Airbus Ends Dubai Air Show with Hundreds of Orders

Airbus has ended the 2021 Dubai Air Show on a high note. The global aerospace company amassed a total of 408 aircraft orders including 269 firm orders and 139 commitments.

The orders and purchase agreements covered the full range of Airbus commercial aircraft families, including a first commitment for Airbus' brand new A350F freighter derivative.

On the opening day, Indigo Partner airlines placed a firm order for 255 A321neo aircraft. The order breakdown is as follows: Wizz Air: 75 A321neo + 27 A321XLR, Frontier: 91 A321neo; Volaris: 39 A321neo, JetSMART: 21 A321neo + 2 A321XLR.

The second day saw Air Lease Corporation sign a commitment for 111 aircraft covering the full range of aircraft families including the new A350 Freighter (25 A220-300s, 55 A321neos, 20 A321XLRs, 4 A330neos, 7 A350Fs).

Along with the orders, ALC and Airbus also announced the first ever joint ESG scheme in aircraft procurement - a joint Sustainability Fund - to foster industry decarbonisation solutions.

On the third day, Jazeera Airways committed to 28 A321neos and Nigeria’s Ibom Air became a new Airbus customer with a firm order for 10 Airbus A220s.

On the defence side, Airbus sold 2 additional Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, and secured a new order for 2 A400M new generation airlifters from the Indonesian Ministry of Defence.

Earlier at a pre-show event, Airbus launched its latest global market forecast outlining a need for 39,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft. Of these, 15,250 aircraft (around 40%) are for replacements.

The 2021 Dubai Air Show took place at the Dubai World Central from 14 November to 18 November, 2021. It was the first major airshow since the COVID-19 pandemic struck two years ago.