Airbus made further inroads into British Airways’ long-haul fleet on Monday when the airline announced plans to buy 18 of the European manufacturer’s planned new A350 wide-body passenger jets in a $6bn deal.
BA’s all-Boeing wide-body fleet will change in July when the airline receives the first of 12 Airbus A380 superjumbos. These wide-body jet purchases are central tenets of BAs’ planned modernisation. of its ageing fleet.
BA is one of the world’s largest operators of Boeing’s 747, with 52 jumbo jets, but these are estimated to have an average age of 17 years and are less fuel-efficient and much noisier than the new generation of wide-body jets.
The A350 is Airbus’s alternative to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, the jet that was grounded by regulators in January because of safety concerns about its lithium-ion battery system.
The 787 and A350 aircraft are both made from lightweight carbon composites, which means they are more fuel-efficient compared with jets based on traditional aluminium.
Airlines and leasing companies have placed orders for more than 800 Dreamliners and 600-plus A350s.
Airbus has been keen to secure orders for the A350-1000, the largest version of the aircraft, which competes principally against Boeing’s 777 wide-body jet.
International Airlines Group, parent company of BA and Iberia, signed a preliminary agreement to buy 18 A350-1000s for its UK subsidiary, worth almost $6bn at catalogue prices, although there is expected to be a significant discount.
IAG has options to buy an additional 18 A350s for BA, and there could also be an order for Iberia, but this will be dependent on a successful restructuring of the lossmaking Spanish airline.
Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said the A350-1000 would bring “many benefits”. “Its size and range will be an excellent fit for our existing network and, with lower unit costs, there is an opportunity to operate a new range of destinations profitably,” he added.
The first of BA’s A350-1000s is due to be delivered to the airline in 2018.
Earlier this month, IAG announced plans to buy an additional 18 Dreamliners for BA’s fleet, worth $4bn at list prices, with deliveries starting in 2017.
In 2007, BA unveiled a significant part of its fleet modernisation programme by placing orders for 12 A380s and 24 Dreamliners, in deals that were worth $8.2bn at list prices.
The first of these 24 Dreamliners was due to be delivered next month, but the timing may slip because of the aircraft’s grounding.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday accepted Boeing’s proposed fix for the Dreamliner battery problem, in a move that should enable the 787 to resume commercial service in May or June.
Fonte: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d285100-ab6e-11e2-8c63-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2RIT6s7iK
BA’s all-Boeing wide-body fleet will change in July when the airline receives the first of 12 Airbus A380 superjumbos. These wide-body jet purchases are central tenets of BAs’ planned modernisation. of its ageing fleet.
BA is one of the world’s largest operators of Boeing’s 747, with 52 jumbo jets, but these are estimated to have an average age of 17 years and are less fuel-efficient and much noisier than the new generation of wide-body jets.
The A350 is Airbus’s alternative to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, the jet that was grounded by regulators in January because of safety concerns about its lithium-ion battery system.
The 787 and A350 aircraft are both made from lightweight carbon composites, which means they are more fuel-efficient compared with jets based on traditional aluminium.
Airlines and leasing companies have placed orders for more than 800 Dreamliners and 600-plus A350s.
Airbus has been keen to secure orders for the A350-1000, the largest version of the aircraft, which competes principally against Boeing’s 777 wide-body jet.
International Airlines Group, parent company of BA and Iberia, signed a preliminary agreement to buy 18 A350-1000s for its UK subsidiary, worth almost $6bn at catalogue prices, although there is expected to be a significant discount.
IAG has options to buy an additional 18 A350s for BA, and there could also be an order for Iberia, but this will be dependent on a successful restructuring of the lossmaking Spanish airline.
Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said the A350-1000 would bring “many benefits”. “Its size and range will be an excellent fit for our existing network and, with lower unit costs, there is an opportunity to operate a new range of destinations profitably,” he added.
The first of BA’s A350-1000s is due to be delivered to the airline in 2018.
Earlier this month, IAG announced plans to buy an additional 18 Dreamliners for BA’s fleet, worth $4bn at list prices, with deliveries starting in 2017.
In 2007, BA unveiled a significant part of its fleet modernisation programme by placing orders for 12 A380s and 24 Dreamliners, in deals that were worth $8.2bn at list prices.
The first of these 24 Dreamliners was due to be delivered next month, but the timing may slip because of the aircraft’s grounding.
The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday accepted Boeing’s proposed fix for the Dreamliner battery problem, in a move that should enable the 787 to resume commercial service in May or June.
Fonte: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3d285100-ab6e-11e2-8c63-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2RIT6s7iK
