Airbus wins 102 orders from India and Philippines

Airbus won 102 orders for revamped A320-family planes from Go Airlines (India) and Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific, moving it closer to reaching a target of 500 commitments by the end of next week. GoAir agreed to a deal for 72 A320neos, the airline's managing director Jeh Wadia told reporters in Mumbai yesterday. Cebu Pacific signed a memorandum of understanding for 30 A321neos as well as exercising options for seven existing A320s, it's president Lance Gokongwei said in Manila. "We chose the neo because we felt that it's the best aircraft of the decade," Wadia said. It will offer "substantial amount of savings, especially in India where fuel is so expensive," he said. Toulouse, France-based Airbus expects to have more than 500 A320neo orders by the end of the Paris Air Show, which starts on June 20, reaching the milestone about seven months after committing to building the plane. Boeing also plans to decide this year between fitting new engines to its rival 737 and developing a new single-aisle aircraft as carriers seek to pare fuel usage amid rising oil prices. The A320neo, due to enter service in 2015, will be 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than current planes, according to Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic, Defence and Space Co. It will have a choice of engines from United Technologies' Pratt and Whitney and from CFM International, a venture between General Electric and Safran. Cebu Pacific, a unit of Cebu City, the Philippines-based Cebu Air, and GoAir are both existing operators of A320s. Airbus may announce it first order from an airline flying the Boeing 737 this month, Christopher Buckley, Airbus's executive vice-president for Europe, Asia and Pacific, said in a June 6 interview. The planemaker had won 332 orders and commitments by that point, he said. IndiGo, India's biggest budget carrier, agreed to order 150 A320neos in January as part of the world's biggest plane deal. Deutsche Lufthansa, Virgin America and Brazilian carrier Tam have also made orders or commitments. Manila: Budget airline Cebu Air said yesterday it is buying 37 new Airbus planes for $3.8 billion (Dh13.95 billion) in the largest single aircraft order ever made by a Philippine airline, allowing it to more than double its fleet by 2021 and expand its international routes. Lance Gokongwei, president and chief executive of Cebu Pacific, the budget carrier's official name, said new the order includes 30 A321neo (new engine option) and seven A320s. The airline currently operates a fleet of 25 Airbus and eight ATR 72-500 aircraft, the youngest fleet in the Philippines. Cebu Pacific flew more passengers than the country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines and holds half of the domestic market. Gokongwei said he expects the airline to carry more than 12 million passengers this year. The A320 airplanes will be delivered between 2015 and 2021, while the A321neo fleet will arrive from 2017 to 2021, Gokongwei added. The airline also has 10 additional options for the Airbus 321neos. Previous orders for 18 A320 to be delivered through 2014 bring the total Airbus order to 55, the airline said. Gokongwei said Cebu Pacific's order of the 220-seater A321neo, which Airbus will introduce in 2017, is the largest firm order for the new aircraft in the world. "These 220-seater A321neo will be the real game changer for Cebu Pacific because the A321neo will have a much longer range," he added. "We will be able to serve cities in Australia, India and northern Japan, places the A320 cannot reach." He said the new aircraft, which incorporates new engines and large wing-tip devices called sharklets, will reduce fuel burn by 15 per cent and cut unit cost per seat. The A321neo is the largest model in Airbus' recently launched A320neo series. They are wider and longer compared to the original A320 family of aircrafts. The carrier held a successful initial public offering on the Philippine stock market last year, which was the biggest ever for a low cost carrier after raising at least $539 million. It raised hopes of spurring growth in the country's tourism and aviation industries, which still lag behind its Southeast Asian neighbours. The airline currently flies to 33 domestic destinations and 16 cities in Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea and is the third largest low-cost carrier in Asia. It made headlines last year with a YouTube video of flight attendants dancing to music by Lady Gaga to keep passengers from snoozing through an in-flight safety demonstration. From / Gulf News