At the Paris Air Show, Airbus secures a wave of Saudi orders

At the opening of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport on Monday, June 16, Saudi Arabia confirmed its emergence as a major new player in global air transport. AviLease, the Saudi leasing company, kicked off the orders on Monday. Founded just three years ago, AviLease announced a major purchase from Airbus: a contract for 77 aircraft, including long-haul A350 cargo planes and medium-haul models from the A320 family.
Specifically, the Saudi lessor placed a firm order for 10 A350F cargo aircraft and 30 A320neo family planes. The company also secured options for 12 additional A350s and 25 more A320s. At list prices, AviLease would pay about $12 billion for this new acquisition; however, this figure is indicative, as prices are typically negotiated and can be discounted by as much as 50%.
In less than three years, as Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, vice president of sales at Airbus, noted, AviLease has built up a fleet of over 200 planes: "A very rapid growth," the Airbus executive observed. This was necessary, responded Edward O'Byrne, CEO of AviLease, to build "strong and vibrant ecosystems" in the Saudi kingdom. He added: "The Saudi aviation strategy calls for more than doubling the cargo and logistics infrastructure in the kingdom."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

LeMonde

2 hours ago

• LeMonde

Banned from Paris Air Show, Israeli defense firms are both frustrated and powerless

Two people loading coffee machines onto a cart were all that remained at the stand reserved by Israeli defense firm UVision at the Paris Air Show as it prepared to open to the public for three days in Le Bourget, north of the French capital, on Thursday, June 19. By the time the convention was concluding its days reserved for industry players, the Israeli firm had already left. Along with fellow Israeli companies Elbit Systems, Aeronautics, Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, UVision was blocked from displaying its weapons systems: its booths had been off-limits, boarded up by black barricades, at the request of the French government, since the professionals-only part of the show launched on Monday. "France has made it clear that offensive weapons would not be part of the show," Prime Minister François Bayrou said at the venue on June 16, adding the situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable" and required an expression of "disapproval" and "distance." However, talks between the French government and the Israeli embassy in Paris in the lead-up to the gathering were supposed to define the conditions by which the Israeli companies could show their weapons. The show's organizers, aware of each booth's layout and the items on display, had approved their participation.

France 24

4 hours ago

• France 24

Macron says Europe must become 'space power' again

Macron spoke at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget outside the French capital a day after France more than doubled its stake in satellite operator Eutelsat, the EU rival to Elon Musk's Starlink. Macron called for more investment as the European space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of US and Chinese rivals. "SpaceX has disrupted the market, Amazon is also getting involved. China is not far behind, and I think we all need to be very clear-headed," Macron said. Europe must become "a space power once again, with France at its heart", he said. He warned that Europeans were "on the verge of being completely" squeezed out of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation market. Orbiting just a few hundred kilometres above the Earth, low Earth orbit satellite networks can play a crucial role in various fields including telecommunications, emergency response, space exploration, and defence. Growing geopolitical tensions have forced countries to focus on the independence of their satellite infrastructure. Macron said France and its partners should not be reliant on non-European constellations in low orbit, calling it "madness". He called non-European players to team up with France. "This must be the solution for our major strategic partners in the Gulf, India, Canada and Brazil," he said. "We really need to succeed in increasing our collective investment effort," Macron added, noting the importance of private investors and public-private collaboration. He also said France planned to organise a space summit in early 2026 to "mobilise our public and private partners across the globe." As part of the overall deal with other investors worth 1.35 billion euros ($1.5 billion), the French state is set to become Eutelsat's largest shareholder. The European satellite operator is vying to be seen as an alternative to Starlink, as companies in Europe and elsewhere look askance at Musk's manoeuvrings and seek to secure sovereign solutions. Boasting more than 600 satellites since merging with British firm OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat is the world's second-largest operator of low Earth orbit satellites, behind Starlink.

France 24

6 hours ago

• France 24

Escalating air war between Israel and Iran enters second week

01:20 20/06/2025 'Collective problem needs collective solution: Global warming projected to increase well beyond 2°' Environment 20/06/2025 Israel-Iran war: "We must prioritise a return to negotiations," says France's Macron 20/06/2025 French champagne makers accused of human trafficking 20/06/2025 Key climate indicators hit unprecedented levels, scientists warn 20/06/2025 France's Emmanuel Macron address at Paris Air Show 20/06/2025 Foreigners evacuated by air, land and sea as Israel-Iran conflict worsens 20/06/2025 Emmanuel Macron arrives at Paris Air Show in Le Bourget 20/06/2025 Two dead in Mexico as hurricane Erick moves on from its coast 20/06/2025 Napoleon relics auctioned in Paris