Asiana Airlines has ordered 30 Airbus A350 aircraft to be delivered in 2016, and may order a further ten.
The South Korean airline ordered three types of the Airbus A350, which was launched in December 2007. These are the A350-800, designed for 270 passengers, the A350-900 for 314 passengers and the A350-1000, which seats 350. The order was placed at the Farnborough airshow last week.
Asiana Airlines has not yet decided how many of each style it will choose.
Malaysia Airlines has ordered 35 Next Generation Boeing 737-800 planes. The Kuala Lumpur-based airline”s order is valued at more than $2.6 billion at current list prices before discounts. The airline also has acquired purchase rights for an additional 20 Next-Generation 737-800s.
The 737-800 can seat from 162 to 189 passengers. The order takes the total number of Boeing 737s ordered past the 8,000 mark according to Boeing. The new 737s will be fitted with Blended Winglets, which improve fuel efficiency by up to four per cent, increase range, and reduce CO2 emissions and takeoff noise. The 737-800s will replace MAS”s existing 737-400 fleet.
Then, of course, there was Etihad Airways, which placed one of the largest aircraft orders in commercial aviation history, for up to 205 wide-body and narrow-body planes. The order was worth approximately US $43 billion, at list prices and comprised of 100 firm orders, 55 options and 50 purchase rights in a combination of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
The agreement with Airbus comprised firm orders for 55 aircraft:
20 A320 aircraft. The engine type is subject to further discussions.
25 A350 aircraft, powered by Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines.
10 A380 aircraft. The engine type is subject to further discussions.
There were also options for five A320s, 10 A350s and five A380s together with purchase rights for a further 15 A320s, 15 A350s and five A380s.
The agreement with Boeing comprised firm orders for 45 aircraft:
35 B787 aircraft. The engine type is subject to further discussions.
10 B777-300ER aircraft, powered by GE90 engines.
There were also options for 25 B787s and 10 B777-300ERs and purchase rights for a further 10 B787s and five B777s.
The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2011 and 2020 and when delivered will give the national airline of the United Arab Emirates a fleet of more than 150 aircraft.
So far this year, the airline has started new flights to Beijing in China. August will see Chennai (Madras) and Kozhikode (Calicut) in India, and Minsk in Belarus added to the network. Etihad will also launch new services in December to Moscow in Russia and Almaty in Kazakhstan.