PARIS, June 19 — Airbus secured more aircraft orders yesterday, raising its total to US$21 billion (RM90 billion) at this week’s subdued Paris Air Show, while rival Boeing opted not to announce new sales following last week’s Air India 787 crash.
Airbus firmed up an order for 10 long-haul jets from Taiwan's Starlux Airlines in a boost for the European planemaker after one of its biggest customers, AirAsia, dashed expectations of another grand finale matching its earlier expansion.
Airbus won a total of 148 firm orders worth US$14.2 billion (RM61 billion) including six previous ones disclosed publicly for the time, plus 102 provisional orders worth US$6.7 billion (RM28 billion), according to estimated delivery prices from UK-based Cirium Ascend.
Delegates had been bracing for a more muted show than usual after Boeing struck huge deals during US President Donald Trump's recent trip to the Middle East. The US jetmaker then scaled back its presence at the show to focus on the probe into last week's deadly crash of an Air India Boeing 787.
But Europe's Airbus has been steadily racking up business, and underscored confidence about growing demand by holding out the prospect of higher dividends. It prefaced each show announcement with sympathies for India victims, however.
"It is an air show with a regrettable tragedy that has affected all of us," Airbus planemaking CEO Christian Scherer told Reuters.
Despite the sombre tone, talk was rife before and during the event at Le Bourget outside Paris that Airbus might seal a major deal with AirAsia to add a final flourish to the gathering.
Airline entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia owner Capital A Group, told Reuters that it was in talks to buy 50 to 70 A321XLR jetliners, and 100 A220s or competing E2 regional jets from Brazil's Embraer.
But he played down the chances of a deal in Paris, saying the first priority was to complete the group's restructuring.
"We're still doing a lot of work with Airbus and other (manufacturers) .... I think we'll look to do something imminently, in the next one to three months," he said in an interview.
Two industry sources said Airbus had made an "aggressive" offer to boost A220 orders and win a launch customer for a new 160-seat version but that talks stalled over financing. Another said it would be natural to resume discussions around July when the company expects to exit its financial troubles.
— Reuters
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Tony Fernandes, the CEO of AirAsia's parent company, Capital A, attends an interview with Reuters in Sepang, on February 26, 2024. — Picture by REUTERS[/caption]
