Airbus Secures Deal for 430 Jetliners -- Update
15 Novembre 2017 - 09:31AM
Dow Jones News
By Doug Cameron
Airbus SE secured one of the largest aircraft deals in history
with a 430-jet agreement with airlines linked to Indigo Partners
LLC, a U.S. private equity group with stakes in some of the
fastest-growing low-cost carriers on three continents.
The proposed deal, announced Wednesday at the Dubai Airshow,
carried a sticker price of almost $49.5 billion before the
customary discounts that can reduce the true value by 50% or more,
though consolidation in the airline and finance industries is
giving buyers more clout.
Airbus said the commitment was its largest-ever aircraft deal,
lifting the Indigo group above AirAsia and India's unrelated IndiGo
as its biggest customer by list price.
Indigo, based in Phoenix, is led by industry veteran Bill
Franke, who has invested in a number of carriers including holdings
in Frontier Airlines in the U.S., Hungary's Wizz Air Holdings PLC
and Mexico's Volaris. It also backed JetSmart, a new Chile-based
carrier that launched this year.
The preliminary agreement covers 430 planes -- 73 A320neos and
157 of the larger A321neo model -- doubling the potential orders
from the four Indigo-family of airlines.
Denver-based Frontier plans to take 134 jets, with
Budapest-based Wizz receiving 146 planes. Volaris would receive 80,
with 70 for startup JetSmart.
The European manufacturer has trailed rival Boeing Co. in
securing new orders this year, garnering over 300 before
Wednesday's announcement compared with more than 600 for its U.S.
rival.
It is unusual for airlines to order aircraft jointly, though
Dubai's Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways cooperated as launch
customers for the Boeing 777X at the Dubai airshow in 2013.
Indigo didn't disclose when first deliveries were due to start,
or what engines they would choose. The Pratt & Whitney unit of
United Technologies and a joint venture between General Electric
Co. and Safran SA offer rival engines.
Airbus and Boeing both have backlogs for their single-aisle jets
stretching five or more years, even though both are boosting
output.
Deals of this scale have become more commonplace in recent
years, thanks in part to the explosive growth of low-cost
carriers.
However, analysts are cautious on whether some of the big
customers will take all of their planned jets on schedule,
particularly if an economic downturn slows traffic growth. Plane
makers can boost profits by agreeing to defer aircraft
deliveries.
Gus Kelly, chief executive of aircraft lessor AerCap Holdings
NV, this week noted that the highlight of some airline CEO's
careers was when they placed an aircraft order. Speaking at an
investor conference, Mr. Kelly said that some of these orders had
served only to benefit the shareholders of Airbus and Boeing.
Write to Doug Cameron at doug.cameron@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 15, 2017 03:16 ET (08:16 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Grafico Azioni Airbus (EU:AIR)
Storico
Da Feb 2024 a Mar 2024
Grafico Azioni Airbus (EU:AIR)
Storico
Da Mar 2023 a Mar 2024