Day 2 at the Dubai Airshow: A quieter day with another big win for Airbus
The second full day at the Dubai Airshow was a quieter one than the first as the airline industry continued to focus on an eventual post-pandemic recovery.
Cargo was top-of-mind during the day as the current global supply chain disruption continued to loom large.
Airbus received its first order for the freighter version of its A350, a variant the airline announced this summer but failed to immediately secure buyers for.
Aircraft leasing company Air Lease Corp. will purchase seven freighters as part of a larger 111 aircraft order. That order will include 25 of the single-aisle Airbus A220-300, 55 A321neos, 20 long-range A321XLRs and 4 A330neos.
It was the second major order of the show for Airbus, following a firm purchase of 255 aircraft on Sunday by Indigo Partners, which owns Frontier Airlines in the U.S., Volaris in Mexico, JetSMART in Chile and Argentina, and Wizz Air in Europe.
Boeing is widely expected to announce a freighter version of its 777X — which it introduced publically for the first time on Sunday — possibly as soon as this week, but did not make any announcements on Monday.
The American planemaker did, however, get an order for two original generation 777 freighters from Emirates on Monday, which followed an order for nine converted freighters — all 767-300BCFs — on Sunday from DHL.
And Brazillian regional and business jet producer Embraer snagged an order for three of its E175 jet, with options for three more, from Nigerian carrier Overland Airways.
More: First look: Inside Boeing's first prototype 777X
While the biennial Dubai Airshow typically has more of a Middle East and defense focus than the Paris Airshow and Farnborough show outside of London — which switch off every other summer — Dubai 2021 being the first pandemic-era gathering significantly elevated the stage on which the show is taking place. Passenger airlines are not necessarily expected to place major orders this show, although a report indicated that Saudi Arabian carrier Saudia was in talks with Boeing and Airbus for a wide-body jet order.
The Dubai Airshow runs through Thursday, November 18, so be sure to check back for more on-the-ground reporting from TPG.
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