Lessor BOC Aviation has placed a firm order for 80 Airbus A320neo family, the largest single order that it has ever placed.
The order comprises 10 A321XLR, 50 A321neo and 20 A320neo aircraft, Airbus announced on April 11, 2022.
“This is the largest single order that we have ever placed and it will bring our total Airbus aircraft purchased since inception to 546,” BOC Aviation chief executive officer Robert Martin commented. “It underscores our continued confidence in the A320neo family for its reliability and operational efficiency and reflects the popularity of the aircraft amongst our airline customers.”
The aircraft are due to be delivered between 2027 and 2029, BOC Aviation said.
Airbus thanked BOC Aviation for its “endorsement” of the A320 family. “We salute its vision and foresight in securing future delivery positions of these most desirable assets in the single aisle segment now and in the longer run,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International.
BOC Aviation, part of Bank of China Group, has a fleet of 530 Airbus and Boeing aircraft owned, managed and on order.
Martin on April 7, 2022 warned that lessors were facing big insurance price hikes due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lessors are struggling to repossess aircraft operated by Russian carriers and look set to make insurance claims for aircraft they are unable to get out of the country.
Airbus is currently in the process of ramping up production of its best-selling A320 family. It plans to increase production rates to 65 aircraft per month by summer 2023.