Airbus, Boeing Double Orders on Leasing Demand
Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. announced 189 orders on the first day of the Farnborough Air Show, more than double the total from last year’s event, as leasing companies returned to the market after the recession.
Airbus won contracts yesterday for 122 planes worth $11.6 billion at list prices, while Boeing logged 67 orders valued at $7.5 billion. They had 69 and 9 respectively at the 2009 Paris Air Show, which alternates annually with Farnborough, England.
Leasing companies led by General Electric Co.’s GECAS unit accounted for 151 of the contracts, eclipsing the business done by airlines. The biggest airline order was from Emirates, which agreed to buy 12 Boeing 777-300ERs with a list price of $3.3 billion.
“Much was written about the leasing companies’ demise, but not only have they survived, their portfolios have performed remarkably well,” Mike Cave, president of Boeing’s finance unit, said in an interview. “You’re also seeing private equity come in and start up new leasing companies, so the aggregate appetite to be in the leasing business is as large as ever.”
GECAS ordered 40 Boeing 737-800s and 60 Airbus A320s in Farnborough with a value of about $8 billion, while Steven Udvar-Hazy’s Air Lease Corp. bought 51 Airbus single-aisle jets worth about $4.4 billion. Hazy said more will follow today.
Air Lease, Boeing
Air Lease will buy about 50 additional planes from Boeing, according to two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement hasn’t been made public.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc is also set to buy planes, two people familiar with the negotiations have said. RBS spokesman Nigel Meffen said he had no comment on order prospects for his company.
“The conditions for the aircraft placements are good because of the growth in emerging markets and fleet replacement needs in developed markets,” said Norman Liu, president and chief executive officer of GECAS, the world’s largest plane lessor. The GE unit has about 1,800 leased aircraft.
Boeing and Airbus’s parent, European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., both gained yesterday. Chicago-based Boeing jumped $1.28, or 2.1 percent, to $63.18 for the biggest advance among the 12 companies in the Standard and Poor’s 500 Aerospace & Defense Index. EADS, based in Paris and Munich, rose 14 cents to 16.56 euros in Paris.
Biggest Customers
Leasing companies are usually planemakers’ biggest customers. The purchases reflect airlines’ demand for replacement planes as well as for fleet expansion.
In the market for smaller planes, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co., the maker of Russia’s first post-Soviet passenger airplane, concluded a deal to sell 30 of its new SuperJets with a book value of $951 million to Indonesian carrier Kartika Airlines.
Qatar Airways Ltd. placed an order for two Global 5000 business jets from Bombardier Inc., the third-biggest planemaker after Boeing and Airbus, plus a single Challenger 605.
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, the No. 4 aircraft maker, won a $211 million order for five 120-seat 195 regional jets from Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras, and one worth $80 million for two 100-seat 190s from Trip Linhas Aereas. Both carriers operate in Brazil, where Embraer is based.
To contact the reporters on this story: Andrea Rothman in London via at aerothman@bloomberg.net; Susanna Ray in London via sray7@bloomberg.net; Rachel Layne in London via rlayne@bloomberg.net.
Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing Co.'s commercial division, reacts during an interview on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
July 19 (Bloomberg) -- Tom Enders, chief executive officer of Airbus SAS, talks with Bloomberg's Rishaad Salamat about the outlook for aircraft orders this year and production of the company's A380 and A320 jets. Airbus and Boeing Co. announced 189 orders on the first day of the Farnborough Air Show, more than double the total on day one of last year’s Paris event, as leasing companies returned to the market after the recession. Enders speaks on Bloomberg Television's "InBusiness With Margaret Brennan." (Source: Bloomberg)
John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus
Michele Tantussi/Bloomberg
John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus SAS, at the Internationale Luftfahrt Ausstellung (ILA) Berlin International Air show in Berlin.
John Leahy, chief operating officer of Airbus SAS, at the Internationale Luftfahrt Ausstellung (ILA) Berlin International Air show in Berlin. Photographer: Michele Tantussi/Bloomberg
Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. announced 189 orders
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
An Airbus SAS A380 airplane, right, flies over a Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow.
An Airbus SAS A380 airplane, right, flies over a Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Airplane Leasing Companies Said to Resume Orders
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane sits on display on the tarmac prior to the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane sits on display on the tarmac prior to the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Rate this Page
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.