new orders.
On the 28th (local time), visitors are viewing the A350 passenger aircraft at the Airbus exhibition hall set up at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Joint Press Corps
According to BFM TV, Airbus announced several new order contracts on June 16 (local time), the opening day of the Paris Air Show, the world's leading aerospace exhibition.
Airbus revealed that it had received orders from Saudi Arabian aircraft leasing company AviLease for 30 A320neo medium- and short-haul aircraft and 10 A350 freighters. The contract is valued at approximately 7 billion euros (about 11 trillion won). Airbus explained that this contract could be expanded in the future to include up to 55 A320neo aircraft and 22 A350 freighters.
In addition, Saudi Arabia's state-owned airline Riyadh Air also placed an additional order for 25 large A350-1000 aircraft. Riyadh Air will become the first airline in Saudi Arabia to introduce this model. There is also the possibility that it may order 25 more units in the future.
Poland's LOT Airlines also partnered with Airbus for the first time at this exhibition. Previously, LOT mainly operated aircraft from U.S. manufacturer Boeing and Brazil's Embraer, but it has now ordered 40 A220 aircraft from Airbus. The company stated that the contract could be expanded to up to 84 aircraft.
Meanwhile, Boeing is focusing on minimizing the impact of the accident and supporting its existing customers, rather than announcing new orders at this event. A Boeing spokesperson told AFP that "during this exhibition, we will focus on customer support rather than announcing new orders."
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