Aircraft leasing group BOC Aviation placed a firm order with Airbus for 80 A320neo series aircraft – including 10 A321XLR jets, 50 A321neo and 20 A320neo aircraft. The value of the contract was not announced, but it could be worth as much as $8.85 billion based on the average book value of the A320neo series.
Th deliveries of the Airbus jets are scheduled between 2027 and 2029.
Hong Kong-based BOC Aviation is the largest aircraft operating leasing company in Asia.
The A320neo is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft developed to incorporate more fuel-efficient engine options and aerodynamic design elements, to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 20% versus earlier aircraft models, along with 50% less noise, according to Airbus.
The A321XLR version is an extended-range variant designed for transcontinental and intercontinental routes, up to 4,700nm.
Since the first A320neo entered service in 2016, Airbus has drawn over 7,900 orders and delivered more than 2,100 of the aircraft.
“This is the largest single order that we have ever placed and it will bring our total Airbus aircraft purchased since inception to 546,” according to BOC Aviation managing director and CEO Robert Martin. “It underscores our continued confidence in the A320neo family for its reliability and operational efficiency and reflects the popularity of the aircraft amongst our airline customers. We look forward to continuously providing our customers with such fuel-efficient and technologically advanced aircraft solutions.”
BOC Aviation also recently ordered 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with deliveries beginning next year.
Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer said BOC’s long-term order “is a great testimony of the sustained value of our Single Aisle products by one of the world’s leading lessors”.
Airbus recently posted its total new aircraft orders for Q1 2022 at 253, versus just 39 new orders during the first quarter of 2021.
