Airbus orders at the Farnborough Airshow top $28 billion
Virgin America announced plans to buy 40 new Airbus A320 aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow yesterday, the last major business day of the event which has seen a revival in commercial aviation.
Airbus notched up orders worth more than $28 billion at the show, even though government budget cuts are keeping the defence sector in the doldrums.
Orders at the show are well off the record-breaking $88.7 billion worth of deals announced at Farnborough in 2008, but the gathering has already exceeded the slow orders for commercial planes of around $7 billion at the Paris show last year.
Virgin signed a memorandum of understanding – not yet a firm order – with Airbus. The 40 new planes would be delivered from 2013.
John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Before the Farnborough Air Show we already had 131 orders, and we predicted by the end of the week we’d double that.
“Indeed, the commitments which we have already received here, bring our total firm orders this year already to over 260 aircraft.”
He added: “This clearly proves that the market is back, and that our new end of year target for over 400 orders is within reach.”
Wings for the Airbus range of aircraft are built at Broughton, Flintshire. The orders will secure jobs at the plant.
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27 July 2010
Source: Daily Post
