The industry days of the 2014 Farnborough International Air Show wrapped up on Thursday on a quiet note. Airbus was the only manufacturer to book any orders on the final day.
Hong Kong Aviation Capital signed a firm order for 70 A320neo family aircraft to start the morning off. Their order will be split between 40 of the standard length A320neo model and 30 of the stretched A321neo. The signing firmed up a memorandum of understanding that was signed a year ago at the 2013 Paris Air Show. This order marked the first direct order that Hong Kong Aviation Capital had placed with any manufacturer. They currently hold a portfolio of over 50 Airbus aircraft.
Meanwhile Transaero, Russia’s second largest airline, signed on for a total of 20 A330s. Eight of those aircraft will be current generation A330s, while the remaining 12 will be A330neos. The exact variants to be delivered were not disclosed. Transaero becomes the first European airline, and the second airline overall, to place an order with Airbus for the A330neo.
In total, Airbus booked 121 orders for the A330neo in the week it was launched. The A320neo family saw a further 317 orders and options placed for it. And overall, Airbus’s order books grew by 496 aircraft between firm orders and options. The total value for all those orders was over $75 billion USD.
Meanwhile, Boeing booked orders and commitments for 201 airplanes worth $40.2 billion USD. Boeing’s week also saw them reveal key features of the 777x interior and saw them launch a high density version of the 737 MAX 8 with seats for 200 passengers. That increase in density will be made possible by adding 737 MAX 9-style overwing exits to the MAX 8 variant.
This week also saw the first orders for the MRJ90 in two years as well as several orders for Bombardier’s C-Series. And the turboprops weren’t left out either. Both the ATR 42-600 / 72-600, and the Bombardier Q400 saw orders this week. Finally, Embraer booked several orders for its E-Jets line, including a launch order for the E195-E2.
NYCA Associate Editor Ben Granucci is an aviation enthusiast, writer and plane spotter based in New York City. Growing up in Connecticut, he has had his eyes toward the sky for as long as he can remember. He can be reached on Twitter or through his blog at Landing-Lights.com.
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