Airbus increases its industrial presence in China.

Airbus increases its industrial presence in China. Borsen-Zeitung reports that Airbus has agreed to form a joint venture with Chinese Harbin Aircraft Industry Group. The plane maker will hold a 20% stake in the joint venture,

Airbus plans to launch a successor to the A320 family in 2014

Airbus plans to launch a successor to the A320 family in 2014, reveals La Tribune. About 100 people have been working on the so-called A30X project in the past two years at Airbus –in cooperation

Airbus denied that Indian airline Air Deccan had cancelled an order for 61 A320 aircraft

Airbus denied that Indian airline Air Deccan had cancelled an order for 61 A320 aircraft. Barbara Kracht, an Airbus spokeswoman, said the carrier had changed its name into Simply Fly Deccan and

ILFC considers a giant order for Airbus and Boeing planes

ILFC considers a giant order for Airbus and Boeing planes. The US aircraft leasing group could split an order for 300 single-aisle aircraft between Airbus (A320 family) and Boeing (737) in a deal that

Airbus has kick-started its ‘Made-in-China’ A320 project

Airbus has kick-started its ‘Made-in-China’ A320 project. A320 aircraft sections are being shipped to the group’s new assembly plant in Tianjin, China. The site should start operations on August 18.

Jean-Cyril Spinetta urged Airbus and Boeing to accelerate the development of more fuel-efficient single -aisle aircraft.

Jean-Cyril Spinetta, the CEO of Air France-KLM, urged Airbus and Boeing to accelerate the development of more fuel-efficient single -aisle aircraft.

Airbus announced its intention to reduce by 50% both the noise and fuel consumption

At the Berlin Air Show, Airbus announced its intention to reduce by 50% both the noise and fuel consumption of its aircraft by 2020.

KD Avia commits to 25 Airbus A320 Family aircraft

KD Avia, a fast growing Russian airline, has placed a commitment with Airbus for the purchase of 25 A319s, thus becoming a new Airbus customer.

Gulf Air announced that it had ordered 35 aircraft from Airbus

At the Berlin Air Show yesterday, Gulf Air announced that it had ordered 35 aircraft -15 A320s and 20 A330s- from Airbus, in a deal worth $ 5Bn at list prices, the biggest contract signed by the plane maker

Airbus has sold a total of 11 private jet versions of its aircraft since the beginning of 2008

At the Ebace business aviation show in Geneva yesterday, Airbus said it has sold a total of 11 private jet versions of its aircraft since the beginning of 2008. The plane maker added it would announce another order for three single-aisle aircraft today. In 2007, Airbus’s Corporate Jets division sold a total of 38 aircraft, of which 31 were based on its A320 family and seven were wide-bodied,

Tunis Air finally agreed to acquire 10 A320s, 3 A330s and 3 A350 XWBs,

Tunis Air finally agreed to acquire 10 A320s, 3 A330s and 3 A350 XWBs, to overhaul its fleet. The order also comes with an option for 3 additional planes. The deal is valued at €1.85 at list price. President Sarkozy rejoiced about the deal and announced that Latecoere would set up a new plant in Tunisia. AFP (29/04), Les Echos, La Croix, Negocio

Tunisair chooses Airbus to modernise and expand its fleet with A350s, A330s and A320s

North African airline Tunisair has signed a letter of acceptance of the Airbus proposal for the acquisition of three A350-800s, three A330-200s and ten A320s, as part of an important fleet development plan that will modernise and expand the fleet of this growing airline. With this acquisition, Tunisair is the third African airline to order the all-new A350 XWB. Tunisair currently already has 12 A320s, four A319s of which two with extended range capability and three A300-600s in operation.

Tiger Airways, the low-cost carried based in Singapore, and a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is planning to expand its fleet,

Tiger Airways, the low-cost carried based in Singapore, and a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is planning to expand its fleet, and is considering picking up Airbus jets. The airline has already approached banks to obtain financing for 4 A320s and 2 spare engines, in a $225 M deal. The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times

Japan Airlines have both ordered the Boeing 787 aircraft,

Airbus sets its sights on Japan, in an effort to challenge Boeing’s stronghold. AFX notes that Boeing boasts extensive partnership and supply agreements with Japanese companies, which have guaranteed the plane maker consistently won the bulk of orders from Nippon airlines. Airbus now hopes to take advantage of a state visit to Japan by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, accompanied by Louis Gallois, to give a boost to its activities in this lucrative market. “The Prime Minister has been extremely efficient and aggressive on this issue”, said Louis Gallois, alluding to talks between Mr Fillon and his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda. As All Nippon Airways and the delays to the programme could be an advantage for Airbus in Japan, says a London-based analyst. “The problem is that Boeing owns Japan”,

US airline JetBlue impatiently waits to see what replacement will be proposed by Boeing for the 737.

The carrier has been a regular customer for Airbus for many years. It notably started its operations in 2000 with an A320 fleet, rejecting Boeing’s 737 model. However, CEO Dave Barger said this week that he would wait to see what Boeing would offer to replace the 737 aircraft. “We are a loyal Airbus customer and a loyal Embraer customer, but we are really interested and excited to see what Boeing is going to come out with”, he said. But this is unlikely to happen in a short-term period, as both Airbus and Boeing do not plan to roll out their next single-aisle models until at least a decade. In the meantime, JetBlue is pushing Airbus to follow Boeing’s lead and put bigger winglets on the A320 to generate further fuel savings. Indeed, fuel accounts for 30 to 40% of JetBlue’s costs. Separately, JetBlue is opening a new US domestic route, from Seattle, with Embraer aircraft. The airline has purchased 101 Embraer 190 jets, with an option for 100. Seattle Post Intelligencer (09/04)