Boeing announces deal with Chinese airline

A WOW air Airbus A321neo.

A SpiceJet spokesman confirmed that chairman Ajay Singh is attending this week’s Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom, but declined to say whether an order announcement is imminent.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who met Sir Richard to view a flypast by the Red Arrows at the event in Hampshire, said: “I welcome the news of Virgin Atlantic’s investment”.

Some analysts have cautioned that economic risks from slowing growth in China to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union could see orders start to dry up or be canceled, particularly for larger twin-aisle jets.

Tuesday morning, before the announcement of the mammoth AirAsia order, Airbus revealed a pending deal with Berlin-based Germania for 25 A320neo narrow-bodies – the main rival to the Max – with a total list price $2.68 billion. It will allow us to bring higher passenger volumes with the same slots, therefore providing immediate benefits to the airports. “The A321 aircraft can accommodate 240 seats, but AirAsia A321s will have 236 seats for passenger comfort”, said Fernandes.

“We are very pleased to welcome WOW air as a new Airbus customer”. Including the latest deal, Go Air has ordered 144 aircraft from Airbus since 2011.

Boeing lifted its 20-year forecast 4.1 per cent from a year earlier, predicting demand for 39,620 new jetliners worth US$5.9 trillion across the industry, with slightly more than half of that value coming from planes in the 737 and A320 category.

“The 737 MAX will complement Air Europa’s growing fleet and is the flawless aircraft for our short-haul operations across Europe to feed our long-haul network from hubs in Madrid and Palma”, said Juan José Hidalgo, president, Globalia, the parent company of Air Europa. “It also reaffirms Go Air’s commitment to deliver the most modern, comfortable and excellent air travel experience to all customers as well as to strengthen the sustained positive growth and business expansion of the company”.

Some of the new jets will be for the Malaysian-based airline’s leasing business.

Later on, Iceland’s low-priced carrier WOW agreed to buy four A321s worth US$460 million. WOW’s new A321neos will be used for its expanding service between Europe and the US.

TUI AG finalises order to buy 10 737 MAX 8 jets and one 787-9 Dreamliner, worth $1.4 billion at list prices.

While Air Asia is an established Airbus customer, the order underlines the limitations of the Boeing single aisle family, where it new engine technology 737 MAX 9, which is nearly as large in capacity as the A321 NEO has been relegated to a distant second in terms of sales. The Russian freight carriers will transport aerostructures and components in a mixed fleet of Boeing 747-8s and Antonov An124-100 freighters.

The Chicago-based company agreed to provide an unidentified Chinese client with 30 737 jets it said would be a mix of the current model and the re-engined Max version, worth more than $3 billion at list prices.

Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr’s AirBridgeCargo division accounted for the 747-8Fs, under a pact which Boeing describes simply as an “agreement”.