JetBlue deal marks 10,000th Airbus A320 family order

By BA Staff

Just days after taking delivery of its very first A321 aircraft, JetBlue Airways has placed a new order for 15 A321ceo (current engine option) and 20 A321neo (new engine option) aircraft.

In addition, the airline has opted to up size 8 A320ceo and 10 A320neo aircraft currently on backlog to 8 A321ceo and 10 A321neo, respectively.

This order marks the 10,000th order for an Airbus A320 Family aircraft.

JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger said:

"We are pleased to convert some of our A320 positions to A321s, and order additional A321s to better match capacity with demand. The A321 is the ideal aircraft for our high density markets. In addition, a subfleet of the A321s will power our Mint premium service on the New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco markets. It is the right aircraft for JetBlue's lucrative routes. We eagerly look forward to the Sharklet retrofits and -NEO aircraft to further reduce operating costs."

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers said:

“JetBlue launched its business with an all-Airbus fleet, demonstrating they are a forward-thinking airline. The fact that they are turning to the NEO and larger Airbus aircraft overall makes it clear that they know how to please their passengers and maximize profits. In addition, JetBlue has always been a great partner in the Airbus Sharklet programme and have been instrumental in our ability to launch the in-service retrofit option.”

This order marks, with JetBlue as a partner, the launch of the Sharklet retrofit programme, which allows airlines currently flying A320ceo aircraft the option of improving their aircraft’s fuel performance with the addition of winglet devices called Sharklets.

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Defunct Kingfisher Airlines' Airbus A380 orders still active

by Vinay Bhaskara

Computer rendering of A380 in Kingfisher Airlines livery
Image Courtesy of  Malaysia Flying Herald

At its recent annual results conference, European aerospace manufacturer Airbus released a bit of shocking information.

Apparently, the ill-fated order for five Airbus A380s by now-defunct (though perpetually on the verge of “re-starting” in the eyes of chairman Vijay Mallya) Kingfisher Airlines is still active.

Said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – customers of Airbus:

“I have legally binding contracts with Kingfisher right now. We got deposits, we rescheduled the aircraft and it is probable at some point we will take the orders out… We certainly don’t want to get out [of this contract]. It [Kingfisher] is a good customer, operates an all-Airbus fleet. I don’t see a reason to give up [yet].”

I can of course think of several good reasons why Airbus shouldn't count on an A380 order from Kingfisher. Even if the troubled full service carrier manages a truncated restart within the next year, it will not be in a financial position to order the A380 any time in the foreseeable future. However, from Airbus’ perspective, since it already has the deposits on hand, it doesn't hurt to have an extra five orders on the books for the A380’s backlog.

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Video: Airbus Annual Press Conference 2013 (uncut)

Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier and other top Airbus executives reviewed the company's 2012 highlights and commercial activity, as well as detailed the company's strategies and prospects for 2013, during a traditional year-opening media event held in Toulouse, France today.

Scroll below for the video. It is 1h21m in length.

Synopsis

Airbus delivered a company record of 588 aircraft to 89 customers, 17 new, and exceeded its order target of 650 by winning 914 gross orders. These orders include 305 A320 family CEO (classic engine), 478 NEO (new engine option), 82 A330/A340s, 40 A350XWB and nine A380s. Airbus’ backlog is now at 4,682 aircraft valued at over US$638 billion.

Deliveries were 10 per cent higher than the 2011 record (534) and 2012 was the 11th year in a row of increased production. In single aisles, Airbus made 455 deliveries, up from 421 in 2011. Widebody deliveries reached a record 103 aircraft (87 in 2011), underlining the success of the A330 Family which is being produced at the highest monthly production rates ever, 9.5 in 2012 which will rise to 10 in early 2013. The A380 delivery target of 30 was achieved up from 26 in 2011.

Airbus’ share of total aircraft sales by value (above 100 seats) in 2012, is 41 per cent gross (41.5 per cent net). Net orders reached 833 aircraft worth US$96 billion. These include 739 A320 Family aircraft taking Airbus past the 9,000th single aisle order. Of these, 478 are NEO, confirming its over 62 per cent market dominance since launch. In the widebody market, 58 A330s and 27 A350 XWB were ordered. The A350-1000 won significant upsizing orders. In the very large aircraft segment, Airbus won nine out of 10 orders.

In 2012, the A350 XWB progressed well. The final assembly line became fully operational, the structural assembly of the first A350 XWB that will fly was completed and “electrical power on” of the aircraft was accomplished.

Airbus Military had a successful year delivering 29 aircraft (20 light and medium military transport, four P-3 conversions, and five A330 MRTTs). The order target was exceeded despite difficult global conditions, reaching 32 (28 C295 and four CN235). Additionally, the A330 MRTT was selected as the preferred bidder by the Indian Government.

The A400M progressed well with the completion of 300 hours of Function and Reliability testing leading towards civil and military certification in Q1 2013 and first delivery in Q2 2013, with a total of four deliveries by the end of the year. Currently four A400Ms are in final assembly with a further 13 in production. The military backlog stands at 220 aircraft (174 A400M, 17 MRTT, five CN235, and 20 C295 and four P-3).

Airbus recruited 5,000 employees in 2012 increasing the global employee figure to 59,000 and targets recruiting some 3,000 in 2013 to support all programme developments.

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