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No Cancellation of Orders from Region, Says Airbus

Despite the current financial crisis, there is no cancellation of orders from the region, the spokesperson in Dubai told Khaleej Times. Responding to another query regarding financing facility to its customers, the spokesperson said, “We keep close partnership with our customers whether the economical climate is good or challenging.”

Recently, it was reported that Airbus would move back to the top of the annual order ranking next week, after Boeing declared a net sales tally that fell 53 per cent to 662 units in 2008.

Airbus, which will reveal its 2008 performance on January 15, 2009, at 10:30am GMT+1 during its annual Press conference in Paris, secured 756 net orders by the end of November, putting it at least 90 units ahead its rival’s full-year tally.

According to Airbus web site, the Gulf region alone made firm orders of 73 A380s, out of the total 198 firm orders worldwide. The UAE topped in A380 order book with 68 aircraft at the end of 2008. Emirates remained the highest A380 buyer at the end of 2008, as it made a firm order of 58 aircraft worth $18.99 billion (average price at $327.4 million per aircraft).

Emirates’ total Airbus orders (all family) up to November 2008 stood at 179 aircraft, while the carrier received 58 including four A380s aircraft up to December 2008. Total orders from Middle East up to November 2008 was 877 Airbus aircraft, out of which, 271 deliveries have been made.

Worldwide Airbus orders reached 9,194 aircraft including 198 A380s, while deliveries so far reached 5,456 including the delivery of 13 A380s.

The first A380 was delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 15, 2007 and five more were delivered to the airline in 2008. Emirates received four aircraft in 2008, the most recent being in December 30, 2008, from the Airbus delivery centre in Hamburg, Germany.

Aviation experts believe that the regional airline industry will continue its impressive growth over the next five years, indicating a bullish and confident attitude amongst the doom and gloom that engulfs the world, according to a survey conducted by Terrapinn, organiser of the 2^nd Middle East Aviation Outlook Summit in Abu Dhabi. The survey, which was conducted amongst more than 400 top executives from the aviation industry from around the world and the Middle East, revealed that 90 per cent of the respondents are still upbeat about the Middle East aviation industry. Fifty per cent of the respondents stated that growth will continue due to government support, followed by geographic location (43.5 per cent), the strength of regional economies (35.5 per cent) and consumer’s purchasing power 37 per cent.

The UAE has just awarded a Dh4.9 billion ($1.3 billion) contract to build a new concourse at its international airport, the busiest hub in the Middle East. Work will commence immediately with its completion scheduled by the end of April 2011.

· abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com