Airbus aims to clinch 300 orders, deliver 498 aircraft this year

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SINGAPORE: European aircraft maker, Airbus, aims to clinch 250 to 300 orders and expects to deliver between 483 and 498 aircraft this year, says chief operating officer John Leahy.

MARKET STILL BULLISH: Leahy attending a press conference at the Singapore Airshow. — AFP photo

MARKET STILL BULLISH: Leahy attending a press conference at the Singapore Airshow. — AFP photo

This was compared to 310 aircraft sold last year, with 498 delivered, he told a media briefing on the sidelines of the Singapore Air Show.

With the market recovering, he said, there would be a need for 25,000 aircraft globally, with a third of it needed in the Asia-Pacific region between now and 2028.

Thus, he said, the region would see some 8,000 new passenger and cargo aircraft worth US$1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, with Asia-Pacific driving demand for larger airplanes.

“This region is expected to take delivery of some 880 very large aircraft, 2,570 twin aisle wide bodies and 4,560 single aircraft,” he said.

On passenger aircraft, Leahy said Airbus expects traffic in the region to grow at an average annual rate of 5.9 per cent, while cargo traffic would increase by 6.3 per cent yearly.

This, he said, was compared to a global average of 4.7 per cent for passenger traffic and 5.2 per cent for air freight.

“Asia-Pacific will be the single biggest market in 20 years because it is

growing so much faster than the rest of the world,” he said, adding that airlines in this region would be carrying over 30 per cent of global passenger traffic and about 40 per cent of air freight.

“To meet this demand, larger aircraft will be needed to ease congestion and do more with less. This will see airlines from the region account for over 40 per cent of twin aisle deliveries and more than 50 per cent of the demand for very large aircraft such as the A380,” he said.

To date, there are 1,430 Airbus aircraft in service with, 66 operators across the region, while another 1,120 are on order with customers for future delivery.

This represents 32 per cent of the company’s total backlog, reflecting the importance of the region as the fastest-growing market for new civil aircraft, he said.

Leahy also said traffic from low-cost carriers (LCCs) in the region would contribute significantly as it was growing around 40 per cent a year.

“Over 20 per cent of the twin aisle and over 50 per cent of the large aircraft in Asia-Pacific would be used by the LCCs,” he said.

Earlier, Airbus chief executive officer Tom Enders said financing negotiations for the A400M military aircraft was still underway with European customers.

He declined to elaborate.

Malaysia ordered four A400M military planes in 2005 but delivery has been delayed by at least three years until 2016. — Bernama