Airbus clinches second major order at the Dubai Air Show

Airbus clinched its second major order at the Dubai Air Show today in a deal worth billions of dollars. The sale will see Airbus deliver 111 new aircraft to the Los Angeles based Air Lease Corporation.

Airbus have not given any details regarding the value of the deal but at pre-pandemic prices the sale would exceed €13 billion. Such large deals however, are typically discounted. The sale which includes seven A350 freighters is seen as a direct threat to Boeing’s long-haul 787 Dreamliner, which has suffered repeated production troubles.

The Dubai Air Show is an important venue for the two major manufacturers who compete against each other in the growing lucrative Middle East market. Airbus booked the sale of 255 new aircraft to Indigo Partners’ various low cost carriers on the opening day of the show, a deal valued at some €25 billion, based on the pre-pandemic price list.

American rival Boeing has yet to announce a major sale at the show.

When asked by a journalist if Airbus was breaking into Boeing’s profitable market share, Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer took exception to the statement saying, “That’s a bit violent. What we’re doing is responding to the invitation for competition from the market.”

The sales came as Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, announced it handled 20% more passenger traffic in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year, stoking cautious optimism even as a full recovery remains years off. Top executives at Airbus and Air Lease heralded these sales as proof of rising demand and signs that the ravaged aviation industry is on the comeback trail.